Leaving China

What needs to be done before you fly

Leaving China for good is a multi-step administrative process. The more organised you are, the smoother it goes. The less organised, the more you will be managing panicked bank closures and last-minute government office queues from your final week, when you really wanted to be having farewell dinners.

Allow four to six weeks minimum from deciding to leave to your flight. Here is the rough sequence:

1. Notify your employer: standard 30-day notice triggers the work-permit cancellation clock. Your employer must cancel the work permit with the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, which in turn initiates the residence permit cancellation process at the PSB.

2. File the final IIT reconciliation: the Individual Income Tax annual reconciliation (汇算清缴) must be completed. If you are departing mid-year, an out-of-window filing is permitted — do not wait for the normal March–June reconciliation window. Your employer's HR or your tax adviser handles this. Obtain the final tax payment certificate (完税证明): this document is required for large fund transfers out of China and for PSB permit cancellation at some offices.

3. Residence permit cancellation: your employer files this at the local PSB exit-entry administration. Upon cancellation, you may receive a short-term exit permit (通常 30 天) to give you time to finish your affairs and leave. Do not stay beyond this exit window.

4. Police residence registration cancellation: the foreigner-residence registration at the local police station (done at move-in) must be cancelled. In some cities this happens automatically when the PSB cancels the residence permit; in others it requires a separate visit.

5. Return the apartment: arrange a final inspection with the landlord or agent, settle outstanding utilities, and negotiate deposit return. Document everything. See the Renting guide for deposit dispute advice.

6. Cancel subscriptions and local services: mobile phone contract (or port the number if keeping a Chinese number), internet contract, gym membership, streaming services (iQiyi, Tencent Video, etc.). Cancelling after departure is far harder.

7. Close bank accounts: must be done in person at the original opening branch. Do this before departure — Chinese bank accounts are very difficult to close from abroad. Withdraw or transfer remaining balance before closure.

8. Transfer remaining CNY abroad: under the standard individual FX quota of USD 50,000 equivalent per calendar year, no additional documentation is required beyond standard bank forms. Transfers over USD 50,000 in a calendar year require the tax payment certificate and, for large amounts, additional bank compliance review. Plan your transfers across calendar years if needed to stay within the quota.

9. Sell or ship personal effects: see below.

10. Final flight booking: ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months on the date of departure. This trips up more people than it should.

Tax clearance in detail

The final tax payment certificate is the document proving you have settled all IIT obligations for the current year. Without it:

• Banks may decline to process large outward FX transfers.
• Some PSB offices will not complete the residence permit cancellation.
• Your final salary instalment may be held by HR pending clearance.

The certificate is issued by the local tax bureau after the reconciliation is filed and any outstanding balance is paid. Processing time: 5–10 working days [VERIFY: source needed — May 2026]. Build this into your timeline; starting the reconciliation in the final week is too late.

If you leave before completing the reconciliation (an exit before fully closing out), there is no automatic Chinese enforcement mechanism that chases you across borders, but failing to close properly can complicate a future visa application for China.

Shipping personal effects

**International removal companies** are the standard option for a household of goods. Most major international movers (Crown, Santa Fe, AGS, Asian Tigers) have China offices. They handle: - Packing and crating. - Chinese export customs clearance. - International freight (sea or air). - Destination customs clearance.

Cost estimates [VERIFY: source needed — May 2026]: - Sea freight from a tier-1 city to Europe or North America: USD 3,000–10,000 for a standard 2–3 person household. - Transit time: 5–10 weeks by sea. - Air freight: USD 5–15 per kilogram; transit 1–2 weeks.

Export restrictions: antiques and artefacts (anything over 100 years old) require a permit from the Ministry of Culture and cannot be exported without authorisation. Certain artworks also require approval. Your mover handles this documentation for permitted items.

Second-hand sales within China: expat community WeChat groups ('Beijing Buy/Sell/Free', equivalent groups in Shanghai and other cities) are active markets. Furniture, appliances, and children's items sell quickly before school-year transitions (August) and near Chinese New Year. Pricing should reflect the second-hand market; expect 20–40% of original value for furniture, less for electronics.

Bank account closure

The procedure is simple but requires being present in China:

1. Visit the branch where you originally opened the account. Some banks now allow closure at any branch; most still prefer the original. 2. Bring: passport, debit card, any security key or USB device, bank passbook. 3. Withdraw or transfer the remaining balance before closing; the teller will arrange this. 4. Unlink the account from WeChat Pay and Alipay before closure — linked accounts cannot always be unlinked after the bank account is closed. 5. The bank returns any physical devices and issues a closure confirmation.

Chinese bank accounts left unclosed after departure accumulate annual maintenance fees if the balance drops below the minimum threshold. After several years of fees, the balance goes to zero and the account is eventually deactivated — but this is an untidy outcome that is harder to resolve from abroad than simply closing the account in person before you leave.

Pets

If taking pets internationally, start the destination country's import preparation at least 90 days before departure. Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and several others have requirements with long lead times (rabies titer tests, mandatory quarantine periods). See the Pets guide for full detail.

WeChat after leaving

WeChat continues to work outside China and remains your primary means of staying in contact with friends in China. Keep the app active; re-verification requires a Chinese phone number to be available for SMS, which is harder to arrange from abroad. A WeChat balance (in the wallet) can be transferred to a linked bank account if still open, or used for spending while you complete your exit. Unused balance in a WeChat Pay wallet becomes inaccessible once the linked bank account is closed; transfer it out first.

What expats commonly forget

• Old investment products (wealth-management accounts at Chinese banks, money-market funds through Alipay's Yu'e Bao): liquidate before leaving; these are difficult to access from abroad.
• Hukou or residence registration documents: the landlord has your registration record at the local police station; make sure the cancellation is completed.
• Chinese driver's licence: technically invalid outside China. No action needed, but if you want to retain it for re-entry or historical record, keep it safe.
• Hospital medical records: Chinese hospitals retain primary records but will issue printed summaries on request. For ongoing medical conditions, obtain a translated summary before leaving.

Re-entering China after departure

Your residence permit is cancelled. Future visits require a new visa. For most nationalities, a multiple-entry tourist (L) or business (M) visa is obtainable. If you return for work, the full Z visa and work permit process restarts. Having a clean record (no outstanding fines, no overstays, no residence permit violations) makes the reapplication straightforward.