Overstay or unauthorized work in China can create immigration penalties and may affect exit, future visa/residence applications and the employer.
The first priority is to establish the person’s actual visa/residence/work-permit status and expiry dates, stop any ongoing unauthorized activity, preserve records and obtain current local exit-entry guidance before making assumptions about cure or departure.
5 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Check document type and expiry
Identify the relevant facts, documents and operating role before choosing the route.
Decision factorCheck length/reason for overstay
Identify the relevant facts, documents and operating role before choosing the route.
Decision factorCheck whether unauthorized work occurred
Identify the relevant facts, documents and operating role before choosing the route.
Decision factorCheck employer involvement
Identify the relevant facts, documents and operating role before choosing the route.
Decision factorCheck local exit-entry authority and any pending investigation
Identify the relevant facts, documents and operating role before choosing the route.
Decision factorWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.
Sources last checked: