All Provincial Visa Offices across China now require a teacher to authenticate (legalize) their Degree Certificate and ‘No Criminal Record’ background check (and in some circumstances their TEFL/ TESOL/ CELTA certificate) in order to issue the work ‘z’ visa support paperwork.
Information for UK citizens
Information for US citizens
Information for Australian citizens
Information for South African citizens
Information for Canadian citizens
Information for Irish citizens
Authentication Services (To be used to complete the process on your behalf)
The Process:
Notarisation – this is the attestation by a Notary Public that the signature appearing on the document is true and genuine. This is usually completed in the country where the document originates. This may also be in the form of a certification which is made by a solicitor as to the signatures made on a document.
Apostille – a Government Official in the country of origin has to declare the signature of the Notary Public or the Solicitor as true and genuine. Authentication declares that the Apostille is genuine prior to Legalisation. These are undertaken by a Home Office, e.g the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, or Department of State.
Legalisation – the Chinese Embassy can now declare and accept the signature, seal or stamp appearing on the document as genuine.
Only once you have authenticated your documents and sent these by scanned copy to your employer school can their HR Team begin to submit your work ‘z’ visa application to the Provincial Visa Office.
Ensure you allow around 3 weeks to complete the process; participants of the Teach China Graduate Program should begin this process immediately after receiving their hard copy degree certificate.
Some employer schools will contribute towards the costs of the authentication process; if your employer details this in your employment contract, ensure you keep all receipts or invoices.
Make sure to check that the awarding institution of your document is the same as the country it is being authenticated in. For example; the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK can only legalise Degrees, TEFL Certificates and Criminal Record Checks, awarded from UK institutions.
The notarization and legalisation process differs from country to country – see below a breakdown of document authentication for each country.
Process for Authentication of Documents for UK Citizens
The following is a simple guide to the authentication procedure for Z visa documents for UK citizens.
It is important to note that although these are the most common documents needed for authentication, certain schools/ local visa offices may have different requirements. It is vital to double and triple check with your school’s HR department which documents need to be authenticated and if there is any specific wording needed or special requirements from the school for authentication.
**We advise Opportunity China candidates to use Edward Young Notary Public to handle all stages of their bachelor’s degree, DBS and TEFL certificate authentication. Opportunity China candidates will receive a discount on their ‘Goldplus’ package, paying £310 for full authentication of all documents inclusive of postage. Find out more about Edward Young here**
Step 1
Apply for a DBS ‘no criminal record’ Check here, selecting the relevant issuing authority in your location. The cost of the disclosure is £25
Step 2
Arrange to have your Degree Certificate (and if required your TEFL certificate) notarised by a Solicitor or Public Notary in the UK. The Notary will make a copy of the document and attach a Letter of Attestation.
Prices vary depending on the service used, but will generally cost around £30 per document
Step 3
Certify the original copy of your DBS check (no photocopies allowed). The document can be sent back to the issuing authority with a request for the document to be legalised, it will receive a stamp from the issuing authority, recognising it as a true document. If this is not an option, a solicitor or notary will be required to notarise in the same way as a degree certificate.
Step 4
Visit Gov.uk and follow the instructions to send all notarised documents (Degree and TEFL Certificates and DBS check) to the FCO to asses if the documents are genuine; they will attach apostilles to the back of the Letters of Attestations and return via post. This should be done within a week. Ensure documents are sent via recorded/ signed for delivery.
There are 2 options. Either a standard service (up to 10 days) costing £30 per document or an express service (1 day) costing £75 per document
*Note that the FCO will reject copies of the Criminal record check. The notorised document MUST be the original.
Step 5
Once the apostilles and documents are returned by the FCO, all documents must be taken to the Chinese embassy to be legalised. It is important to note that there is no postal service for this section of the process. For more detailed information on their requirements, visit the Chinese Embassy’s website http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/lsfw/legalization/
There are two options for legalisation through the Embassy, £15 (4 days) £30 (3 days)
Step 6
Once documents are returned from the Chinese Embassy, send copies to your employer school via email. Their HR Team can then submit a work z visa application to the Provincial Visa Office. Typically, around 4 weeks later the Provincial Visa Office issue a work permit and invitation letter; this will be sent to you via email.
Only now can you submit a z visa application at the London, Manchester or Edinburgh Visa for China centre.
Following the guidelines on the Visa for China website using the Z visa category, prepare all required documents. You will need to book an appointment if applying in person in London. There is also a postal service available. The standard visa takes 4 working days and can be tracked online.
Once processed, the visa will take the form of a physical sticker in your passport. The total processing cost of the visa is from £151.
Excluding the cost of the visa and allowing around £15 for postage, you would expect to to pay the following for the authentication process without using a service:
3 Documents (degree, DBS, TEFL) regular service (up to 3 weeks)- £240
3 Documents (degree, DBS, TEFL) Fastest possible service (less than 1 week)- £330
