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Practical legal situations · Shenzhen

Immigration and work permission

Check your exact status, the filing deadline and which authority handles each permission.

3 illustrative casesOfficial sources checked 21 Oct 2026

General information for mainland Shenzhen. These are illustrative examples, not reported judgments or personal legal advice. Hong Kong and Macao have separate systems.

01

My visa stay or residence permit is expiring

Your present authorized stay or residence is ending, and you want to remain in Shenzhen.

What to do first

  1. Read the current permission and last entry record; identify the actual stay deadline rather than the visa's entry-validity date.
  2. Check the extension route with Exit-Entry: apply at least seven days before visa-stay expiry, or 30 days before residence-permit expiry.
  3. Prepare the current checklist and supporting reason; confirm the lawful plan if an application cannot be accepted or permission is not extended.
Where to take it

Shenzhen Public Security Exit-Entry handles stay and residence applications. For visa-free admission or a stay permit, ask which procedure applies to that exact status.

A mistake to avoid

Do not treat an appointment confirmation or an unaccepted online application as extra lawful stay.

Get help promptly when…

Contact the authority immediately if you are inside the filing period, already overdue, or have received a refusal or instruction to leave.

Records to keep3 useful records
  • Passport, current visa or stay/residence permit and latest entry record
  • Accommodation registration and the authority's current application checklist
  • Documents supporting the requested extension and any official acceptance receipt

Use records already safely and lawfully available. Do not delay urgent help or expose yourself or a child to danger to collect documents.

Official sources and legal basis

Links and relevant provisions checked 21 October 2026. English and Spanish are editorial translations; consult the official Chinese text.

02

I am changing employer or job

An employer-sponsored job is ending or a new employer wants you to start. Work permission and residence permission need separate checks.

What to do first

  1. Collect the termination or release document and confirm the existing work-permit cancellation status with the old employer.
  2. Have the new employer check the correct work-permit route; the published domestic employer-change route requires unchanged occupation and valid work residence.
  3. Ask Exit-Entry what residence action is needed, and confirm both permissions before starting the new work.
Where to take it

The Shenzhen work-permit authority and employer handle the employment permission; Public Security Exit-Entry handles the immigration permission. Ask about another eligible route if the published transfer conditions are not met.

A mistake to avoid

Do not start work for a new employer simply because the old residence card has not reached its printed expiry date.

Get help promptly when…

Act as soon as employment ends, a permission is nearing expiry, cancellation is disputed, or the new employer requests work before approval.

Records to keep3 useful records
  • Passport, current work-permit record and work residence permit
  • Dated termination or release document and cancellation/application records
  • New employer's identity, proposed contract, occupation and work location

Use records already safely and lawfully available. Do not delay urgent help or expose yourself or a child to danger to collect documents.

Official sources and legal basis

Links and relevant provisions checked 21 October 2026. English and Spanish are editorial translations; consult the official Chinese text.

03

My passport is lost or stolen

You are in Shenzhen without the original passport that held your Chinese permission.

What to do first

  1. For theft or robbery, report to the local police and keep the named receipt; for simple loss, prepare the written loss statement.
  2. Use the accommodation registration to request the passport-loss certificate from Shenzhen Exit-Entry; keep copies of every record.
  3. Apply to your own embassy or consulate for a replacement, then ask Exit-Entry to reissue the required Chinese visa or permit.
Where to take it

Local police for a theft report; Shenzhen Exit-Entry for the loss certificate and Chinese permission; your national consular authority for replacement travel documentation.

A mistake to avoid

Do not assume the loss certificate or replacement passport itself authorizes extra stay or international travel.

Get help promptly when…

Report promptly; tell Exit-Entry immediately if your permission is expiring or travel is imminent. Ask for the lawful route if your consulate cannot replace the document.

Records to keep3 useful records
  • Available passport/visa copies and the accommodation registration
  • Written loss statement or named police theft/robbery receipt, plus the Exit-Entry loss certificate
  • Consular correspondence, replacement passport or travel document, and current immigration records

Use records already safely and lawfully available. Do not delay urgent help or expose yourself or a child to danger to collect documents.

Official sources and legal basis

Links and relevant provisions checked 21 October 2026. English and Spanish are editorial translations; consult the official Chinese text.

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Illustrative guidance edited by LifeShenzhen from the linked official sources. Requirements and outcomes depend on the facts, current procedure and individual legal assessment.