Passport status does not pause Criminal Procedure Law — it adds consular, language and exit-ban layers on top of detention.
When a foreign national is criminally detained, the core file is still detention → counsel → evidence → arrest-approval clock. Extra layers: consular notification, interpretation, visa/residence fallout, and possible exit restrictions even after release. Employers often panic into ‘settlement’ talk; that can worsen exposure. Keep long foreigner defense guides for depth. This wiki is the detained-foreigner checklist. Consular notification and employer-help pages are related pages.
4 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.
Detention notice and unit?
Who holds them.
NoticePRC criminal counsel retained?
Meeting rights.
CounselConsular path started?
Notification related pages.
ConsularEmployer role scoped?
Help vs interference.
EmployerWorking 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.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Does the embassy get them out?
Consular assistance is not a get-out-of-jail card. PRC procedure still runs.
Where is the deep foreigner investigation guide?
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.