Important Visa Advice for Shareholder of WFOE

Whether your company has a physical/real office address or not? (you need to provide office rental contract, office photos etc. to prove it)

If the answer is YES, then you can provide following A+B as supplement for extending work permit and work visa.

If the answer is NO, then you have to provide all of following A+B+C (or even more) as supplement for extending work permit and work visa.

(A) Company operating status (like your business introduction、structure and financial statement.)

(B) Taxes (Enterprise tax receipt, or the Invoices (Fapiao) record which your company issued to your clients)

(C) Chinese employee's social security payment receipt

Questions & Answers:

Q1: I have my startup company (newly registered), and I don't have above any of supplement A,B and C, can I still get my work permit and work visa?

A: Yes, at the beginning, entry and exit bureau will give you 3-6 month work visa. When you want to extend it, you have to provide supplements which is mentioned above to prove company is operated normally and legally.

Q2: My WFOE is very small, I don't have the Chinese Employee, but I run the company for real business, will that take disadvantage to my work permit and visa extention?

A: If your company has real office address, and you can provide supplement A+B, it's fine. 

Q3: I registered my WFOE with a virtual address and I don't have an office address, I always work at home, will that be a problem for my work permit and visa?

A: Yes, government will check it very strictly, and you have to provide supplement A+B+C.

Q4: My client pay me through Wechat / Alipay, they never ask for a Fapiao. What should I do?

A: You should issue invoice even your clients don't ask for, and declare the income legally. Your company should have official invoice record.

Q5: Is there a minimum amount of monthly income my company need to reach to have my work permit and visa renewed?

A: Until now, there's no limitation of that. But for sure, income should be reasonable to cover your company expense.

Q6: How long period tax receipt or invoices record that government would like to check?

A: For the past 12 months.

Q7: Can I just issue some invoices when I start to process my work permit and visa extension?

A: No, if all invoices date is close to the date when you submit your work permit application, government will consider it's suspicious, please be cautious.

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