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Tim Mercurio

from Boston ma. lived here in Hefei for 6 year's , I enjoy riding my motorcycle,racing, business, contacts, seeking new colleagues and people of interest. watching movies, listening to music, Death metal,punk,metal,southern blues, southern rock,I do mostly part time teaching now, other than that I am an alright kind of guy, and quite a Boring person. I don't like sports, running,and esp. basketball. I attend to help expats if needed by looking for good places,bars,business or apartments, I also like eating and drinking Chinese wine..

I LOVE MONEY TOO

with an F visa though you are allowed to conduct business ,not just investing..you are able to own,contract,invest and control a business in china, and for the Z visa this is not  a " teaching license" there are no such thing as a teaching visa at least the term is not widely used or coined...

A Z visa allows you to teach,do business,consult,and invest .it is not a requirement for having an F visa just to do business,



Getting "legal" in China will cost you. In order for foreigners to run a business (or just a branch of one) on the mainland, they must obtain a working visa, called a "Z" visa. Associated costs: $8,000 to $10,000 in legal fees, $2,000 to $5,000 in filing fees, plus a minimum "capital requirement"--a sum determined by the local government to be deposited in a Chinese bank at the time of registration to ensure that the business will survive.


for registering a company , it will cost 50,000 RMB ,How ever the real cost is between 4,000 - 6,000 RMB
The 50,000 rmb you will get back ,this is just a protocol to make sure your business can still do well ,here they would call it a security fee or something like that. just to make sure you the person is able to live well while operating your business in the beginning,
this is for locals though or foreigners with a chinese partner

but for solely owned foreign companies you need at least 500,000 -1,000,000 RMB for registration and possibly many dinner invitations.

for those who want to live here can get a lifelong residence for 500,000 USD <--- But not really worth the expense when you can use that for more investments or business

If you have an "F-visa", you can not teach; if you have a teaching Z-visa, you can not do business but you can invest.

As part of the of "For Newbies" series, here is Hotels.

There's a pretty wide range of hotels in most cities, and unless it's peak holiday season or there's some kind of festival going on, it's usually not difficult to just rock up and find somewhere. I tend to book ahead to avoid being pressed for somewhere to stay and getting ripped off by hoteliers who can clearly see this.

The nationwide budget hotel chains are Motel 168, Jinjiang Inn, 7 Days Inn, Everyday Inn, Home Inn, Green Tree and a few others. Of course, you've also got all the well-knowns.

In most cases when you book a hotel online or over the phone, you should only need to book with your name, phone number, and maybe passport number. Unless you're booking into a _***** hotel or there's something special going on, you shouldn't be asked to leave your credit card details or pay a deposit down before you arrive.

When you get to a hotel, ask to have a look at the room first before paying. It goes without saying that Chinese hotels are made to look great online and the star ratings are sometimes bollocks. If you're not happy, there'll be others just down the road to choose from. I booked a hotel in Wuhan once and when I got there they were cutting concrete in the hallway outside the room. The place was so choked up with dust I initially thought there was a fire.

When you check in, you pay upfront, not as you leave, as we often do in Western countries. You pay the full amount for your stay and they will also overcharge you a deposit. (So don't arc up at the bellboys!)

If you are paying by card, they will charge the room rate to your card immediately, and they will also "pre-authorize" the deposit. So when you leave, if they need to charge you deposit, they just process the pre-authorized transaction;  otherwise, they cancel it and you don't get charged. (only in exceptional circumstances would they process your deposit).

In many hotels the staff are not used to dealing with foreigners. So if you're not aware of what's going on, they'll be doing a whole bunch of confusing transactions on your card without communicating anything (even if they speak English) or providing you with any of the transaction receipts. So make sure you ask them for the fa piaos if you want them, otherwise they'll just get binned without you being informed.

Prepare to be underwhelmed by hotel service (esp. in Chinese-run chains). I once asked room service if they could bring me up a bottle opener and they wouldn't. Reason: don't feel like it. Hotel service across the board tends to be patchy rather than uniformly good.

Hope this is helpful

Well! thought of!
actually this is what I knew and wanted to point out, But you explained it to the T-.
I am surprised that many of these elder expats did not know this.and or trying to stiff the new expats .

a little tidbit of information for those of you who may be leaving HF with some savings.

You can wire out funds from your bank or Western Union, but you need an official tax receipt from your employer or tax office.

You can carry out up to 20,000RMB

But another option you might not be aware of: through the China Unionpay network, you can use your Chinese debit card to draw on your Chinese bank account from selected branch ATMs in your own country.

According to the website of the State Admin. of Foreign Excahange, the withdrawl limits are:
$US1000/day, $US5000/month, $US10,000/6 months.

Withdrawal fees differ according to who you bank with in China, but it's around 0.5%-1.5%

For the new reader:

You need a Z visa to enter China and work. This is sponsored by an employer and issued by a Chinese consulate/embassy outside China.

1. When you enter China, you go with your employer to the local Foreign Admin Bureau within 30 days. You convert your Z visa into a Resident Permit. The resident permit is usually valid for one year and is affixed in your passport. This allows you to reside in China on a year-by-year basis. The Z visa gets crossed off (invalidated) in your passport, and you don't have to think about it again.

2. At the same time, you also go with your employer to the local Employment Bureau (near Tian'er hu) to get an Alien Employment Permit or Foreign Expert's Certificate. This is a little passport-sized booklet that is your registration with a single employer. It is generally valid for 1 year also. An employer must be properly licensed to sponsor you for this permit, and you can only have one official employer. The employer does not have to be a school or university, they can be any company that is properly licenced to hire foreigners. Some employers think the Employment Permit is their property and will try to hold onto it for you, but it is not, and you should try to keep it in your possession if possible.

3.  Let's say you end your contract early through mutual agreement. Your employer needs to cancel their sponsorship of your Employment Permit. You can remain in China because you have your valid Resident Permit, but you aren't supposed to work until you're on another Employment Permit. Your employer cannot directly revoke this Resident Permit in your passport (but the Public Security Bureau can). You will also need a Termination Letter from your employer in order to get a new employment permit with another employer. So it is better to end your contract by mutual agreement if possible, but I'm sure there are ways around this in other circumstances.

4. You then find a new employer, and they sponsor you for a new Employment Permit-- easy. The new employer can be in any province. This new Employment Permit will generally be valid until the expiry of your Resident Permit, and then you go and renew both again with your new employer.

5. The only reason you would need to think about a Z visa again is if you let your Resident Permit expire and have to leave China. Then, if you want to return to China again to work, you would need another sponsored Z visa.

So the process is quite straightforward.

On another note,

When you move into a new apartment or change apartments you do need to go to your closest police station and fill out a Registration of Accommodation form. Most police stations are a little flexible with how long they give you to do this, but best to get it done within a week. If you have relatives/friends visiting from overseas, you are also supposed take them down to the police station and register them within 24 hours.

If you leave China, say for a holiday, and come back, you need to report in at the police station within 24 hours of your arrival. The local police are more strict on this one becuase they can get in trouble from the Entry/Exit Bureau if they don't have the correct paperwork done.

It takes a while not to feel like a paroled convict, but you get used to it eventually.

I never ate a burger with beets in it.  Am I low class? 

Usually in Canada, we do lettuce, tomato, onions, cheese, and stuff like BBQ sauce and so on.

I hear YA! but we would add mustard and ketchup, and add some beer to the beef before we bbq it

[LEGALY]

NOTE: once a foreigner has a Z visa they are legally able to work at any type of school or education or company , this visa is not under any such name, the only name that the company or school is under, Is the foreign expert certificate,other than that if you and that "said school have a mutual agreement of termination.. You are legal to work at any school/company with out any ones permission. .

 

You are legal to work at any school/company with out any ones permission. .

Ahhhhhhhh..........what the F@^k?

I just went through this a few months ago. The ability to work with out permission, ok.

But you continue to throw the word "legal" in there.

Are you a lawyer in China? What are your qualifications giving legal advice?

Unless there has been some major new labor laws passed in China in the last few months that I am completely unaware of.

LEGALY, you can only work for the employer issuing theeeee work permit. Theeee end.

I have been on the graft on and off in China since I have arrived. And certainly meet hundreds of teachers who arrived here on a Z, and are now working as everything but teachers. Yes, that is possible.

Is it Legal? Ohhhhhhhh hell No.

Reader Beware: Do your own research.

@JRS

I am no lawyer, But with my 6 year's experience and knowledge of the "what goes on here",whether its a legal thing or not is something I do know,For your claiming is it legal? of course it is, The Definition of a Z visa means a work visa, this does not include or forced in becoming a teacher, if you want to work for a telecom company, export company and so, on as long as you have a Z visa this is completely legal with in the central and provincial government.

I also ask many of colleagues both in the educational department,business and official departments, at least every 6 months if needed.

I do more than research I think of it as my other job and responsibility . esp.when it concerns expats whether in hefei or mainland china..



NOTE: Article 7 Any foreigner seeking employment in China shall meet the following conditions:

 

(1) 18 years of age or older and in good health;

 

(2) with professional skills and job experience required for the work of intended employment;

 

(3) with no criminal record;

 

(4) a clearly-defined employer;

 

(5) with valid passport or other international travel document in lieu of the passport (hereinafter referred to as the "Travel Document")

[LEGALY]

NOTE: once a foreigner has a Z visa they are legally able to work at any type of school or education or company , this visa is not under any such name, the only name that the company or school is under, Is the foreign expert certificate,other than that if you and that "said school have a mutual agreement of termination.. You are legal to work at any school/company with out any ones permission. .

 

You are legal to work at any school/company with out any ones permission. .

Ahhhhhhhh..........what the F@^k?

I just went through this a few months ago. The ability to work with out permission, ok.

But you continue to throw the word "legal" in there.

Are you a lawyer in China? What are your qualifications giving legal advice?

Unless there has been some major new labor laws passed in China in the last few months that I am completely unaware of.

LEGALY, you can only work for the employer issuing theeeee work permit. Theeee end.

I have been on the graft on and off in China since I have arrived. And certainly meet hundreds of teachers who arrived here on a Z, and are now working as everything but teachers. Yes, that is possible.

Is it Legal? Ohhhhhhhh hell No.

Reader Beware: Do your own research.