Do You Still Apply for a Physical Work Permit Card? Guangzhou, 2026

Short answer: if your China work permit is approved in Guangzhou in September 2026, you no longer need to apply for a physical Foreigner's Work Permit card. (That is the wording the national notice uses — section 1 below explains why it is not the same as "will no longer be issued".) What you should have instead is the Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit, plus — for Category B and C applicants — the Decision on Approval of Administrative Licence, plus an electronic social security card carrying your work permit information.

The policy itself was announced back in late 2024, and there is no shortage of articles explaining it. This one does not re-explain the policy. It covers one thing only: how the process actually runs in Guangzhou today, and which steps trip people up.

1. Which document this rests on

The Notice of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Integrating the Foreigner's Work Permit with the Social Security Card (Ren She Bu Fa [2024] No. 75), dated 27 October 2024, effective 1 December 2024. Section I(1), "Handling the work permit", is 2 sentences in the Chinese original:

Applications, extensions, changes and cancellations of work permits shall be handled entirely online in the Service System for Foreigners Working in China; after entering China, foreigners no longer need to apply for a physical Foreigner's Work Permit. Those who have already received a physical Foreigner's Work Permit shall follow the "no change, no replacement" principle, and shall switch to the new integrated procedure when the existing work permit is next extended or amended.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

Note the wording: the Chinese says "no longer need to apply for" — a statement about what the applicant must do, not "will no longer be issued". Guangzhou's own FAQ, published by the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau on 4 December 2024, phrases question 4 as "how to check work permit information after no longer holding a physical Foreigner's Work Permit" — the local authority's own phrasing is "no longer holding". Both point to the same outcome, but when you need to explain this to an employer, a bank or a landlord, quoting the national notice is the safer move.

As of our check on 9 September 2026, we found no document superseding Notice No. 75 either in the State Council policy database on gov.cn or in the "Foreigner's Work Permit" section of the Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau website. There is, however, a national follow-up: the Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Work Relating to the "One Thing" Reform for Foreigners Working in China (Ren She Ting Han [2025] No. 141, published 9 September 2025). It does not replace Notice No. 75; acting on State Council General Office Letter [2025] No. 3, it joins up the work permit, social insurance registration and professional title assessment into a single "one thing" procedure. Its first article states that localities are to follow Notice No. 75 and provide services "relying on the physical social security card (Juying Card) and the electronic social security card", and it commits the Ministry to "continuously improving the English-language version of the electronic social security card app". "Juying Card" is the national name for that physical social security card; neither Guangzhou Q&A cited in this article uses the term. If a bank in Guangzhou says "Juying Card" to you, it should be the same thing — but go by what the bank and the handling agency say at the time. (The full text we worked from is a reproduction on the Jiangsu talent service portal, not the Ministry's own page.)

2. The three things you actually hold

2.1 The Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit — this is what your visa and residence permit run on

Section I(4) of Notice No. 75, "Handling residence documents", is 1 sentence in the Chinese original:

After entering China on a Z visa, a foreigner shall present the Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit or the electronic social security card carrying work permit information to the exit-entry administration of the public security authority at the place of work in order to apply for the relevant residence documents; the authorities concerned may verify the information directly through the information system, or may query and obtain the foreigner's work permit information by viewing the electronic social security card or scanning the work permit QR code.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

So on the wording of that sentence the Notification Letter and the electronic social security card are alternatives; you do not need both. One caveat: a counter or an employer can still ask for things the written rule does not require, so there is no downside to carrying both.

2.2 The Decision on Approval of Administrative Licence — this step has a hard 30-day deadline

In Guangzhou's FAQ, question 3, the part about on-site verification after entry is 2 sentences in the Chinese original:

Applicants holding a Category B or Category C Notification Letter of Work Permit shall, within 30 days of entering China, in person (or through the employer's designated representative, or an agent with a signed power of attorney), bring the originals of all materials submitted for the work permit application in the Service System for Foreigners Working in China together with copies bearing the employer's official seal, a copy of the valid work visa or work-type residence permit, and a medical examination report issued by a domestic inspection and quarantine institution and valid within 6 months, to the accepting counter for on-site verification and to collect the Decision on Approval of Administrative Licence. Applicants who fail to have their materials verified as required shall bear all adverse consequences themselves.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

Three qualifiers in those two sentences are easy to read past:

• The sentence is limited to applicants holding a Category B or Category C Notification Letter. Category A does not appear in it, and the text does not separately say whether Category A must do this — go by what the accepting counter tells you.
• You must bring the originals and copies bearing the employer's official seal. Copies alone are not what the sentence says.
• The medical report must be one "issued by a domestic inspection and quarantine institution" and valid within 6 months. A report done abroad is outside the scope of that sentence (we covered this separately in the work permit medical examination in Guangzhou).

This step is not only for people who applied from outside China. Questions 8 and 9 of the same FAQ deal with cases that were in progress when the system switched over on 1 December 2024 — those who had already applied for a physical permit card had their cases returned for re-approval, and those whose Notification Letter was issued but who had not yet claimed a physical card had to re-submit. Both answers end with the same sentence: the applicant shall attend the accepting counter for verification of materials and collect the Decision on Approval of Administrative Licence in accordance with the requirements of point three. So what decides whether you make this trip is which category of Notification Letter you hold — not whether you originally applied from inside or outside China.

There are three accepting counters, and which one you use depends on the district your employer is in: one for the whole city except Huangpu and Nansha, one for Huangpu, one for Nansha. Addresses are in section 5 below — and the city-wide one has moved, while the old official page still lists the old address.

What if the 30 days have already passed? The text says only that the applicant "shall bear all adverse consequences themselves". It does not spell out what those consequences are, and it gives no remedy. We are not going to guess for you: call 020-12345 or go to the counter and ask. Do not start cancelling or re-filing things in the system on your own initiative first.

2.3 The electronic social security card carrying work permit information

Section I(3) of Notice No. 75, "Obtaining the electronic social security card", is 2 sentences in the Chinese original:

After entering China, a foreigner shall download the electronic social security card app on a mobile phone, register and log in using information such as name, work permit number or social security number, and after real-name and real-person verification, receive the electronic social security card carrying work permit information. After the foreigner applies for a physical social security card, the electronic social security card provides standard services to the foreigner.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

The route for applications made from outside China has one extra entry point. Guangzhou's FAQ question 3 states that once the overseas permit business concludes the Notification Letter of Work Permit is issued directly and the employer can download it from the declaration system, and that "after the applicant enters China, [the applicant] scans the QR code on the Notification Letter document to register and receive, on their own, the electronic social security card carrying work permit information".

3. The physical social security card in Guangzhou: check whether you qualify first

Besides the electronic card, you can also obtain a physical social security card carrying work permit information. But check eligibility first. Question 2 of the Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau's public-service Q&A, page dated 23 July 2026, is 2 sentences in the Chinese original:

Foreigners who have obtained a work permit for working in China may apply, with their own passport, for a social security card carrying foreigner's work permit information. In accordance with the Notice on Integrating the Foreigner's Work Permit with the Social Security Card (Ren She Bu Fa [2024] No. 75), foreigners who have already received a physical Foreigner's Work Permit shall follow the "no change, no replacement" principle and shall handle the matter under the new integrated procedure — obtaining a social security card carrying foreigner's work permit information — when the existing work permit is next extended or amended.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

Read plainly: if you are still holding an unexpired physical Foreigner's Work Permit card, you cannot simply go to a bank and get this card now — it happens at your next extension or amendment.

8 banks, 12 working days

Question 1 of the same Q&A is 2 sentences in the Chinese original:

At present, in our city the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Industrial Bank, China Guangfa Bank and Bank of Guangzhou can process social security cards carrying foreigner's work permit information; applicants may bring their own passport and a social security card photo receipt number to a nearby bank branch to apply in person, and the card production time limit is 12 working days. The remaining service banks will roll out this business in due course; for details, consult the relevant service bank.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

So that list is the position as at July 2026, not a final one — and the source itself tells you to ask the bank.

The real bottleneck is the "photo receipt number". Question 3 of the same Q&A is 1 sentence in the Chinese original:

A foreigner may have a mainland resident, or bank staff on site at a bank branch, upload the photo on their behalf through the "Services > Social Insurance > Social Security Card > Upload on behalf of another person" section of the "Sui Hao Ban" app, and obtain a photo receipt number free of charge.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

Read plainly: someone else performs the upload for you — either a mainland resident, or a teller at a bank branch. Those are two alternatives, and the bank branch is itself one of the two ways to get it done.

The photo specification and the review time are in question 4, not the question quoted above: it says one bare-headed, front-facing colour photo on a white background is uploaded, and that "the social security card handling institution will complete the review within 1 to 5 working days, and those that pass the review can obtain a photo receipt number". So the receipt number only exists once the review passes, and only then does the 12-working-day card production clock start. The two periods run one after the other and add up.

The two photo specs are different — do not reuse one for the other

4. If you already hold a physical permit: work out which case you are in first

For the different situations that existed when the system switched over on 1 December 2024, Guangzhou's FAQ gives three different routes through three different menus. Do not use the wrong one:

• You hold an unexpired physical work permit card, or it was approved but never collected (question 10, 3 sentences in the Chinese original):

For foreigners holding a physical work permit that has not yet expired, or whose work permit has been approved but not yet collected, the employer may submit the application through the "Replacement with Electronic Certificate" function menu on the declaration end. After submission, the approving authority will review it. Once approved, the electronic social security card carrying work permit information can be registered for and received.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

• Your Notification Letter was issued but you never applied for a physical card (question 9): the text requires the employer to re-submit through the "Replacement with New Version of Notification Letter of Work Permit" menu on the left of the declaration end, for re-approval by the approving authority — a different menu from the one above.
• You had applied for a physical card and the case was still in progress (question 8): the text says that after the system went live on 1 December 2024 such cases were uniformly returned to the preliminary review stage of "Overseas Application for Foreigner's Work Permit" for re-approval by the approving authority.

Separately, the "no change, no replacement" principle in Notice No. 75 covers a fourth situation: doing nothing is also an option — you switch to the new integrated procedure when your existing work permit is next extended or amended.

Note who performs the action in question 10: the employer, on the declaration end. It is not something you tap in the electronic social security card app yourself, and after submission it still has to be approved before you can register and receive the card.

5. The official site still lists a counter that has closed

This is the most immediately useful item in this article, and the one most likely to cost you a wasted trip.

The Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau FAQ dated 4 December 2024 lists three accepting counters in question 3: the one serving the whole city except Huangpu and Nansha districts is given as "Windows 516 and 517, 5th Floor, Guangzhou Government Affairs Service Centre, No. 61 Huali Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou"; Huangpu's is "Window 405, Zone A, 4th Floor, Huangpu District Government Service Centre, No. 3 Xiangxue Third Road"; Nansha's is the "Nansha One-Stop Talent Government Service Hall". When we opened that page on 9 September 2026, all three addresses were still on it.

But on the same website, the Notice on the Guangzhou Foreigner's Work Service Window Moving into the Guangzhou Immigration Service Center, published 19 September 2025, carries its own official English version. Section I, "Location", is 2 sentences; the first is:

New address: One-Stop Service Window for Foreigners Working in China, Guangzhou Immigration Service Center (Address: 4th Floor, Entry and Exit Reception Hall for Foreigners of Guangzhou Public Security Bureau, No. 155 Jiefang South Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou). Service starts from October 9, 2025.

(The notice's own official English, quoted verbatim.)

The second is:

The former service counter 516、517, 5th Floor of Guangzhou Government Affairs Center will be closed after September 30, 2025.

(The notice's own official English, quoted verbatim.)

The same notice gives the hours as "Monday to Friday 9:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00. Closed on weekends and public holidays", and the hotline as 020-12345.

As for the Huangpu and Nansha counters: the 2025 relocation notice does not mention them, and we found no announcement changing or withdrawing their addresses. But a later document in the same section is worth reading alongside it: the Decision of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government on Adjusting Relevant Municipal Administrative Powers (Guangzhou Municipal People's Government Order No. 223, promulgated 24 June 2026, in force from 1 August 2026) repeals 6 regulations and 3 documents and re-issues a consolidated list of 104 municipal powers delegated to district level. Item 10 of its Annex 2 is "Foreigner's Work Permit": delegating authority, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau; receiving authority, "the science and technology departments of Huangpu and Nansha districts"; scope, "limited to: 1. handling the Foreigner's Work Permit; 2. applying to amend the Foreigner's Work Permit; 3. applying to cancel the Foreigner's Work Permit".

Two things to be clear about, so this is not read as something it is not. First, this is not a change of receiving authority — Huangpu and Nansha were already handled by their district science and technology departments; what Order No. 223 does is repeal the older delegation instruments and re-publish the delegation and its scope. Second, "extension" does not appear in those three listed items — but a delegation catalogue and what a counter actually accepts are two different things, and we found nothing saying Huangpu and Nansha do not handle extensions. Go by what the accepting counter tells you. The street addresses of the two district counters appear only in the 2024 FAQ, with no later announcement to corroborate them, so confirm before you go.

6. Name spelling: the single most common failure point

Question 5 of Guangzhou's FAQ, on registering the electronic social security card, ends with 1 sentence:

The way the foreigner's name is entered shall be kept consistent with the name used when the work permit was processed.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

It looks minor, but among the four documents cited in this article it is the only place that explicitly requires consistency across systems. Your name on the passport, in the work permit, and on the social security card — a difference in a single space, hyphen, or a dropped middle name can be enough for real-name verification to fail. If your passport name contains non-Latin characters, a compound surname, or a suffix like Jr. or III, check which form was entered into the work permit before you start.

7. The Chinese-language contract requirement

Question 11 of Guangzhou's FAQ, on the contract required for an overseas work permit application (90 days or more), runs to 3 sentences in the Chinese original (counting the closing "note"). The first two are:

Yes. For applications for an overseas work permit (90 days or more), a Chinese-language contract shall be provided (for personnel dispatched from abroad, a multinational company dispatch letter and proof of position), which shall contain the necessary content including information on both parties, place of work, position, job content, remuneration, period of work in China, and the stamped page (signature). It shall be signed by the applicant and bear the employer's official seal.

(Our translation of the Chinese original; the Chinese text governs.)

The third is a pair of notes: "(1) the contract's effective date must fall within 90 days from the date the application is submitted; (2) after an overseas work permit application is filed the contract information cannot be modified, and if the applicant needs to change the contract start and end dates after entry, the permit must be cancelled and reapplied for."

Here is something against our own commercial interest, but true: this answer says a Chinese-language contract "shall be provided". It does not say it must be produced by a translation company, and it does not require notarisation. An employer that drafts its own Chinese version satisfies what this answer literally requires — but do not miss the second sentence: that Chinese contract must be signed by the applicant and bear the employer's official seal. An unsigned, unsealed in-house draft is not enough. You typically need an outside translator because nobody in-house works bilingually, or because you want a formal Chinese text that can be signed and sealed — not because the answer we checked compels it. Your employer and the accepting counter may still have requirements of their own.

Note (2) is worth remembering separately: once the overseas application is filed, contract information cannot be changed, and changing the dates means cancelling and starting over. So finalise the Chinese text before submission, not after.

8. Applicants above social insurance age: Guangzhou's answer is "yes"

Question 13 asks whether foreigners above the age limit, who therefore cannot buy social insurance, can still receive the electronic social security card normally after the integration. The answer given is one word: "Yes."

This matters for re-hired foreign experts and older foreign teachers. But be clear about the scope: this is the Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau answering about the electronic card. The physical social security card is a separate matter — section II(1) of Notice No. 75 says the social insurance agency shall establish a social security number "for foreigners who meet the conditions for participating in social insurance", and that the card management service department shall issue them a physical social security card. Practice on physical cards may differ by locality; go by what your local social insurance agency tells you.

9. Six questions the authorities have not answered for you

Six questions came up while writing this for which we found no official answer. We are listing them rather than guessing:

1. Does the integration make social insurance mandatory for foreigners? Question 6 of the Guangzhou S&T Bureau FAQ answers: "For details on the question of purchasing social insurance, please consult the Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau." That is to say, the authority that handles work permits did not answer it and referred it to the social security authority.
2. Must Category A applicants also attend the counter for verification within 30 days of entry? The sentence in the original names only Categories B and C.
3. Are the Huangpu and Nansha counters still at the addresses given in the 2024 FAQ? The 2025 relocation notice does not cover those two counters, and we found no later announcement about their addresses.
4. Annex 2 item 10 of Order No. 223 lists only handling, amendment and cancellation — so can an extension be done in Huangpu or Nansha? The catalogue itself does not explain, and we found no document that does.
5. What exactly are the "adverse consequences" of not having materials verified as required? The text does not say.
6. What does "after the foreigner applies for a physical social security card, the electronic social security card provides standard services" actually mean? That is what Notice No. 75 says, but it does not explain whether "standard services" still include the work permit information lookup and QR-code verification. Whether the electronic card still works at an exit-entry counter once you hold a physical card is something we could not find explained.

10. One line each — which route is yours (all of the following is Guangzhou only)

• Guangzhou · you hold a Category B or C Notification Letter, have just entered, and your employer is outside Huangpu and Nansha districts: count 30 calendar days from your entry date, bring the originals plus sealed copies, and go to the counter at No. 155 Jiefang South Road to be verified and collect the Decision on Approval of Administrative Licence.
• Guangzhou · same, but your employer is in Huangpu or Nansha: use your own district's counter (addresses in section 5), not the Jiefang South Road one. Confirm it is still at that address before you go.
• Guangzhou · the 30 days have already passed: call 020-12345 or ask at the counter first. Do not cancel and re-file in the system yourself.
• Guangzhou · your physical work permit card has not expired and you are not extending or amending it: you may do nothing at all ("no change, no replacement"); or you may have your employer submit through "Replacement with Electronic Certificate" on the declaration end. These are alternatives, not steps to combine. If you are in one of the two transitional situations in questions 8 and 9, the entry point is a different menu — see section 4.
• Guangzhou · you are going to the exit-entry administration for a residence permit: the document says the Notification Letter of Foreigner's Work Permit or the electronic social security card, either one; but the counter may still want both in practice, so it is safer to carry both.
• Guangzhou · you want a physical social security card: first confirm you have obtained a work permit and are not holding an unexpired physical work permit card (if you are, "no change, no replacement" applies and it happens at your next extension or amendment); then get the photo receipt number (have a mainland resident upload for you, or ask a teller at a bank branch; review takes 1 to 5 working days); then bring your passport to a branch of one of the 8 banks listed above, where the card production time limit is a further 12 working days. The source tells you to consult the relevant bank for the detailed requirements.
• You are outside China, applying for a work permit of 90 days or more, and have not filed yet: finalise the Chinese contract text, have it signed and sealed, and note that the contract's effective date must fall within 90 calendar days from the date of submission.

Every line above is limited to Guangzhou. Accepting counters, the range of banks and the processing times differ in other cities — go by what is published locally. Requirements vary by locality, and the accepting authority's own requirements are what ultimately govern.

Related reading

• The work permit medical examination in Guangzhou
• Degree verification for a China work permit: three routes
• The criminal record certificate for foreign teachers: who issues it and how it is authenticated

Documents cited

1. Notice of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Integrating the Foreigner's Work Permit with the Social Security Card (Ren She Bu Fa [2024] No. 75), dated 27 October 2024, effective 1 December 2024. gov.cn: https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202412/content_6991296.htm
2. FAQ on the Integration of the Foreigner's Work Permit with the Social Security Card, Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, published 4 December 2024: http://kjj.gz.gov.cn/wjhgatrcyw/wgrlhgzxk/content/post_10007699.html
3. Notice of the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau (Guangzhou Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs) on the Guangzhou Foreigner's Work Service Window Moving into the Guangzhou Immigration Service Center, published 19 September 2025, new address in use from 9 October 2025: http://kjj.gz.gov.cn/wjhgatrcyw/wgrlhgzxk/content/post_10461084.html
4. Q&A on Handling Social Security Cards Carrying Foreigner's Work Permit Information, Guangzhou Social Security Card Service Centre, page dated 23 July 2026: https://rsj.gz.gov.cn/zzzq/shbz/gzsshbzk/fwzy/bmwd/content/post_10139389.html
5. Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Work Relating to the "One Thing" Reform for Foreigners Working in China (Ren She Ting Han [2025] No. 141), published 9 September 2025. We worked from the full text reproduced on the Jiangsu talent service portal: https://www.jssrcfwypt.org.cn/web/article?aid=186682
6. Decision of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Government on Adjusting Relevant Municipal Administrative Powers (Order No. 223), promulgated 24 June 2026, in force 1 August 2026: http://kjj.gz.gov.cn/wjhgatrcyw/wgrlhgzxk/content/post_10887127.html

All links were verified as reachable on 9 September 2026. Policies change; go by what the source page says at the time you act.