Shanghai revises policy for overseas talent residence permit

To attract and better support international professionals, Shanghai has updated its policy for overseas talent residence permit, offering faster approval and expanded benefits.

The Administrative Measures for the Shanghai Overseas Talent Residence Permit took effect on July 1, and will be effective until June 30, 2030. Here is some key information you may want to know about the updated rules.

First introduced in 2002, the Overseas Talent Residence Permit — also known as Residence Card (Type B) — helps overseas professionals and their families settle in Shanghai by granting holders various entitlements and access to public services.

The Overseas Talent Residence Permit is offered to international professionals with at least a bachelor's degree or special skills required by the city, if they are legally employed or establishing a business in Shanghai.

Eligible individuals include:

Chinese overseas students who have obtained foreign nationality
High-end foreign talent and other foreign professionals
Chinese overseas students holding a Chinese passport and having foreign permanent (or long-term) residency, without household registration status in China
Other professionals holding a Chinese passport and having foreign permanent (or long-term) residency, without household registration in China
Professionals from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Professionals from the Macao Special Administrative Region
Professionals from the Taiwan region
The permit identification codes for these categories are L, F, C, M, H, A, and T, respectively.

Spouses and children (under 18 or presently enrolled in high school) of overseas talents can apply for dependent permits.

Foreign nationals possessing a Category A work permit in China can directly apply for the Overseas Talent Residence Permit. Their family members can apply for dependent permits.

Holders of the Overseas Talent Residence Permit are entitled to a range of benefits in the following areas:

Residence and work permits
Starting a business
Getting employed in administrative agencies
Social insurance and housing provident funds
Education for children
Housing
Career development
Qualification exam and registration
Customs clearance
Getting permanent residency
Financial services
Applying for a driver's license and vehicle license plate
Awards and honors
Government services

To apply for the Overseas Talent Residence Permit, the applicant's employer is required to submit the application to municipal or district-level talent authorities via the city's official government service platform Government Online-Offline Shanghai. All necessary documents and photographs must be uploaded online.

Once the preliminary review is approved, the applicant needs to visit the designated service window in person to submit the original documents. The service window will:

Accept applications immediately and issue a written receipt if the materials are complete and meet legal requirements.
Give a written notice specifying all the materials that need to be supplemented if the materials are incomplete or do not meet legal requirements.
The service window will then send the application materials to the Shanghai Talent Work Bureau within two workdays of issuing the receipt. After that, the bureau will:

Complete its review within five workdays
Transmit approval data electronically to the permit production department
Both physical and electronic permits will be produced within 10 workdays.

Applicants may download and print the Notice on Applying for the Shanghai Overseas Talent Residence Permit (Shanghai Residence Card Type B) (《辦理〈上海市海外人才居住證〉（〈上海市居住證〉（B證））通知書(shū)》) from Government Online-Offline Shanghai and then collect the permit in person or request delivery by courier.

Yes, the process has been simplified. For example, lost permits can now be replaced online. The simplified procedure is:

The employer submits the application online.
The service window conducts an online preliminary review and forwards the approved information to the certificate production department.
The department issues the new permit.
Furthermore, the Shanghai Talent Work Bureau has shortened the approval period from seven to five workdays.

The main permit's validity period is either 1–5 years or 10 years. The Shanghai Talent Work Bureau sets the exact duration based on factors like the applicant's:

Age
Educational background and degree
Professional category
Work experience
Job position
Note: The permit's validity cannot exceed the expiration date of the applicant's ID documents or labor contract.

Source: General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government

Shanghai revises policy for overseas talent residence permit