The whole move, in the order that works.

Work, family, study, business, visitor or visa-free—the answer changes every document downstream

For foreign employees: the pre-entry notification and Z visa happen before boarding; the permit sequence continues after arrival

Helpful preparation: Choose your visa route. This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

Applies to your circumstances? Review the guide, then mark handled if completed or checked as not applicable.

Build a monthly budget around your household, rent, school needs and commuting costs

Put your own numbers in rather than trusting a generic index

Helpful preparation: Cost of living in Shenzhen. This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

Seven of them, and the commute is the whole argument

Fees and curricula compared—this choice often picks your district for you

Applies to your circumstances? Review the guide, then mark handled if completed or checked as not applicable.

Count the days before you commit to a start date

This starts the digital chain for app verification; carry your passport and registration proof when available

Try supported overseas cards for initial payments; full account features and acceptance vary. A mainland bank account is not a universal prerequisite.

A mainland number and, commonly, accommodation registration make the process much smoother

Helpful preparation: Get a mainland SIM card. This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

If you came for employment, follow the medical, work-permit and residence steps in the right sequence

Helpful preparation: Work route (before travel). This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

Applies to your circumstances? Review the guide, then mark handled if completed or checked as not applicable.

How to pay, what it costs and the station names that catch newcomers out

The same week in detail, including what to keep in your bag and what can wait

Deposits, agents, contracts—and registering again after you move

Helpful preparation: Choose a district. This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

Hospital tiers, what social insurance covers and what it does not

Compare the current contribution tiers using your own salary

Deliveries, utilities, phone plans and laundry—the unglamorous half

Where to go for electronics and how not to be sold a fake

Parks, mountains and museums—the reason to stop living out of a suitcase

Find places by cuisine, neighbourhood and occasion, with practical details for your first meals.

Bands, deductions, annual reconciliation and the separate-bonus method

Compare the current deduction routes side by side using your own salary

Helpful preparation: Income tax in China. This is a planning suggestion; confirm the requirements in the guide.

S and Q routes, plus what a dependent spouse can and cannot do here

Applies to your circumstances? Review the guide, then mark handled if completed or checked as not applicable.

Every route compared, and which one suits your day

New lines, border crossings and rule changes, dated and sourced