Pre-Employment Medical in China for Teachers: The Health Item in a Beijing Work Permit Manual

This page gives general administrative information and no medical advice.

The Beijing work permit manual

A manual on the Beijing Municipal Government English portal says that if a person is not included in the Foreigner Point Scoring System, the employer can apply for the Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit before the person enters China. The manual says it is applicable for clauses 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of "Foreign Talents (Class B)".

The health item in the manual

The manual lists an original copy, paper or electronic, of the "Physical examination report" among the materials listed for the application.

The manual says these are accepted for that item: a Verification Certificate of Physical Examination Records of Overseas Personnel, or the Certificate of Health Examination issued by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China, or a physical examination report issued by an overseas health and medical institution and accepted by those institutions. It says any health certificate must have been issued within the past six months. It says that if the report cannot be presented, the employer may provide a letter of commitment on health.

The manual says that when applying for a Foreigner's Work Permit after entry, the Verification Certificate of Physical Examination Records of Overseas Personnel or the Certificate of Health Examination issued by the Inspection and Quarantine Institutions of China has to be provided.

The note on foreign language teachers

The manual includes a note on foreign language teachers. It says a foreign language teacher should be engaged in the teaching of their native language, and have obtained a bachelor's degree or above with at least two years' experience in language education.

The note says a teacher who has a bachelor's degree or above in education, language or pedagogy may be exempted from submitting a certificate of work experience. The note also lists a teacher qualification certificate in the host country, and certificates of qualification for international language teaching such as the TEFL certificate, among the cases that may be exempted from submitting a certificate of work experience.

The Beijing rules on application materials

A page on the Beijing Municipal Government English portal says all materials in a language other than Chinese must be accompanied by a Chinese translation and stamped with the employer's official seal, except for passports and other international travel documents.

The page says all original hard copies of the materials must be uploaded electronically in color to the online processing system together with the Chinese translations.

The Shanghai health check guide

The Shanghai Municipal Government English portal carries a guide to the health check. The page is dated August 30, 2024, and its footer says it was updated July 14, 2026.

The guide says anyone planning to live, work or study in Shanghai for a year or more needs to complete a health check at the International Travel Healthcare Center. It says this step is crucial for applying for residence and employment permits.

Among the documents for the health-check appointment, for applicants seeking a residence permit for work, the guide lists an employment certificate issued by the relevant local foreign experts authority, a photocopy of the employer's business license, or the original and a photocopy of the applicant's Foreigner's Work Permit.

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Questions people ask

What does the Beijing work permit manual say about a physical examination report?

The manual lists an original copy of the "Physical examination report" among the materials listed for the application, and says a health certificate must have been issued within the past six months.

What does the Beijing manual say about foreign language teachers?

The manual says a foreign language teacher should teach their native language and have a bachelor's degree or above with at least two years' experience in language education.

What does the Shanghai guide say about the health check and work?

The guide says anyone planning to work in Shanghai for a year or more needs to complete a health check at the International Travel Healthcare Center.

Sources

Each source above was read on the date shown. This page is an unofficial summary of general administrative information. It is not published by the bodies named above, and it is not medical advice. If it differs from the official pages, the official pages prevail, and rules may change after the check date.