Documents

Which documents you need

The set is small, but every other refusal in China comes down to one missing piece of paper nobody warned you about.

5 min readUpdated: 26 August 2026

photo: a passport and a folder of papers on a counter

Always on you

A passport with a valid visa. A copy substitutes for the original almost nowhere: not at the bank, not at the police station, not at the mobile operator.

Proof of address registration — asked for when extending a visa and in various administrative procedures.

As needed

The lease — for connecting the internet and setting up certain services at the address.

Your insurance policy — at the clinic, if you expect the insurer to be billed directly.

Company documents and a power of attorney — for anything done on behalf of a legal entity.

Worth knowing

Carrying your passport in China is a foreigner’s obligation, not a recommendation. Documents may be checked at check-in, when buying a SIM and at the airport.

Tip

Keep scans of everything in the cloud and paper copies apart from the originals. If your passport is lost, that cuts replacement from weeks to days.

Checked: 26 August 2026

Editor: The PANDA editorial team

What you can hand to PANDA

Paperwork and settling inWe'll build the document list for your procedure, book the right desk, come with you and interpret. Bank, registration, SIM, health insurance.from ¥1 000 Someone with you at institutionsThe bank, the police, the immigration desk, a school, the insurer, the post office — the concierge goes with you, explains the procedure and interprets.from ¥900 Written translationWe translate certificates, diplomas, contracts and medical reports the way a particular desk expects them — correctly formatted and with the bureau's stamp.from ¥180 / page

Sources

National Immigration Administration of the PRCofficial source
PRC government portal for foreignersofficial source

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