Leaving Shanghai for Good: The 2026 Exit Checklist
Leaving China is less a checklist than a sequence: cancel your residence permit last, because the bank needs it to release your savings.
The order matters more than the list. Cancel your residence permit last, not first: banks need a valid work permit and residence permit to remit your savings abroad, and your social insurance refund lands in a Chinese bank account you must therefore keep open. Start roughly two months out, move money before permits are cancelled, and keep your Chinese phone number alive well past your departure date.
Almost everyone gets this wrong in the same way. They treat leaving as a list of things to close, work through it top to bottom, cancel the permit early because it feels like the big official one, and then discover the bank will not move their money because the permit backing the account is gone. The list below is arranged in the sequence that actually works.
Two to three months out
Tell your employer in writing, because the work permit cancellation is theirs to initiate and they need lead time. Ask HR for three specific things now rather than on your last day, when the person who knows how to produce them is on holiday:
- Your personal income tax payment certificate, covering your full period of employment
- A copy of your employment contract and any termination or release letter
- Confirmation that your social insurance contributions are fully paid and up to date
This is also the moment to check your tax position, particularly if you are near the six-year mark on worldwide income or leaving partway through a tax year. Our guide to income tax for foreigners in Shanghai covers the six-year rule and the annual reconciliation, and departure is one of the times it genuinely matters.
Six weeks out: shipping
Get international shipping quotes now, because sea freight takes weeks and the packing, customs clearance and insurance all sit in front of that. Four to six weeks of lead time is the realistic minimum for a household shipment.
Decide early what is genuinely worth shipping. Furniture bought here rarely justifies the freight; books, documents and things with sentimental weight usually do. Everything else is better sold. Our guide to selling on Xianyu is the fastest route to clearing an apartment, and departing expats consistently get better prices there than through a bulk clearance buyer.
If you are taking a pet with you, start that process now too, because the destination country's import rules and the export health certificate from Chinese customs both run on their own timelines. Our pet guide covers the direction of travel and the paperwork chain.
Move your money before you cancel anything
This is the step people sequence wrongly, so it gets its own heading.
To remit salary and savings out of China, banks generally want your personal income tax certificate, your employment contract and your work permit. Those documents describe a person who is legally employed and resident here. Cancel the permits first and you have made that harder for yourself at exactly the moment you need the bank to cooperate.
So: do the transfers while your permits are still valid and your employment paperwork is current. Our guide to sending money out of China covers the annual limits and what the counter will ask for.
Do not close your Chinese bank account. You will still need it for the social insurance refund, for any final salary or expense payments landing after you go, and for the tail of subscriptions and utilities that quietly bill for another month. Keep it open until everything has cleared, then close it later or leave it dormant.
What can I claim back from social insurance?
Less than most people expect, and it is worth knowing the split before you build a number into your budget.
The portion deducted from your salary into your individual pension account is refundable, along with certain unemployment insurance amounts. That personal contribution is 8 percent of salary toward pension. Your employer's contributions go into pooled funds and are not refundable to you. Medical, maternity and work injury contributions are likewise not paid out.
The refund is paid into a Chinese bank account, which is the second reason not to close yours. Processing takes time and does not respect your flight date, so start the claim before you leave rather than trying to run it from abroad.
One genuine decision point: if you are likely to return to China to work within a few years, you can leave the pension account open and keep the accrued years rather than cashing out a modest sum now. Claiming it closes the account and the contribution history with it.
The apartment, the utilities and the deposit
Give notice in the form your lease requires, in writing, with the notice period counted properly. Then work backwards from the handover date.
Settle and close electricity, water, gas and broadband, and keep the final receipts, because landlords routinely withhold part of a deposit against bills they cannot see are paid. Our guide to paying utility bills in Shanghai covers how to get final readings.
Photograph the apartment thoroughly at handover, in the same detail you should have on the day you moved in. Deposit disputes are the most common departure headache, and photographs with timestamps end most of them. Try to be present for the inspection rather than handing the keys to an agent and hoping.
Cancel the permits, and only then leave
Your work permit is cancelled by your employer through the labour authorities. Your residence permit is then cancelled or converted at the Exit-Entry Administration, which typically leaves you a short grace period to depart the country.
Do not skip this because you are busy and the flight is soon. An uncancelled work permit and residence permit can complicate a future application to return, particularly under a different visa category, and it is a far easier problem to solve while you are standing in Shanghai than from another continent.
The full process on the way in, which is also the process being unwound, is in our work permit and residence permit guide.
Keep your phone number alive
Your Chinese mobile number is the key to your bank app, your payment apps and most identity verification here. Give it up on your last week and you can lock yourself out of the accounts still holding your money.
Keep the number active with a small balance for several months after you leave, and check that any app you may need can still receive its verification code. This is a low-cost insurance policy against a genuinely expensive problem.
Which one is for you
If you are leaving for good with no plan to return, claim the pension refund, remit everything, and close accounts once the last payment has cleared.
If there is a real chance you come back to work in China within a few years, leave the pension account open and keep the contribution history, and keep the bank account and phone number running rather than unwinding everything.
If you are moving to another Chinese city rather than leaving the country, most of this does not apply; your permits transfer rather than cancel, and the social insurance account moves with you.
Common questions
Can I get my social insurance money back when I leave China?
You can claim the personal contributions in your individual pension account, which is 8 percent of salary, plus certain unemployment insurance amounts. Employer contributions go into pooled funds and are not refundable to you.
Should I close my Chinese bank account before leaving?
No, not before your social insurance refund and any final payments have cleared, because the refund is paid into a Chinese account. Keep it open through your departure and close it later if you want to.
What happens if I do not cancel my residence permit?
It can complicate future entry to China, particularly if you later apply under a different visa category. It is a straightforward step to complete before departure and a difficult one to fix afterwards.
How long before I leave should I start?
Around two to three months for the paperwork and tax side, and at least four to six weeks for international shipping. The permit cancellation itself is quick but sits at the end of the chain, so everything ahead of it sets the pace.
Can I transfer my money out after I have left the country?
It is considerably harder, because the bank wants documents tied to your employment and residence status, and remote instructions from abroad are more difficult to authenticate. Move the money while you are still here with valid permits.