Long-term residence permit, yes please!

Yesterday when I was reading the news I got a little bit excited when I skimmed through this article. 

3-5 year working permit...?! yes please. 

Then I read the fine lines and realized that it was only for executives and other important people. Almost makes me want to start my own business and give myself an important post. On the other hand, I'd be a lousy business woman, and I don't have any money to invest, so maybe not. 

Getting a visa in China isn't hard, but it demands a bit... of paperwork. Especially when you choose to change jobs/occupation (like going from studying to working or the other way around). 

I remember when I was about to get my first Z (working) visa in China. I had to get everything from my university diploma to CV translated into Chinese, visit the hospital to do a throughout health scan (I hate those ones, I faint at the sight of needles and blood!), put all the papers together and then eventually go abroad (or to Hong Kong) to get the actual visa. 

Fortunately I was going to Thailand for a holiday so my boss suggested I'd do it over there, and handed me a bunch of papers to bring. 

-And this is all I need? I asked. I don't need to bring my medical record?

-No, you don't. Because I've already given you this one, she said and showed me some green working diploma (? not sure what it was actually, this was a while ago), and you cannot get that without your medical, so it should be enough!

-You sure? I said.

-Sure! She said. 

So off I went and guess what the first thing the Chinese woman at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok asked for was?

-Your medical record please.

Oh dear god, WHY ME?!

To make a long story short I can tell you how it went. It didn't matter how many tears I cried, this embassy woman refused to give in. I had to call my office in Shanghai and ask them to fax the medical. Seeing that the woman in charge of these things was on a holiday my Shanghai co-workers had to call her in because she was the only one with a key to the drawer where they kept the medical records.... 

I ended up missing one flights and two boats but in the end I didn't care. After 5 hours and an insane amount of bahts (I had to pay some express fees as well as some additional don't-ask-me-what-they-were-fees) I finally had the magic visa in my passport. 

Lesson learned: never leave your medical behind. 

Additional funny side note: If you've done a medical check in China maybe you've noticed how the medical staff sometimes add additional notes about you in the final, medical report? I've personally never received any comments but to one of my male friends they wrote:

"Fatty liver"

....and one of my girlfriends received the charming note:

"Obese"

(Do I need to mention that she's not obese? Nah, yeah, well that's just what I thought).