Now, a 7-Day Wait Time for PU Letter? 69 Foreigners Receive It!

On October 27, 2020, according to the Bureau of Commerce of Linan District, Hangzhou, their Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department has been actively assisting enterprises in inviting foreign employees to return to China. Up to now, a total of 69 foreigners from 18 enterprises have received invitation letters.

Who is Eligible to Receive an Invitation Letter?


Per the announcement, the invitation letters issued by Linan Government are mainly to the following three types of foreign employees.

  • Foreign executives;
  • Overseas partners of the local enterprises;
  • Technical support and other related personnel.

A One-Week Process

Per the Commerce Bureau of Linan District, as of now, foreigners who come to Zhejiang for business work are required to hold an invitation letter, where its application process is as follows:

  1. The employer shall fill in the application form of the invitation letter for foreigners coming to China and submit it to the local business bureau;
  2. After passing the preliminary examination, it shall be submitted to Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce;
  3. It will be handed over by Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce to Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, and the invitation letter will be issued by the provincial government department for entry after approval.


Furthermore, as to better assist enterprises to resume work and production, the Commerce Bureau of Linan District currently provides training for the local enterprises and ensures that all the declaration materials of the invitation letter are passed at one time. Therefore, the relevant foreign personnel can get an invitation letter within a week at most.

Materials Needed from Foreign Employees


Per the Hangzhou Government, the following documents are required for the foreign employee to apply for the invitation letter to enter China.

  • Informed letter signed by the invited foreign employee;
  • Passport information page of the invited foreign employee.


During the epidemic period of COVID-19, they will continue to do a good job in service and help foreign personnel to apply for an invitation letter or fast-track lane to achieve full resumption of work and production, the head of Linan Commerce Bureau added.

More New Policies for Foreign Teachers & Visa Process Changes!

On October 28, 2020, Guangzhou Foreign Affairs announced on its official account that as of October 20, they had approved 7,011 applications for foreign applicant to return back to China, involving 1,244 enterprises and schools. As of now, 6,529 people from 81 countries have received invitation letters by the provincial foreign affairs office, including foreign teachers, business executives, engineering and technical personnel, academicians, directors, players, chefs and all their family members

Returning of Foreigners

Per the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangzhou, there is no visa refusal among the foreigners who have received the invitation letter across Guangzhou, so it provides the greatest convenience for local foreigners to work and live in the city. Below is the industry acceptance scope of the invitation letter.

  • Schools at all levels;
  • Key technology enterprises;
  • Commercial and trade enterprises;
  • Enterprises of finance, insurance, education, sports and culture;
  • Chamber of commerce;
  • Representative office of enterprises.

Furthermore, as per the announcement, Guangzhou is one of the first group of cities that have issued invitation letters to foreign teachers and bring them back to China.

Favorable Policies for Better Living

Besides expanding the scope and occupation of the application for invitation letter, the Guangzhou Entry-Exit administration has also issued a series of favorable policies to solve the problem of obtaining permits for local foreigners during the epidemic period, including visas and residence permits, which are as follows:

  • Set up the online processing channel for foreigners’ visa certificates, and coordinate the postal companies to carry out the “two-way express” business;
  • Create the “whole-day” online service, foreign applicants can enjoy the counselling service on a 24-hour run;
  • Promote the one-window service for foreign high-end talents to apply for work permits and residence permits;
  • Implement the paperless examination and approval of entry and exit procedures for foreigners;
  • Decentralize the authority of visa documents for foreigners to the regional bureaus.

It is worth noticing that the Guangzhou Foreign Affairs actively promotes the return of foreigners to China via the above-mentioned policies, which also promotes the resumption of work, production and education across the city.