This moving to China checklist is for people preparing to live in mainland China for work, study or family reasons. Start with your immigration route and first address, then arrange your phone, payments and everyday transport. A tourist packing list will not tell you which residence deadline applies to your visa—or who needs to register your apartment stay.
Shanghai Metro Line 3 at Zhenping Road in 2023. Photo: A Chinese ID, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and encoded as WebP.
Checked 15 September 2026. This is general planning information, not individual immigration or legal advice. Confirm your route with the Chinese visa authority and the exit-entry administration where you will live. Hong Kong and Macao have separate immigration systems.
Moving to China checklist: the deadlines to separate
| When | What to arrange | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Before departure | Confirm the correct entry route and sponsor documents | Employment, study and family arrangements are not interchangeable |
| Within 24 hours of arrival at non-hotel accommodation | Complete accommodation registration with local public security | You or your host handles it; hotels handle their guests’ registration |
| Within 30 days of entry | Apply for a residence permit | Applies when your visa requires a post-entry residence application |
| At least seven days before visa stay expires | Apply for a visa-stay extension if needed | Approval is not automatic; do not confuse this with residence renewal |
| 30 days before a residence permit expires | Apply for residence renewal | Start checking documents earlier with the accepting office |
The accommodation deadline comes from the NIA accommodation-registration notice. Visa-stay extensions are covered by Article 29 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law; residence application and renewal requirements are explained in the NIA residence-permit service guide.
Before departure: settle the entry route with your sponsor
Ask your employer, university or family sponsor for a written document list and a named contact. Check who prepares each document, whether originals or translations are needed, and which appointments must happen after arrival. Do this before committing to a start date that depends on permission you have not received.
For the ordinary overseas employment route, the employer arranges the work-permit notification, you use it to apply for the Z visa before travel, and the required work and residence formalities follow after entry. Beijing’s foreign-professional employment guide shows this sequence. Special and short-term routes need their own instructions; the sequence is not a promise of eligibility or processing speed.
A China work permit and a residence document serve different purposes. An ordinary family or student residence permit is not blanket permission to take a job. The law requires relevant work authorization, while approved student placements have specific conditions. Ask before accepting work, including an arrangement described informally as an internship. See Articles 41–43.
Keep a private document folder containing your passport details, visa, sponsor contacts, first accommodation address and relevant approvals. Save the address in Chinese as well as English. Copies are backups, not substitutes whenever an original is required.
On arrival: complete China accommodation registration
If you stay in a hotel, present your passport and let reception complete its registration process. For an apartment or a friend’s home, you or the host must register with the public security authorities for that address within 24 hours of arrival. Keep the registration confirmation with your immigration records.
There is an important limit to the 2026 online update: the NIA announcement launched its national-platform pilot in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan, with later expansion dependent on the pilot. It did not announce immediate nationwide coverage. Eligible users can use NIA online channels; in-person registration remains available. Check the service for your actual address. NIA pilot announcement.
Before paying an apartment deposit, ask how the landlord will support registration and what address documents the local office needs. A landlord’s informal assurance is not a registration receipt. If your first nights are in a hotel, our hotel-registration guide covers the arrival conversation.
During the first month: prepare your China residence permit
Read the conditions on your visa. Where a post-entry residence application is required, apply within 30 days of entry. This is not a rule that every foreign visitor must convert a short stay into residence.
The document list depends on your purpose. Start with your passport, application form, compliant photograph and supporting documents from your sponsor; confirm additional requirements with the accepting office. A work case and a university case do not use identical evidence. The NIA service guide sets out the categories and supporting documents.
Book preparation time into your first week. Ask whether an appointment is needed, whether a health certificate applies, and what receipt you receive if your passport is retained. Avoid planning passport-dependent travel before you know how the application will affect it.
If you instead need more time on a visa stay, contact exit-entry administration early. An application is not a guaranteed extension. Keep departure arrangements realistic until your status is resolved.
Set up a phone number and a workable payment backup
A China Unicom shop in Shenzhen in 2025; available services must be checked with the branch. Photo: Haxyatamngu Luuo, Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Resized and encoded as WebP.
For a local SIM, take your passport to an operator service office and ask for a plan suited to your stay. Check calls, texts, data, contract length and cancellation—not just the introductory price. Shanghai’s SIM setup instructions explain real-name registration. Our Chinese phone-number guide helps separate a usable local number from a data-only connection.
Alipay and Weixin Pay support eligible international cards, but setting up a wallet is not a guarantee that every transaction will work. Keep another payment method available. For a local bank account, ask the branch which identity and supporting documents it requires before making the trip. The government’s working and living guide covers these services; our Alipay setup guide covers the practical setup.
Test a small payment before relying on the app for an important purchase. Separately agree how salary, rent and deposits will be paid. A successful shop payment does not answer all three questions.
Living in China as a foreigner: make the daily routine manageable
Plan one reliable journey between your accommodation and your workplace or campus. Save the destination address and a backup route. In Shanghai, the metro guide is a useful starting point; for other cities, use the local transport operator’s information. If you intend to drive, check the applicable Chinese licence or temporary-permit route with local traffic police before renting a car.
Ask your employer how social insurance registration is handled and whether a relevant international agreement affects your contributions. The government guide explains both participation and agreement-based exemptions. Do not assume nationality alone settles the paperwork.
Save 110 for police, 119 for fire and 120 for medical emergencies. Report a lost passport to local police promptly and contact your embassy or consulate about replacement documents. Keep its contact details offline. The same government guide lists emergency contacts; our China emergency-number guide adds practical calling preparation.
Frequently asked questions
Does every foreigner need a residence permit within 30 days?
No. The post-entry application deadline applies when the visa requires a residence permit. Check your own visa conditions rather than using the length of a friend’s stay as a guide.
Can I register an apartment stay online anywhere in China?
Do not assume so. The March 2026 NIA announcement named seven pilot regions. Ask local public security which online or in-person channel covers your address.
Can I work as soon as I have somewhere to live?
Accommodation registration does not authorize employment. Confirm that the permissions required for your work and residence route are in place before starting.
What should I ask my sponsor before booking travel?
Ask which entry route applies, which documents must be ready before departure, who handles the post-entry applications and which dates constrain your arrival. Request the answers in writing so you have a usable checklist.
Before you go
Turn this moving to China checklist into a dated plan: identify your sponsor contact, confirm your first address and its registration process, and write down the deadlines that actually apply to your documents. Phone plans and commuting routes can be adjusted later; unresolved immigration paperwork needs attention before it becomes urgent.
