Measures for the Administration of Residence Permits for Overseas Talents in Shanghai
In order to support Shanghai’s development as a high-level talent hub, further intensify efforts to attract overseas talent, continuously optimize the talent environment, and draw more overseas professionals to work or start businesses in Shanghai, thereby providing strong talent support for Shanghai’s economic and social development, these Measures are formulated.
These Measures apply to individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, or possess special talents, and who legally work or start businesses in Shanghai. This includes: overseas returnees who have acquired foreign nationality; foreign high-level talents and other foreign professional talents; overseas returnees and other professional talents holding Chinese passports but possessing permanent (long-term) residency abroad and without domestic household registration; Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region professional talents; and Taiwan region professional talents.
The specific scope and conditions for persons with special talents shall be determined by the Municipal Talent Work Bureau in consultation with relevant departments, based on the actual needs of the city’s economic and social development.
The Municipal Talent Work Bureau is responsible for the comprehensive management of Shanghai Overseas Talent Residence Permits (hereinafter referred to as “Overseas Talent Residence Permits”), including application acceptance and approval. The Municipal Public Security Bureau is responsible for the production and issuance of the permits. The Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Economic and Information Technology Commission, Municipal Commerce Commission, Municipal Education Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Management Commission, Municipal Transportation Commission, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Market Supervision Administration, Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, Municipal Data Administration, Municipal Housing Administration, Municipal Financial Affairs Office, Municipal Taxation Bureau, People’s Bank of China Shanghai Headquarters, State Administration of Foreign Exchange Shanghai Branch, Shanghai Financial Regulatory Bureau, Shanghai Customs, and other relevant departments and units shall perform their respective duties to ensure related work is carried out effectively.
The Overseas Talent Residence Permit serves as proof that the holder may work, live, and enjoy relevant benefits within this municipality.
The Overseas Talent Residence Permit is divided into a main permit and accompanying permits. Eligible overseas talents may apply for the main permit, while their spouses and children under the age of 18 or still attending senior secondary school may apply for accompanying permits.
The Overseas Talent Residence Permit contains information such as the holder’s name, gender, date of birth, nationality (region), type and number of the permit, a recent photograph, date of issue, issuing authority, and validity period.
The validity period of the Overseas Talent Residence Permit is one to five years or ten years.
The Municipal Talent Work Bureau determines the validity period of the permit based on factors such as the applicant’s age, educational qualifications, professional category, work experience, valid identification documents, work permit for China, duration of the employment (labor) contract, and position applied for.
Overseas returnees who have acquired foreign nationality and work in areas such as the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area, Zhangjiang Science City, and Hongqiao International Central Business District may directly apply for long-term Overseas Talent Residence Permits with a maximum validity period of ten years.
Those who need to obtain an Overseas Talent Residence Permit shall have their employing unit submit an application through the city’s “One-Network Integrated Services” system to the talent work department. Foreign nationals holding Type A work permits for China may, at their discretion, directly apply for the Shanghai Overseas Talent Residence Permit, while their family members may apply for accompanying permits.
To apply for an Overseas Talent Residence Permit, applicants must provide the following materials:
(1) Application form;
(2) Valid identification document;
(3) Educational and professional qualification certificates, along with other materials meeting talent recognition standards;
(4) Proof of residence within this municipality;
(5) Valid health certificate;
(6) Employment (labor) contract;
(7) Documents proving full payment of individual income tax during the period of employment (work).
Employers and applicants shall be responsible for the authenticity of the submitted materials.
Upon receipt of the application materials, the accepting agency shall accept applications if all required documents are complete and valid; if any documents are missing, it shall inform the applicant once about the necessary supplementary materials. Within two working days from the date of acceptance, the receiving window shall forward the application information and materials to the Municipal Talent Work Bureau.
The Municipal Talent Work Bureau shall complete the review within five working days from the date of receipt of the application information and materials. For eligible applicants, a written notice of approval shall be issued; for those not eligible, a written notification shall be provided.
The Overseas Talent Residence Permit is uniformly issued by the Municipal Public Security Bureau. For those approved and eligible, the permit production department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau shall complete production within ten working days. The Overseas Talent Residence Permit is produced in accordance with unified municipal standards and specifications, and an electronic version is simultaneously generated and integrated into the municipal electronic certificate library. Both the electronic and physical permits carry equal legal validity.
If the permit holder leaves their job during the validity period, the original employer shall, within thirty days, initiate procedures to suspend the permit via the city’s “One-Network Integrated Services” system. Should there be changes in the permit holder’s employer, identification number, or other information during the validity period, the employer shall, within thirty days, initiate procedures to amend the permit information via the city’s “One-Network Integrated Services” system.
When the permit’s validity period expires, the holder shall, thirty days prior to expiration, have their employer initiate renewal procedures through the city’s “One-Network Integrated Services” system.
In case of loss of the physical permit, the employer shall promptly initiate procedures for reporting the loss and obtaining a replacement via the city’s “One-Network Integrated Services” system.
If the permit holder’s circumstances change such that they no longer meet the eligibility criteria for the Overseas Talent Residence Permit, or if they voluntarily submit a cancellation request, the Municipal Talent Work Bureau shall cancel their permit.
If employers or applicants falsify, tamper with, or use forged or altered supporting documents during the application process, the Municipal Talent Work Bureau shall, depending on the severity of the offense, suspend or revoke the employer’s eligibility and cancel the applicant’s permit.
Employers and applicants shall comply with applicable laws and regulations. Any violation will result in corresponding legal liabilities for both employers and applicants, and relevant employer information shall be included in the Shanghai Public Credit Information Service Platform as stipulated.
Permit holders may, in accordance with regulations, apply for a residence permit with a validity period of up to five years, which can be renewed upon expiration.
For overseas returnees who have acquired foreign nationality, work permits may be processed according to current practices in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area.
Permit holders may establish enterprises within this municipality. Eligible applicants may lawfully benefit from entrepreneurial support policies such as startup guarantee loans, social insurance subsidies for early-stage business organizations, incubation space fee subsidies for entrepreneurial teams, and rewards for outstanding entrepreneurial projects.
With approval from competent municipal authorities, permit holders may be hired by government agencies on a short-term or project basis.
Permit holders working in Shanghai shall participate in the municipal employee social insurance scheme in accordance with national and municipal regulations, enjoying corresponding social insurance benefits. Eligible holders may flexibly postpone retirement or delay claiming pensions. Non-working spouses and children under the age of 18 or still attending senior secondary school may enroll in the municipal urban–rural basic medical insurance and enjoy corresponding benefits; family co-insurance network members may utilize family co-insurance funds as prescribed.
Permit holders working in Shanghai, after mutual agreement with their employers, may contribute to the municipal housing provident fund and withdraw funds or apply for housing provident fund loans in accordance with municipal regulations. Upon termination of labor (employment) relationships with local employers, permit holders may follow prescribed procedures to seal or transfer their housing provident fund accounts.
For permit holder’s children in preschool and compulsory education stages, the local education administrative department may arrange enrollment in nearby schools according to proximity principles. Children meeting the admission requirements of international schools may independently apply for enrollment in such institutions.
If permit holder’s children attend senior secondary school in this municipality and obtain a senior secondary school graduation certificate, they may, in accordance with regulations, take the national college entrance examination held in this municipality and apply to institutions with enrollment plans here.
Eligible permit holders may, in accordance with relevant regulations, be included in the municipal and district-level talent housing security programs, supporting their families’ self-occupied home purchase needs and purchasing homes as prescribed.
Permit holders may, in accordance with relevant requirements, apply for municipal support for talent-related and research projects.
Permit holders may, in accordance with national and municipal regulations, participate in municipal professional title evaluations, vocational qualification examinations, and professional (practice) qualification registration.
For high-level overseas talents, procedures may be simplified. The Municipal Talent Work Bureau may issue a high-level talent certificate, allowing them to carry personal items, transport separate shipments, or send goods by mail or courier when entering or leaving the country with research, teaching, or personal items, granting customs clearance facilitation.
Individuals holding the “Hong Kong and Macao Residents Travel Permit to Mainland China,” with a validity period of three years or longer, who are special talents from Hong Kong and Macao, voluntarily renounce their Hong Kong/Macao resident status, and meet the conditions for settling in this municipality, may apply to the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Entry-Exit Administration Corps for settlement in Shanghai.
Permit holders whose Overseas Talent Residence Permits have a validity period of three years or longer may, with a high-level talent certification issued by the Municipal Talent Work Bureau, apply for a work-type residence permit (“talent” annotation). After completing three years of work and upon employer recommendation, they may apply for permanent residency in China. Foreign nationals holding “Foreigner Permanent Resident Identity Cards” may directly apply for Overseas Talent Residence Permits matching the validity period of their “Foreigner Permanent Resident Identity Cards.”
Foreign nationals working or starting businesses within the Yangtze River Delta Ecological and Green Integration Development Demonstration Zone and overseas returnees who have acquired foreign nationality may, in accordance with regulations, apply for Overseas Talent Residence Permits.
Eligible permit holders may apply for RMB credit cards at designated banks. Tax-compliant permit holders who have obtained tax certificates and related supporting documents from tax authorities may, in accordance with foreign exchange management regulations, convert their lawful income earned during their stay in this municipality into foreign currency and remit it overseas. Eligible permit holders may also apply online for salary-to-foreign-exchange FASTPASS services.
Permit holders may, in accordance with national and municipal regulations, handle motor vehicle driver’s licenses and vehicle registration procedures within this municipality.
Permit holders may, in accordance with municipal regulations, apply to participate in non-commercial passenger vehicle quota auctions or obtain dedicated license plate quotas for new energy vehicles.
Permit holders may, in accordance with regulations, participate in municipal awards and recognition events and enjoy corresponding benefits.
Permit holders may register and authenticate themselves on the “Suishenban” APP and use its government service functions.
Following the implementation of these Measures, existing Shanghai Residence Permit B remains valid during its current validity period and shall thereafter be governed by these Measures.
The Municipal Talent Work Bureau shall formulate detailed implementation rules based on these Measures.
These Measures shall come into effect on July 1, 2025, and remain valid until June 30, 2030.