Legal Centre · Foreign nationals
Living in China - Legal Guide for Foreign Nationals
A legal starting point for foreign nationals and families entering, working, residing, paying tax, owning or renting property, or dealing with personal and family matters in mainland China — built on practice guides, status spokes, and counsel writing from verified directory lawyers.
Choose a personal legal path
Start with the problem you actually have — status, tax, home, or dispute — then open the deep guide or counsel blog that matches.
Enter, work and stay
Work permits, Z visa, Class A/B/C, employer change, overstay risk, M-visa illegal employment, permanent residence.
Tax hubTax, banking and exit money
IIT residence rules, allowances, departure clearance, bank wires — reviewed for tax scope with Finance & Tax counsel.
Home, lease and property
Buying, leasing, use rights and sale/remittance when you leave or sell.
Marriage, family and children
Marriage, separation, children, cross-border family questions — bridge to family-reunion visas.
Status & work authorisation
Action guides in the expat status cluster. Field orientation aligned with Talent & Work Permit and Immigration counsel (Liang Hu, Ming Xu).
Working & staying legally
Decision spine: work vs visit status, red lines, and the full action-guide list.
Z visa (work visa)
Entry visa path commonly paired with employer-sponsored work permission.
Work permit Class A vs B
Talent classification and points orientation for employers and candidates.
Permit timeline & documents
Work permit + residence permit sequencing and document reality checks.
Change employer / cancel permit
Transfer, cancellation, and sponsorship mismatch risks.
High anxietyLost your job? Visa timeline
Work permit and residence are tied to your employer — realistic window, options, and overstay bridge.
Daily adminPolice registration (24h)
Temporary residence registration for private housing vs hotels — documents, portals, and penalties.
High anxietyOverstay fines & exit risk
Fines, exit records, and deportation themes when status lapses.
High anxietyWorking on an M visa
Illegal employment patterns, including remote-work grey areas framed conservatively.
Five-Star Card / PR eligibility
Permanent residence pathway families — not a substitute for a work permit plan.
Legally reviewedImmigration + employment compliance
Employer/assignment control: pre-entry, accommodation registration, termination and departure.
Tax, social insurance & banking
IIT and remittance topics attributed for tax scope to Hongliang Xu (Finance & Tax). For filing numbers, use the IIT app and a tax professional — not only counsel.
Banking & salary FX
Accounts, tax proof for remittance, and limits orientation for working expats.
HousingRenting & lease rights
Deposits, landlord registration duties, and expat lease red flags.
Daily adminDriver’s licence conversion
Foreign licence conversion, Subject 1, and IDP limits.
HubChina Expat IIT hub
Residence, 183-day / six-year framing, allowances, and action guides.
Source-checkedIIT for foreign individuals
Wiki-style orientation of the tax framework for foreign individuals.
Leaving China: tax clearance
Departure IIT workstreams and immigration interface when you exit.
Bank accounts & wires
Opening accounts and outward transfer themes for foreign nationals.
Social insurance
Mandatory benefits employers and foreign employees commonly encounter.
Sell property & move money out
When exit plans include a China property sale and remittance proof.
Family, property & long-term settlement
Family-reunion visa writing interacts with Divorce & Family practice guides. Property sale and remittance sit next to real-estate counsel.
Family reunion visas (counsel blog)
Q-family pathways for spouses and dependents — pair with family-law guides when marriage or divorce is in play.
PR for foreign investors (blog)
Investment-linked permanent residence narrative; cross-check eligibility hub above.
Divorce & family law guide
Marriage, separation, children and cross-border family questions.
Divorcing in China as a foreign national
Jurisdiction, process and cost orientation for foreign parties.
Wills for expats & foreign owners
China-aware will planning before a crisis.
Inherit property as a foreigner
Step orientation for inbound inheritance of China assets.
Core practice-area guides
Broader legal centres that frame living issues for foreign nationals.
Visa and Immigration
Entry, stay and immigration compliance overview.
Employment and Labor
Contracts, workplace rights and dispute routes — employment counsel (Mai Thi Linh) on hire/roadmap content.
Real Property
Buying, leasing, use rights and property disputes.
Personal Injury
Evidence, claims and compensation orientation.
Criminal Defense
Rights and procedure when a foreign national faces investigation or detention.
Drug tests & deportation risk
Zero-tolerance enforcement themes relevant to long-stay expats.
From directory counsel blogs
Longer narrative pieces by Visa & Immigration directory authors. Prefer the action hubs above for structure; use blogs for practitioner detail, city colour, and document stories — then return to the hub when you act.
Work visas & permits overview
Professional-facing narrative of Z visa, work permit and residence steps.
Talent & work permits (Liang Hu)
Counsel blog on classification and assignment packaging.
Visa & residence system guide
Category overview for lawful stay — pair with status hub red lines.
Work permits & residence (complete blog)
Full-length counsel writing; canonical decision path remains the status hub.
Employer & professional joint view
Ming Xu-oriented work visa / residence narrative for both sides of the hire.
What professionals must document
Document-first talent visa writing (Yalin Zhu and peers).
Blog indexAll Visa & Immigration posts
Browse city and specialty pieces from directory immigration counsel.
Employment & Labor blog
Termination, contracts and workplace rights writing for foreign employees and FIEs.
Browse counsel by specialty
Directory listings (DJ-Classifieds) for lawyers who practise these fields. Matching is by practice category — confirm language, city and matter fit before you instruct.
Talent & Work Permit lawyers
Work authorisation, classification and residence packaging.
Entry & Exit counsel
Stay compliance, overstay and exit-entry procedure.
Family Reunion counsel
Dependent and reunion residence pathways.
Finance & Tax counsel
IIT, payroll and tax enforcement orientation.
Employment & Labor counsel
Contracts, termination and workplace disputes.
Real Property counsel
Purchase, lease and property disputes.
Find counsel or change path
Choose counsel for the specific issue and locality. Business formation and corporate governance belong in the Doing Business centre; cross-border matters may also require destination-country counsel.
General information only, not legal or tax advice. Using this site does not create an attorney–client relationship. Individual Income Tax pages include editorial source-check notes; tax numbers should be confirmed with a tax professional. Work-status rules vary by city and year — verify with the competent authority and qualified counsel. Last editorial review: 7 August 2026.