Health Exams For Z Visa

I saw this topic on the Cafe, and like every thread there it was simply full of snark and 9 different takes on the situation and not a single one of the posters handing out the info over there I trust.

So, I turn to the Saloon, where reliable, solid, snark-free FACTS are presented.

Raoul, Noelfan, how about a sticky that explains the health exam requirements for a Z visa? I don't recall seeing one here (if there is a thread on it, pelase send me the link as I clearly couldn't find it!).

I had one back home, chest xrays et al and it cost me a pretty penny.  Despite having all  my results with me when I got here, I was told that our local PSB required the foreign teachers to get a local exam.  I had to pay the 400RMB fee; 'ancient' would be a good term to apply to the equipment used in the exam.

Thanks, KC.

So, are physicals required BEFORE you leave Canada/US/UK/Oz/NZ, etc. just to get the Z visa, and then you have to endure another one to get the FEC? There seems to be a million different stories about this.

As one (of an increasing, startling number of) American(s) who does not have the human right to basic health care, it would be cheaper for me to fly - round trip - to China, take the medical checks there - and then getting the EKG, blood work, and whatever else they want, just to get the visa, if they require such crap just to get the working visa!

Considering most schools don't pay airfare (they "reimburse" some of it later on, but it's still out of one's own pocket up-front) it seems illogical to make a teacher go through such crap just to have them arrive and do it all over again. If a teacher failed the tests in China AFTER already paying their way there, then a school could simply cancel their visa and hire a new teacher. They would owe nothing more to the individual. No reimbursement, etc.

It would make no sense to demand a physical in advance, only to do it again.

So how common is it - and which provinces demand the double-dip? I won't be able to afford to do it in America even if it was to be 100% reimbursed later on. I can afford to get my shots, do the long jounrey to get the visa work at the nearest embassy (whhich is anything but 'near"), ship all the vitals FED ex when they need 'em, and to fly myself to China, pay for my healt hcheck there, and stay alive with no stress until the first paycheck within China, but doing the health check here would cost much more than all of that combined. In America it's cheaper to die than to receive some forms of healthcare wihout insurance.

I know China can be ass-backwards on some things, but I'm still confused about this, and strongly suspect most places only demand one health check and that's the one within China. can anyone confirm or deny this? The serious lack of replies is depressing (ecept for yours, KC. I appreciate the feedback!).

To get my Z visa I had to have a medical - blood tests, the whole lot, although I did baulk at the EEG.  When I arrived here I had it all done again - because my original did not have a red stamp over my photo on the page to show it was truly me.  But I didn't have to pay for it - the uni did.

I haven't had one since for the visa - new uni didn't seem to worry.

To get my Z visa I had to have the full medical exam done in NZ - very, very expensive. I brought all my results with me and the school accepted it, same school as KCannuck - so maybe it is just luck of the draw. I would have been really irate if I'd had to fork out more cash for the thing...there were two of us doing it so it was a real fortune.

And a warning for anyone getting a Z visa medical done in NZ - if you tell the blood test people what it's for, you have to pay full price...no discounts at all so lots and lots of $100s for all the blood tests that need doing. All up, it was around about $700NZ.

As with Crippler mine is a little old. I'm in Hunan. I came over on a 'L' visa and then had it converted to a 'Z' visa. I believe they don't do this in Hunan anymore. I've only had to get a medical in China. re-done every year. This past year was the first time they took a urine sample. All my schools have paid for the medical. I request that they pay as part of the contract if it's not included.

I'll see if I can find the specific facts on this and post those in the Library. Thanks Moon, good idea...  

I had to take exams in the USA to come over on a Z visa, and then again in China for the Residence Permit. I did the USA one through my regular doctor. The China one will be done at the Bureau for the Inspection of Livestock and Foreigners in your city of residence.

When they do the blood tests in China, once the needle is safely withdrawn I personally like to let out a full-blast bloodcurdling scream. It's worth it for watching the nursing gargoyles jump 4 inches in the air with a look of utter panic on their faces. Nobody sticks Raoul for free.  
It also seems to cheer up my fellow expats still waiting out in the hallways.  

Why test twice?
Simple. The Chinese want to test you before you get here, to make sure that you don't have AIDS or some other foreign plague.
However, if you do all the testing back home, then the bureaucratic appartus for handling foreigners, including its clinics, doesn't get paid anything.
Ergo: a second test here.

You should bear in mind that the Chinese genuinely hate it when we die here. It's a lot of red tape and expense and inconvenience for them. So, they want a good look at our basic health before we come.

I came here from Oz 2 years ago on a Z Visa - didn't need any medical to get the visa issued. Had a medical after arrival which was organised and paid for by the school and have since had another one to get a new Residence Permit issued about 10 months ago.

Sounds like getting the medical at home depends a lot on the isuing office.

Hmm... When I came to China, I received an invitiation letter from my school, which I took to the Chinese embassy, got the visa (never any mention of a health test) then when I got to China and the school had the full visa issued (then a separate green book), they took me for the health check, which they paid for.

It's ludicrous to expect teachers who are getting 4000 a month or so to have to pay for stuff like visas, health checks, etc.

It's ludicrous for a teacher to be getting 4000 RMB a month or so, period.

The rules for this stuff change constantly, and can vary between different provinces and cities...which makes it hard to compile good accurate information on it.

When we came, we had medicals done but then found out the Z visa didn't require them.  When we got to China, our medicals were disregarded as we lined up with others for a "local" medical.  Since we were breathing, we passed with flying colours.  Good thing the uni paid for the medicals.  I also managed to get my medical done free in Canada since the doc is a great friend of mine. 

This stuff definitely pisses me off.

I've heard that the NY Embassy office supposedly demands all aplicants for a Z visa to get a health check (again, this is from the cafe - where the disinformatio nflows like green algae on a Chinese river). Sadly, NY is the "closest" (not really close at all, but is where it falls) embassy.

T'aint no f'n way I'm gong to fork over for one in advance when they are rarely, ever accepted within China. I'd do the blood tests, but not the others. No f'n way. That's nearly 2 grand (US) in medical right there. I don't and won't have that much money on hand at any time to be able to do it. No free clinic will give me the chest x-rays, either.


I do not want to enter China on a tourist visa and do that hoop jumping, either. I could easily be f'd over by a school who decides they dont' want me, left desperate looking for work, having to travel a lot of interviews, then hopping down to Hong Kong to do the curly shuffle. If the HK visa issuers are anything like the c-bags at the "Chugnhwa travel Agency" (Taiwan's de-facto "embassy" in HK) then it's not worth the headache. Them ladies be witches....

This appears to be the suckiest part of the China experience for me: having to figure out where I won't have to get a health check just to get the Z visa issued, just so I can enter China where I can AFFORD to get the real deal, 100% official check in-county. It makes me nervous because I'll probably have to use a visa expiditing service, which I don't feel comfortable doing. All of this because I live in the ONLY industrialized nation that doesn't want to realize that very basic health care is a human right.

Oi vey!

BTW - thanks a lot for all of your observations, experiences, and opinions. I really appreciate them. 

2000 USD just to get a healthcheck that wasn't accepted in China?  That's madness.

I forgot one variable here.
Not only do the rules vary in China, but they can vary in other countries as well: different Chinese Consular regions can also vary a bit in their rules and requirements.
All in all: hard to call this information due to all the local variables.

I hate to say anything defending the forum at Chez Fasciste, but it may be that at least some of the variance is not due to weasel behavior. A little of it, not much.  

The bottom line is: your Consulate back home (or in HK, etc.) makes the decision on whether or not to issue us a visa. The PSB Foreign Affairs Office in your proposed city of residence makes the decision on whether or not to issue us a Residence Permit. None of these guys give two f#$@s in a cat's ass whether we come to China or not. It's pretty much their way or the highway when it comes to these documents. We might be able to fight cheap and/or crooked school owners, but make no mistake: the Foreign Ministry and the PSB are firmly in control of the entry phase of our time here. We jump through their hoops or we stay home.

The med exams aren't that bad. Mine on the USA side ran a couple hundred USD or so. All mine on the China side have been paid for by my employers. The China-side inspections are done in dedicated clinics set up expressly to run the required tests. They ain't no thang.

In the Links area there's a link listing all Chinese Embassies and Consulates worldwide. Might help in chasing down the best policies. However, I'm not entirely sure if we can jump around between Consulates or not. For example, if you live in the Chicago Consular district, you may not be able to use the Consulates in Houston or New York. I'm just not sure.

For what you need to do or bring on the China side, your employer is the best choice of information. They're the ones who are supposed to help guide you through this process in their specific locale. To come in, just do as they instruct.
And God help us all.  

Very true, Raoul.  So much different info is given on different stuff in China, that nobody seems to know what the truth is about anything.  Ever.