China's social insurance consists of basic old-age insurance, basic medical insurance, employment injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance. Foreign-invested enterprises and their employees shall pay social insurance premiums in accordance with the law to ensure that the employees receive material assistance from the government and society in cases of old age, illness, work injury, unemployment, and childbirth. Qualified foreign-invested enterprises may set up enterprise annuities according to regulations as further efforts to better safeguard the interests of employees. Non-Chinese expatriates employed in China shall be covered by China's social insurance in accordance with the law. If a person employed in China has the nationality of a country that has signed bilateral or multilateral agreements on social insurance with China, the person's social insurance shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of the agreements. Foreign-invested enterprises and their on-the-job employees shall contribute to the housing provident fund in accordance with the Regulations on the Management of Housing Provident Fund.

Source: Foreign Investment Guide of the People's Republic of China (2025 Edition) issued by the Ministry of Commerce  Foreign nationals working in China shall access social insurance in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Social Insurance Law of the People's Republic of China and the Interim Measures for Social Insurance System Coverage of Foreigners Working within the Territory of China.

Eligible individuals

(i) Individuals legally employed in China who have legally obtained the Foreigner's Work Permit, the Residence Permit for foreigners, and the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card.

(ii) Individuals who have signed labor contracts with employers within the territory of China and receive payments from the employers, or those who have signed contracts with foreign companies and are dispatched to work in China.

(iii) Individuals who have not yet reached the statutory retirement age.

Insurance contributions

(i) For individuals working within the territory of China who just access social insurance, their employers shall process social insurance registration for him/her within 30 days from the date of applying for work permit;

(ii) The insurance contribution base and the share borne by employers for foreign employees shall be the same as that of Chinese employees according to local standards.

Mutual exemption provisions

Foreign nationals from countries that have signed bilateral or multilateral social security agreements with China may be exempted from paying their corresponding types of insurance within the specified time frame according to the terms of the agreements. To date, China has concluded social security agreements with Germany, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Serbia, Luxembourg, Kyrgyzstan, and France (not yet in effect).

Processing location: Social insurance affairs can be handled at Government Affairs Service Hall or Human Resources and Social Security Bureau Service Hall in the area where the applicants work or via the Online Social Insurance Service Platform.

Website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security:

Source: A Guide to Working and Living in China as Business Expatriates (2026 Edition) issued by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China