POLICY BASIS · WHY IT IS REQUIRED

Translation is a legal step, not optional

01

National Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs

The Work Permit Service Guide states that all non-Chinese supporting documents must be provided with a Chinese translation stamped by the employer (passports and international travel documents excepted).

02

Shenzhen Science & Innovation Bureau

English documents may be translated by the employer and stamped with the company seal; other languages (French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, etc.) must be translated by a professional agency bearing its translation stamp.

03

National Immigration Administration

For visa and residence permit applications, foreign-language supporting documents must be translated into Chinese; local exit-entry windows may have stricter rules on hard copies, paging seals and licence copies.

04

Apostille does not replace translation

China has applied the Apostille Convention since November 2023. An apostille only simplifies the authenticity chain of public documents; it does not turn foreign text into a Chinese submission document, so translation remains a separate step.

The above is a summary of publicly available policy wording. Local window requirements may vary, and the submitting authority’s final rules always apply.

DOCUMENT LIST · WHAT TO TRANSLATE

Documents that need a Chinese translation

Common materials required for work and residence permits. The exact list depends on the receiving window.

Highest academic (degree) certificate
Police clearance certificate
Employment / reference letter
Professional qualification (e.g. coaching licence)
Medical certificate
Passport & visa pages
Marriage / family-relation certificate
Business licence & appointment letter
Birth certificate
Property / asset proof
Bank statement
Other documents the window specifies

Non-English languages: a professional agency is required

French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and other non-English work-permit documents cannot be translated by the employer. They must be handled by a registered translation agency and bear its official translation stamp. We regularly process French police clearance (bulletin n°3), UEFA coaching licences and professional qualification documents, with accurate terminology and compliant formatting.

  • Strong translator pool for less-common languages, consistent terminology
  • Registered translation stamp, with business licence and qualification copies available
  • Paging seal and translator’s declaration available to improve acceptance
PROCESS · HOW IT WORKS

From documents to submission-ready

01

Send your documents

Send photos or scans, stating the purpose (work permit / residence permit / visa), the submitting city and your deadline.

02

Quote & confirmation

A price and turnaround within 30 minutes. Once confirmed we assign a translator, matching language and format to the window’s requirements.

03

Translation & review

A professional translator translates and self-checks; the draft is sent to you to verify names, dates and reference numbers before stamping.

04

Stamping & delivery

Stamped with the official translation seal, accompanied by a translator’s declaration and qualification documents; hard copy shipped and PDF sent simultaneously, ready for submission.

Bulk service for employers & HR teams

For companies hiring foreign nationals, we offer bulk document translation and stamping with a dedicated contact, unified pricing and optional monthly billing. Templates for common documents (degrees, police clearance, employment letters) keep turnaround short.

  • Bulk orders prioritised; multiple languages handled in parallel
  • Unified templates and stamping standards for easy filing
  • Dedicated employer contact and monthly billing on request
FAQ · COMMON QUESTIONS

Work permit translation Q&A

Which documents need translation for a China work permit?
Usually the highest academic (degree) certificate, police clearance certificate, employment history proof, professional qualification document (such as a coaching licence), medical certificate, passport and photographs. The exact list depends on the local work-permit window.
Must the translation carry a translation agency stamp?
Under Shenzhen rules, English and Japanese documents may be translated by the employer and stamped with the company seal. French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and other non-English languages must be translated by a professional agency bearing its registered translation stamp. For traceability, we recommend using a translation agency for all non-English languages.
I have the work permit — does the residence permit stage still need translations?
Usually yes. The work residence permit is handled by the exit-entry authority, which requires foreign-language supporting documents in Chinese. Even documents reviewed at the work-permit stage need a Chinese-readable version at the residence-permit stage, and the hard copy, paging-seal and licence-copy requirements can be stricter.
I already have an apostille — do I still need a translation?
Yes. An apostille only confirms the authenticity chain of seals and signatures on a public document; it does not produce a Chinese translation. Chinese authorities still require a readable Chinese version, and translation and legalisation are separate steps.
How long does a stamped translation take?
Standard single-page documents such as police clearance and degree certificates are usually completed within one working day. Rush orders can deliver the electronic version the same day, with the hard copy shipped according to courier speed. Please tell us your deadline so we can prioritise.
Do you provide notarisation or consular authentication?
No. We only provide translation and stamping. Notarisation is handled by a notary public, and apostille or consular authentication by foreign-affairs or consular authorities. We can supply supporting stamped translations to meet their requirements.
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