10 expatriates receive updated green cards in Shanghai

Ten expatriates living in Shanghai became the first to receive the newly upgraded versions of Chinese green card – the permanent residence ID cards Friday.

Among them seven are managers and executives of multinational companies, a foreign investor and business owner, a university professor and an aircraft designer.

Chen Zhen (center), vice head of Shanghai Public Security Bureau, poses with Anders Lindquist (right), a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Li Dongsheng (left), a deputy director of Shanghai Aircraft Design and Research Institute, today at a card-giving ceremony. [Photo: Shanghai Daily/Ti Gong]

Six of the 10 foreigners were entitled to the green cards after Shanghai introduced relaxed rules for green card holders in July 2015, said Chen Zhen, vice head of Shanghai Public Security Bureau, at a card-giving ceremony held this morning.

Officials from the tax and railway authorities in Shanghai said they have been working on measures to facilitate the usage of the chip-embedded cards and some have already been realized.

Holders of the new permanent residence ID cards can now register at the tax authorities with the cards solely and declare tax or print their tax reports from home with the card number. The card can also be used in non-trade foreign exchange payments as a personal ID document, according to the local tax authorities.

At the moment, those who don’t possess the new permanent residence ID cards will have to show their passports at the tax offices.

While some airlines had announced earlier that they have already enabled foreigners to buy air tickets with the new ID cards, the railway authorities said they will soon upgrade ticket facilities at the railway terminals to enable usage of the cards.

The Ministry of Public Security announced earlier that the cards will gradually enable access to finance, education, hospital, transport, telecommunications, tax, social insurance, property registration and legal services in China with no other personal documents required.