Permits & Renewals
Your residence permit, renewed on time — handled here in Shanghai.
Renewals, dependent permits, work-permit setup and employer changes — every permit you deal with once you're in China, run end to end. Your entry visa is issued at a Chinese consulate back home; we take over the moment you land.
Why renewals bite
The rules moved. Most foreigners find out at renewal.
Salary thresholds tightened. Classification rules changed. Renewal timelines compressed. The system is harder to read than it was a year ago — and harder to fix once a deadline has passed.
Most foreign professionals only discover where they stand when their renewal is already in motion. By then, the levers — salary letter, contract structure, employer documentation — are already locked in.
The fix is to look at it 6–12 months before renewal, not at renewal.
Eligibility checker
See where you stand in 30 seconds.
Indicative only. Not legal advice. We’ll review the details on a call if your result calls for it.
Fill in all four fields to see your indicative result.
What we help with
What we handle, here in Shanghai.
- 01Residence-permit conversion — your entry Z visa turned into a residence permit in your first 30 days.
- 02Annual renewals — handled before the deadline, with the timing managed so you never cut it close.
- 03Dependent & family permits — spouse and children filed alongside you, school letters included.
- 04Work permit & employer changes — new setup, job or employer changes, and passport-change transfers.
- 05Documents & accompaniment — translations, forms, photos, and we go with you to the bureau.
Permits & Renewals
Clear prices for the permits you’ll actually need.
Most chosen
Residence Permit Renewal
Your annual residence-permit renewal, per person — documents, forms, photos and the bureau visit, timed so you never miss the deadline.
- Start 1–2 months before expiry
- We go with you to the exit-entry bureau
Dependent / Family Permit
Residence permits for your spouse and children, prepared and filed alongside yours.
- Document prep, translation & accompaniment
- School enrollment letters and the paperwork chain
Work + Residence Permit
Full work-permit and residence-permit setup, plus employer changes and passport-change transfers.
- We prep & coordinate; your employer files
- Job change or new sponsor handled
Government fees (≈ ¥400–1,000 per person) are separate and paid at cost. Complex or unusual cases — talent routes, below-threshold salaries, contested renewals — are quoted after the call.
What we don’t do
Honest scope, in plain English.
- 01Issue your entry visa — that happens at a Chinese consulate in your home country; we take over once you land
- 02Provide legal immigration advice — we prep, file, and manage timing; we’re not lawyers
- 03Guarantee outcomes — approvals are made by the authorities, not by us
- 04Hide a weak case to keep you as a client — if a renewal won’t clear the new thresholds, we tell you early
This page is general information, not legal advice. Visa rules change. Confirm specifics with a licensed practitioner before acting.
How it works
From first call to permit in your passport.
- 01
Discovery call
A free 30-minute call — a clear read on your permit, your timing, and exactly what’s due before the deadline.
- 02
Document & timeline plan
A custom checklist ordered by deadline, plus the coordination plan with your employer where one’s involved.
- 03
Filing & follow-through
We prep and submit, go with you to the bureau, and track review until the permit is in your passport.
Next chapter
Legal status creates stability—not belonging by itself.
Permits make long-term life possible. Daily confidence, local relationships and routines are what make that life feel grounded.
Why we run this end-to-end
Years inside Chinese paperwork — before any visa was filed for a client.
Amir spent years running an export business out of China — fapiao, customs declarations, employer registrations, payment chains. That is where the instinct for what holds together on a visa file comes from: the dependencies, the timing, the documents that always get rejected.
helloChina is Amir and her mother Lisa. Amir handles the paperwork and the client side; Lisa, who raised a family through every kind of school here and abroad, brings a parent’s lived experience to the questions behind every move.
Clearing that friction serves something bigger: helping newcomers rediscover a China that has moved far beyond the one they picture, instead of stalling at the visa stage.
Independent. Paid by clients only. Honest about what we know — and what we don’t.
Common questions
Before you book a call.
Can you get me a Z visa from abroad?
No — the entry Z visa is issued by a Chinese consulate in your home country. What we handle is everything once you’re here: converting that visa into a residence permit, renewals, and dependent permits.
My residence permit is up for renewal soon — when should I start?
One to two months before it expires. Renewals are where most of the risk sits now, and the levers (salary letter, contract, employer docs) lock in early. If yours is within six months, the time to plan is now.
Can you help my spouse and children?
Yes. Dependent and family residence permits are filed alongside yours, including the school enrollment letters and supporting paperwork.
What if my salary is below the new threshold?
Sometimes there’s a path — a different permit class, a restructured contract, a talent route. Sometimes there isn’t. We tell you honestly before you spend money on a filing that won’t clear.
Does my employer need to be involved?
For work and residence permits, yes — the employer is the sponsor and provides the authorization. We prep the package and coordinate directly with your HR so it’s clean and on time. Your employer files.
Do you give legal advice?
No. We prep applications and manage timing — we’re not lawyers. If your case has a legal complication, we’ll tell you and point you to someone who can.
If your renewal is within six months, the time to plan is now.
A 30-minute call clarifies where you stand and what to do next. No obligation.