By S.J.Grand, 1421 Consulting Leaving a country you once lived in can mean a lot of work. As an expatriate in China, you need to start asking questions about what you should be doing before leaving. There are but a couple of things you must do even a few months before your plan of leaving. So, it is important to get reminders on how to get going ahead. 1 Non-criminal record It is impossible to retrieve your non-criminal record from China once you are already out of the country. Local police authorities will require your original passport and house rental agreement before they can issue a non-criminal record certificate. Thus, you must put this on your to-do list and make sure to get it notarized afterward. 2 Claim your social insurance back Foreigners can enjoy a monthly pension, given that they have contributed to it while working in China for 15 years or more. They can also receive this retirement fee even if they live abroad. Foreigners are also entitled to a refund of the paid and unused part of medical insurance. Both items shall be refunded in a lump sum before a foreigner leaves the country. The HR person in your company can surely give you some advice. 3 Transferring your money In terms of money, China requires a limited amount of money you can carry back home. If you have long-term savings, it might be a problem to take them out of China all at once on the same day you are leaving. Furthermore, you are only allowed to exchange currencies on specific days. So, better plan on transferring your money to your overseas account a few weeks in advance. 4 Unlinking your phone number Your phone number in China is simply the most important information you can have in terms of bank activation or using apps such as Alipay or WeChat. If you do not cancel your phone number before leaving China, you may face issues especially if it is tied with your passport number. On the other hand, forgetting to cancel or unlink your phone number with your WeChat ID can be risky. If your phone bill is not paid for six months, it will be registered as a new number and another person will be able to log in to your WeChat. Canceling your phone number would also mean deleting your Alipay account. Since Alipay contains all your payment transactions or bank card information, it is also important to deal with it before leaving. 5 Work permit cancellation certificate When your labor contract is terminated, your HR will normally get the employment permit(外国人就业证) or foreign expert certificate(外国专家证) from you and cancel it. It’s very important you can get the cancellation certificate(注销证明), at least the scanned copy, issued by the relevant authority,. This certificate can be an official proof of your work experience in China. And if you want to come back to China to get a work visa again, the cancellation certificate is also required. 6 Tax resident certificate with an official Chinese stamp Before leaving China, you must visit the local tax bureau and request a ‘tax certificate’ detailing your salary and taxes paid, whether monthly or annually. Think of it as a tax clearance, making sure that you are free from any debts or tax liabilities. This document will also serve as your evidence of taxes paid in China so that you can avoid double taxation.
