Your move · 你的进度
Build your landing plan.
0 of 28 tasks complete
Checklist progress stays in this browser until Reset or site data is cleared. It is not sent to Life Shenzhen; reset it when finished on a shared device.
HomeRoadmap
Relocation line · 落地路线
The whole move,
in the order that works.
Turn Life Shenzhen’s practical guides into a 28-step landing plan. Check off what is done, see what comes next and keep the two legal clocks visible.
Last verified:
0done
28left
2on a clock
Add a date to see the stage that deserves your attention now.
Your date lasts only for this browser session.
Why the order matters
One legal clock. One setup chain.
If you stay outside a hotel, accommodation registration runs on its own 24-hour clock. In parallel, a mainland SIM starts the practical chain for app verification and banking. Treat both as day-one priorities instead of waiting for one lane to finish before starting the other.
-
01
Before you fly · weeks to months out
Decide, and price it
Everything here is cheaper and calmer to settle from your own country. Your entry route comes first; the district and school often decide each other.
0 of 7 complete
- 01.1Choose the right entry routeWork, family, study, business, visitor or visa-free—the answer changes every document downstreamOpen guide
- 01.2Work route before travelFor foreign employees: the pre-entry notification and Z visa happen before boarding; the permit sequence continues after arrivalOpen guide
- 01.3Price your life in ShenzhenSeven real monthly budgets, from a single professional to a family of fourOpen guide
- 01.4Compare it with your cityPut your own numbers in rather than trusting a generic indexUse calculator
- 01.5Choose a districtSeven of them, and the commute is the whole argumentCompare districts
- 01.6Compare schools, if you have childrenFees and curricula compared—this choice often picks your district for youCompare schools
- 01.7Check whether you will be tax residentCount the days before you commit to a start dateUse calculator
-
02
Your first days · begin immediately
Switch the city on
Start the digital chain while the legal clocks run beside it. The goal is momentum without losing sight of the deadlines.
0 of 8 complete
Legal clock · 24 hours
Register non-hotel accommodation
If you stay somewhere other than a hotel, you or your host must register within 24 hours of arriving at that accommodation. Hotels register their guests.
Verified · Shenzhen Public Security BureauLegal clock · 30 days
Start the residence-permit application
If your visa says a residence permit is required after entry, apply within 30 days of entry. Start early rather than treating day 30 as the appointment date.
Verified · Exit and Entry Administration Law- 02.1Get a mainland SIMThis starts the digital chain for app verification; carry your passport and registration proof when availableOpen guide
- On a clock02.2Register your accommodationRun this legal clock in parallel with the digital setup chain; requirements depend on where you are stayingOpen guide
- 02.3Set up WeChat and AlipayPayments, transport, bookings and most daily services sit inside these twoOpen guide
- 02.4Open a bank accountA mainland number and, commonly, accommodation registration make the process much smootherOpen guide
- 02.5Finish the post-arrival work routeIf you came for employment, follow the medical, work-permit and residence steps in the right sequenceSee the sequence
- On a clock02.6Apply for the residence permitWhere your visa requires it, start early enough to meet the 30-day entry deadlineOpen guide
- 02.7Learn the metroHow to pay, what it costs and the station names that catch newcomers outOpen guide
- 02.8Open the full first-week checklistThe same week in detail, including what to keep in your bag and what can waitOpen checklist
-
03
Your first month · weeks 2–6
Build your base
The temporary things become permanent ones: a lease instead of a hotel, healthcare you understand and routines that stop every day feeling like admin.
0 of 7 complete
- 03.1Rent a flatDeposits, agents, contracts—and registering again after you moveOpen guide
- 03.2Understand healthcareHospital tiers, what social insurance covers and what it does notOpen guide
- 03.3Price the medical insuranceCompare the current contribution tiers using your own salaryUse calculator
- 03.4Learn the daily systemsDeliveries, utilities, phone plans and laundry—the unglamorous halfOpen guide
- 03.5Buy what your new home needsWhere to go for electronics and how not to be sold a fakeOpen guide
- 03.6Start living locallyParks, mountains and museums—the reason to stop living out of a suitcaseExplore Shenzhen
- 03.7Find somewhere worth eating46 places worth the trip, grouped by what you are looking forBrowse restaurants
-
04
The long run · month 2 onwards
Live here properly
The admin thins out and Shenzhen starts being a place rather than a process. What remains is money, renewals and finding your people.
0 of 6 complete
- 04.1Understand income taxBands, deductions, annual reconciliation and the separate-bonus methodOpen guide
- 04.2Work out your net payCompare the current deduction routes side by side using your own salaryUse calculator
- 04.3Bring family overS and Q routes, plus what a dependent spouse can and cannot do hereOpen guide
- 04.4Learn the Hong Kong crossingsEvery route compared, and which one suits your dayCompare crossings
- Plan ahead04.5Put renewals on the calendarWork and residence documents run on linked schedules; begin well before either expiresPlan renewal
- 04.6Keep up with what changedNew lines, border crossings and rule changes, dated and sourcedRead updates
No roadmap tasks match those filters. Clear the search or choose “All” to see the full route.
Prefer a person to a checklist?
Hand me the complicated part.
Relocation is what I do for a living. Send the stage you are at and what is stuck; nothing is booked or charged until you approve a written scope and price.