- Your lawful stay hinges on the right visa and residence permit — enter on the correct catgory (typically Z for work) and complete the 24/48-hour temporary lodging registration after each move.
合法停留取决于正确的签证与居留许可——按需持对应类别入境（工作通常持 Z 字签证），每次搬家后完成 24/48 小时临时住宿登记。- Mobile payment (WeChat Pay / AliPay) is near-universal in China; link it to your bank card early, as many shops no longer accept much cash.
移动支付（微信支付 / 支付宝）在中国近乎 universal；尽早绑卡，因许多商户已很少收现金。- Open a local bank account with your passport + residence permit; be ready for enhanced KYC and annual FX purchase quota (USD 50,000 equiv.) for personal remittance.
凭护照 + 居留许可开立本地银行账户；做好强化 KYC 与每人每年等值 5 万美元购汇额度的准备。- Public healthcare is accessible but most expats use international or private clinics; confirm whether your employer-provided insurance covers them.
公立医疗可及，但多数外籍人士使用国际或私立诊所；确认雇主提供的保险是否覆盖。- A Chinese provisional driving permit can be issued on a foreign licence for short stays; long-term residents should obtain a China licence.
凭境外驾照可申领临时机动车驾驶许可作短期使用；长期居留者应考取中国驾照。- Individual income tax (IIT) applies to China-sourced and worldwide income for tax residents; keep records and file the annual reconciliation by 30 June.
个人所得税对税收居民就中国来源及全球所得征收；保留凭证并于次年 6 月 30 日前完成汇算。- Useful official portals: National Immigration Administration (visas), tax authority (IIT), and local “Government Service” apps for daily admin.
常用官方入口：国家移民管理局（签证）、税务（个税）、以及各地”政务服务”App 办理日常事务。
Living in China: a starter guide for expatriates | 来华生活指南：外籍人士入门
Overview
Relocating an expatriate to China involves more than a work contract — it is a stack of administative steps that, done in the right order, make daily life smooth. This guide bundles the practical essentials: visas and residence, lodging registration, banking and mobile pay, healthcare and schools, driving, and personal tax. It complements the employment, visa and tax articles elsewhere in this library and is aimed at HR teams onboarding foreign staff and at the individuals themselves.
China is highly digital and cash-light; mastering two or three apps early removes most daily friction. The bigger risks are procedural — missing a registration window or mixing up visa catgories — not danger. Below is the sequence that works.
Visas and residence
Foreigners enter China on catgory-specific visas. Work is typically the Z visa, preceded by a Notification Letter of Foreigner Work Permit; study, family reunion, business and journalist catgories exist too. On arrival, convert the Z visa into a Residence Permit (外国人工作许可 + 居留许可) at the local immigration exit-entry authority — this, not the visa sticker, is what governs lawful long stay.
Critical: after every change of lodging (hotel, rented flat, serviced apartment), complete the temporary lodging registration (临时住宿登记) — hotels do it automatically, but for private rentals you must register at the local police station within 24 hours (some cities 48). Missing this is a common, fixable, but penalty-bearing oversight.
Accommodation and daily admin
Short-term expats often use serviced apartments; longer stays sign standard leases (note: lease registration with the housing authority is required in many cities for the residence-permit address). Daily admin — utility bills, some permit renewals, household services — increasingly runs through city “Government Service” (政务服务) mini-programs and apps, which also host social-insurance and tax functions.
Banking, payments and personal tax
Open a local bank account with passport + residence permit; major banks serve foreigners, though KYC is stricter than at home. Mobile payment (WeChat Pay / AliPay) links to that card and is used for almost everything — from taxis to hospitals — so connect it in week one. For moving personal funds out, China applies an annual FX purchase quota of USD 50,000 equivalent per individual; plan remittances within it and keep documentation.
Individual income tax (IIT) taxes China-source income of all, and worldwide income of tax residents (generally those resident ≥183 days a year). Employers withhold monthly; the individual files an annual reconciliation by 30 June of the following year. Keep payslips, social-insurance and special-deduction records.
Healthcare and education
Public hospitals are cheap and capable but language-heavy and crowded; most expats use international clinics or private hospitals, often covered by employer insurance — verify the network before relying on it. For children, options are international schools, some bilingual public schools, and (for certain catgories) local schools; admission, tuition and waiting lists vary widely by city, so start early.
Driving and getting around
A provisional driving permit (临时驾驶许可) can be issued on a valid foreign licence for short stays. For long-term residents, convert or sit the test for a Chinese licence; note that many cities restrict foreign-plate vehicles. High-speed rail and ride-hailing apps cover most inter-city and urban mobility efficiently.
What to do next
- Confirm the correct visa catgory before booking travel; prepare the work-permit notification early.
- Register temporary lodging within the local window after every move — set a reminder.
- Link WeChat Pay / AliPay to a local bank card in the first week.
- Verify your insurance network (clinics/hospitals/schools) with HR before arrival.
- Track the 30 June IIT reconciliation deadline and keep all records.
- Save the local 政务服务 app and the National Immigration Administration portal.
Sources
- 国家移民管理局 NIA — https://en.nia.gov.cn (official portal)
- 国家税务总局（个人所得税）— https://www.chinatax.gov.cn (official portal)
- 国家外汇管理局 SAFE — https://www.safe.gov.cn (official portal)
- 中国政府网（政务服务）— https://www.gov.cn (official portal)
- 国家移民管理局（中文）— https://www.nia.gov.cn (official portal)
Related reading
- see also: 签证移民-工作签证 (work visa & residence permit detail)
- see also: 人力资源-雇佣管理 (employing and onboarding foreign staff)
- see also: 税务会计-所得税 (individual income tax overview)
来华生活指南：外籍人士入门
概述
把外籍员工派到中国，远不止一份工作合同——它是一叠行政步骤，按正确顺序完成，日常才顺畅。本指南打包最实用的要点：签证与居留、住宿登记、银行与移动支付、医疗与学校、驾车，以及个人税务。它补充本库其他雇佣、签证与税务文章，面向为外籍员工办理入职的 HR 团队，也面向当事人本人。
中国高度数字化、现金稀少；提早掌握两三个 App 就能消掉多数日常摩擦。更大的风险是程序性的——错过登记窗口或混用签证类别——而非安全。下面是行之有效的顺序。
签证与居留
外国人按类别持对应签证入境。工作通常为 Z 字签证，前提是先取得《外国人工作许可通知》；此外还有学习、团聚类、商务、记者等类别。抵华后，须到所在地出入境管理机关，把 Z 签证换发为居留许可（外国人工作许可 + 居留许可）——真正规范长期合法停留的，是它，而非签证贴纸。
关键：每次变更住宿（酒店、租住公寓、服务式公寓），都要完成临时住宿登记——酒店自动办理，但私人租赁须于 24 小时内（部分城市 48 小时）到派出所登记。漏办是常见的、可补的、但会罚的疏漏。
住宿与日常事务
短期外籍人士多用服务式公寓；长住则签标准租约（注意：多数城市居留许可地址需与房屋租赁登记一致）。日常事务——水电账单、部分许可续办、家政服务——越来越多通过城市“政务服务”小程序与 App 办理，社保与税务功能也常集成其中。
银行、支付与个人税务
凭护照 + 居留许可开立本地银行账户；大行均接涉外业务，但 KYC 比母国更严。移动支付（微信支付 / 支付宝）绑定该银行卡，几乎通吃一切——从打车到医院——所以第一周就接通。个人对外汇款方面，中国实行每人每年等值 5 万美元购汇额度；在此额度内规划汇出并留存凭证。
个人所得税对所有人的中国来源所得征收，对税收居民（通常年停留 ≥183 天）就全球所得征收。雇主按月代扣，个人于次年 6 月 30 日前完成汇算。留存工资单、社保与专项附加扣除凭证。
医疗与教育
公立医院便宜且能力强，但语言重、人多；多数外籍人士使用国际诊所或私立医院，常由雇主保险覆盖——依赖前先核实网络。子女方面，有国际学校、部分双语公立校，以及（特定类别）本地校；录取、学费与排队因城市差异很大，宜早启动。
驾车与出行
凭有效境外驾照可申领临时机动车驾驶许可作短期使用。长期居留者，应换领或考试取得中国驾照；注意许多城市限制外地牌照车辆。高铁与网约车 App 高效覆盖多数城际与市内出行。
下一步建议
- 订票前确认正确签证类别；早备工作许可通知。
- 每次搬家后在本地时限内做临时住宿登记——设提醒。
- 第一周把微信支付 / 支付宝绑到本地银行卡。
- 到岗前与 HR 核实保险网络（诊所/医院/学校）。
- 盯住次年 6·30 个税汇算截止，留存全部凭证。
- 存好本地”政务服务”App 与国家移民管理局门户。
来源
- 国家移民管理局 NIA — https://en.nia.gov.cn
- 国家税务总局（个人所得税）— https://www.chinatax.gov.cn
- 国家外汇管理局 SAFE — https://www.safe.gov.cn
- 中国政府网（政务服务）— https://www.gov.cn
- 国家移民管理局（中文）— https://www.nia.gov.cn
相关阅读
- 参见：签证移民-工作签证（工作签证与居留许可细则）
- 参见：人力资源-雇佣管理（雇佣与外籍员工入职）
- 参见：税务会计-所得税（个人所得税概览）