From the first labour contract to the final settlement, we carry the legal, administrative and payroll weight of employing people in China, with work-permit support for relocating expats too, so your team can focus on the work itself.
We sponsor expat employees through our licensed Chinese entity: foreigner work-permit notification, Z visa, post-arrival residence permit and work-permit card, plus timely renewals.
Bilingual labour contracts built to the Labour Contract Law, signed within the 30-day legal window, with the correct contract type, probation, notice and benefit clauses.
Monthly salary paid in RMB, with payslips, allowance structuring, expense management with fapiao and full record-keeping in the employee's city of work.
The five insurances and one fund, pension, medical, unemployment, maternity, work-injury and the housing fund, registered and remitted at the correct local rates.
Individual income-tax withholding and annual reconciliation, plus tracking of annual leave, sick leave, public holidays and any contractual allowances.
When someone leaves, we calculate and pay statutory severance and accrued leave, issue the release letter and close payroll, tax and social insurance correctly.
End-to-end mobilisation for foreign hires: work-permit notification, Z visa, residence permit, work-permit card and renewals. See the full timeline below.
Hiring beyond China? We support Employer of Record and payroll across key Asia-Pacific markets, so one partner covers your regional team.
You want one or two people on the ground in Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen before committing to a WFOE. We let you start now and decide later.
You have already found the person, a Chinese national or a relocating expat, and simply need a compliant way to employ and, where needed, sponsor them.
You employ people globally and want China handled with the same compliance bar as everywhere else, without standing up local infrastructure.
The most important distinction in China is that we do not operate as a labour-dispatch agency. Labour dispatch is a strictly regulated, separately licensed model, capped at 10% of a client's headcount, where an agency assigns its own workforce to perform temporary or auxiliary work under the agency's terms. That is not what we do.
Instead, we operate as a service-based company that provides a legal in-country entity, enabling you to employ your own chosen workforce. We are responsible for the legal aspects of employment, payroll, tax, social insurance and HR administration, while you direct the work. That is what keeps the arrangement compliant.
Engaging workers through an unlicensed or mislabelled arrangement creates real exposure in China, where labour arbitration is fast and employee-friendly. We employ your team through our own licensed entity, so the employment relationship stands on solid ground.
We run your team's payroll in RMB each month, withhold individual income tax under the progressive system with annual reconciliation, and remit the five insurances and one fund at the correct rates for each employee's city. Because contribution bases and rates differ city by city, we calculate each payroll against the local floor and ceiling, and show the employer cost transparently.
As the legal employer, we hold the obligations that come with Chinese labour law: written contracts signed within 30 days, probation handled within the limits, accurate severance, lawful notice periods and protection against unlawful-dismissal claims. If a rule changes, and China's local rules change often, it is our job to keep your contracts current.
Foreign hires are employed on a fixed-term contract through our licensed entity, which sponsors the work permit and residence permit. We typically onboard expats in Tier-1 cities such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, because the permit is tied to the sponsoring entity's locality and a genuine workplace. Below is the onboarding sequence once you have selected a candidate.
Indicative total: around 8 to 12 weeks, depending on city, talent tier and document readiness.
| # | Step | Typical timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Document collection & talent tier | Varies | Candidate provides passport, authenticated degree, police clearance, CV and photos. We confirm the talent tier (A, B or C) and that the salary meets the local threshold (Category A around 6x, Category B around 4x the local average wage). |
| 2 | Foreigner Work-Permit Notification | ~1–2 weeks | We apply online to the local authority before the employee enters China. This notification letter is the basis for the visa. |
| 3 | Z visa | ~1 week | The employee applies for the Z work visa at a Chinese embassy or consulate using the notification letter. It is valid for 30 days on entry. |
| 4 | Entry & registration | On arrival | The employee enters China and registers with the local police within 24 hours. A health check is completed where required. |
| 5 | Work-permit card | ~1–2 weeks | We obtain the physical foreigner's work-permit card from the local authority after arrival. |
| 6 | Residence permit | ~1–2 weeks | The Z visa is converted into a residence permit within 30 days of entry, usually valid for one year initially, longer for higher talent tiers. |
Started well before expiry to avoid any gap in work authorisation.
| # | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Work-permit renewal | We file the work-permit extension with the local authority ahead of expiry, with updated documents. |
| 2 | Residence-permit renewal | The residence permit is renewed to match the extended work permit, keeping the employee continuously authorised. |
The documents, steps and final timeline depend on the individual worker's details, talent tier, city and government approvals. They can change during the application process, at the discretion of the local authorities and without advance notice.
After your hire is under our employment, we process monthly payroll, remit social insurance and the housing fund, withhold income tax, and support ongoing HR administration. All payroll inputs are confirmed by you before salaries are released. Employees can raise HR requests directly or through your own HR team, whichever you prefer. When someone resigns or is terminated, we manage offboarding, statutory severance and the release letter in line with Chinese labour law.
Building a team across the region as well as in China? We provide Employer of Record and payroll services in key Asia-Pacific markets, so you can employ talent compliantly without setting up an entity in each country.
As your regional Employer of Record, we become the legal employer of your hires across supported markets. We run local payroll with the correct statutory deductions, register mandatory contributions, issue compliant employment contracts, and administer statutory entitlements such as leave and severance under each country's law. You direct the work; we carry the employment compliance.
Where you already have an entity in a market, we can take on payroll processing, benefits administration and day-to-day HR support, so your team stays lean while staying compliant.
For international hires who need the right to work in a supported market, we support the relevant work-permit and visa processes, helping you move from offer to a worker who is legally cleared to start.
Whether your next hire is in Shanghai or elsewhere in Asia-Pacific, you work with a single team for contracts, payroll, work-authorisation support and compliance. Tell us where you are hiring and we will map the right route.
Fill out the form and we will map the exact services, cost and timeline for your China hire.