residence permit question

[engrafted]

Hey guys,

I've been in China for about 5 months. I was told by my boss that i cannot leave the country and get back in with a residence permit. I think she just wants to keep me on a leash though. She also never gave me my foreign expert certificate. I think that is what i need to get back into the country after I leave. I would like to visit some friends in Japan over spring festival, but I don't want to get stuck.

So how important is it that i have the foreign expert certificate? Do I need that to get back into the country? Or is it not very important... My boss usually just lies to me so i know I can't trust what she says!

Thanks for any help!

-mjs

[muyongshi]

What type of visa are you on (my stupid question even though it's pretty obvious that it is a work visa)? And do you mean by residence permit that thing they stick in your passport?

I think she is lying to you. If you have a visa/residence permit and on it it doesn't specify number of entries (or has a 0) that means you can come and go as you please, just so long as you're abiding by the terms of your visa for work, study, etc. Also, you don't need your foreign expert cards for anything with coming and going. It just makes it easier for finding jobs and getting work visa.

[leeovisa]

Residence Permit for work (exact name of work visa) is valid for 1 year normally (there are some longer ones). It's a kind of visa with multiple entries.

Please double check yours is not a Z visa (normally valid for 30 days only), which is only a temporary one when applying for Residence Permit for work.

Foreign Expert Certificate is issued by Labor Bureau. It's quite important when renewing your work visa or changing your work visa (when you want to resign and find a new employer).

It's better that you get the two together in case some policeman check your ID. At least get a copy.

--------------------------------------

Better Service, Easier Life!

http://www.cn-visa.com

[liuzhou]

If you really have a residence permit stuck into your passport (Looks like a visa and says quite clearly at the top - Residence Permit for Foreigner in the People's Republic of China) then you can leave and enter freely. You don't need any other documents. I have done it many times and just did it last month again.

[roddy]

This has changed in the last couple of years though, so it's possible your boss is unaware rather than dishonest.

Your foreign expert certificate should be in your possession, but it's not good for much beyond exchanging RMB. If you don't need it there's probably no harm in letting her keep it.

[gougou]

If you have a visa/residence permit and on it it doesn't specify number of entries (or has a 0)

The last part is not true. If for example your tourist visa says you have zero entries, then that's exactly what you have. If you leave the country, you'll have to get a new one. (You will get these when you extend your visa in China.)

As far as I am aware, there are no residence permits that state a number of entries.

[engrafted]

Right on, thanks for all the help guys! I thought my boss was lying to me. I have to watch my back with her...

Thanks again for all the help.

[cdn_in_bj]

Yes, I agree with the others - you'll be fine.

Also, don't worry about not having the FEC in your possession. In fact, I don't even have one (though I sort of wish I did).

[muyongshi]

The last part is not true. If for example your tourist visa says you have zero entries, then that's exactly what you have. If you leave the country, you'll have to get a new one.

I meant more specifically for the residence permits not for a tourist visa.

As far as I am aware, there are no residence permits that state a number of entries.

I think I had one once that said 0 on it but maybe that was something else...a renewal or something....

[mr.stinky]

without knowing the background here really can't say. we don't know what kind of visa

engrafted is on. could have come over on a student visa, then quickly found work?

[engrafted]

Sorry for the lack of info in my original post. I'm on a Z-visa. I didn't think that mattered considering I noted that I have a foreign expert certificate, though not in my possession.

So from what I understand I can go in and out of the country freely and I don't really need the FEC in my possession until I need to renew my work visa/residence permit, correct?

(My friend and I may have to break into our bosses office and steal our foreign expert certificate so we can be confident that we won't get screwed in the end...(sh))

Thanks again for the info.

[nomad]

Assuming that you converted your Z-visa into a Residence Permit (stamp/sticker in your passport) within the 30 days, you don't need your FEC for exiting/entering the country.

You do need your FEC for other things, so you should try to get it.

Good luck the B&E

[cdn_in_bj]

You do need your FEC for other things, so you should try to get it.

Sorry to hijack, but would you be so kind as to elaborate on what you mean by "other things"?

[liuzhou]

Apart from renewing your residence permit, the FEC is only useful for changing RMB. I've had one for eleven years and have never used it.

[roddy]

Some people have said it gets you discounts on plane tickets and the like. I suspect it only gets you discounts you could have otherwise got by saying 'Could I have a discount please?'

[Luobot]

She also never gave me my foreign expert certificate.

...

(My friend and I may have to break into our bosses office and steal our foreign expert certificate so we can be confident that we won't get screwed in the end...)

Not a good idea for obvious reasons. If you really want it (and why shouldn’t you?) then try reminding her nicely but persistently first thing every morning until you get it, or at least a copy of it.

Tell her that it's costing you the aforementioned discounts, so you'll otherwise need a cost of living adjustment. Then say this is in addition to the 10% or so you would otherwise require to stay on due to the price of pork, high demand for your skills, and wage inflation in China. Let's turn this into a legal shakedown! (Better than being accused of stealing everything that's gone missing in the office for the last 5 months, after you're caught breaking into it.)

What legitimate reason could she give you for withholding it?

[Rincewind]

Sorry for the lack of info in my original post. I'm on a Z-visa. I didn't think that mattered considering I noted that I have a foreign expert certificate, though not in my possession.

There's still some confusion about what you have and don't have. You have a Z-visa in your passport, OK, but do you also have a Residence Permit in there too. There should be two things in your passport.

The foreign expert certificate is only useful for either getting your residence permit or changing job. Mine is kept in my schools safe and the next time I will use is to renew it. I have gone in and out of China four times in the last year and didn't once take my foreign expert certificate with me.

What legitimate reason could she give you for withholding it?

I can think of at least two.

First they cause a lot of money. They are jolly hard for schools to get. You have to 'know' the right people to get them and knowing people is expensive.

Second, the FEC could be used to get you a new job with a different school. If your employer thinks your trip to Japan is you doing a runner, then asking for your FEC is only proof that you really are running away to a new job.

There is a third reason. If you have a Z-visa, and your school hasn't bothered to get you the Residency permit, then you might not have a FEC for them to give you.

[liuzhou]

the FEC could be used to get you a new job with a different school.

Not so. The FEC is tied to one school. A new school must reapply.

[nomad]

I use my FEC to get discounts (hotels, tourist sites, train tickets, bus pass...), but like Roddy said, I guess if I just asked for a discount- I'd get one too.

I have beed stopped twice by police in Beijing (in the last 3 months) and have used my FEC in lieu of my passport (never carry it) and its worked.

[engrafted]

Alright, I'm learning a lot. Yeah, I've got a z visa and a residence permit. My boss has my FEC and recently gave me a copy of it. I still really want that thing though.

If I went to another school they must get me another FEC or else I can't reapply for another work visa correct? Because my school sucks and the boss is kind of holding it in order to keep me working at this school knowing that I couldn't get another residence permit if I leave without my FEC.

I've already had several offers at other schools which pay more with better working conditions and hours. If I chose to go to one of these schools would it me best for me to have my FEC before I go over or should I just forget the FEC?

Maybe the other school could just get me a business visa...

(I wouldn't seriously break into the office to steal it, I was just joking.)