Beijing wants foreign workers to use one card for more services. At a November 12 briefing on the city’s plans for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, officials said Beijing would keep integrating foreigners’ work permits with social security cards, part of a broader push to make life easier for international residents.
One thing to be clear about: the integration itself is not new. It is national policy, in effect since December 1, 2024. What Beijing announced is the next step — putting that integration to wider use — not a brand-new permit.
What Does the Integration Mean?
Work-permit information can be loaded onto an electronic social security card. Under the national notice, work-permit applications, extensions, changes and cancellations are all handled online, and there is no need to collect a new physical work-permit card after entering China.
After entering China, foreign workers can register in the Electronic Social Security Card app with their name and work-permit or social security number. Identity verification is required.
The official sample screens below show the app in English and Chinese, with work-permit information, a work-permit QR code feature and a download for the Work Permit Notice. These are published sample screens, not a Beijing-specific app.
What Happens to Your Existing Card?
If you already hold a physical work-permit card, you do not need to replace it right away. Under the national notice, holders switch to the integrated procedure when their permit is extended or changed.
The physical social security card can also carry a work-permit number. The official sample below shows this added field; it is a sample image, not a photograph of a newly issued Beijing card.
Residence Procedures Still Apply
The integrated card does not remove residence-document procedures. Foreigners entering on a Z visa should use their Work Permit Notice — or the electronic card carrying their work-permit information — when handling residence documents at the local exit-entry authority.
For social insurance registration, employers or applicants can submit the notice or the electronic card through the relevant service channels. The national policy also lets eligible localities extend the card to additional services.
What Beijing Announced This Week
Alongside the card integration, Beijing said it would keep updating its recognised international professional-qualification directory and make it easier for foreign talent to apply for professional titles. The November 12 briefing set out a direction of reform, rather than a launch date for a new card or a complete list of services available now.
Source: The Beijing News
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