Guides
Documents, visas and consulates
Visas, registration, translation and notarisation — in order, without wasted trips.
First arrival
What to prepare before the trip
A short list of what is harder or dearer to do once you are there.
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Money
How a foreigner opens a bank account
Which documents they ask for, why you need a Chinese number and what to do if you are refused.
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Transport
How to buy high-speed rail tickets
12306, passport verification, the G/D/C classes and what to do about refunds.
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Transport
Can a foreigner drive in China
A foreign licence is not valid here — what you need instead.
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Housing
How to book a hotel that accepts foreigners
What to check before booking, the passport at the desk and registration on a single slip.
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Housing
How to rent a flat in China
An agency or Ziroom, the deposit and the fee, the contract, the bills, registration.
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Documents
How to prepare your documents
What to translate and certify at home so you are not chasing it on the ground.
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Documents
Which documents you need
What gets asked for at the hotel, the bank, the clinic and by a landlord.
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Documents
Document translation
Who is allowed to translate and when a translation is required.
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Documents
Registering a foreigner’s address
A hotel, a flat or staying with friends: where to go, what to bring and when to do it again.
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Documents
Visa, stay permit and extension
How a visa differs from a residence permit and when to apply for an extension.
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Documents
Other administrative procedures
A bank account, a tax number, a driving licence and other visits to official counters.
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Work
The work permit: Z visa, permit and residence permit
The order of the paperwork, changing employer, renewal and resignation.
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Business
How to check a Chinese company
The licence, the register and the signs that give a middleman away.
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Emergencies
What to do when something has happened
Passport, phone, theft, a road accident, a doctor, the police and the consulate — point by point.
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