April 23, 2014:

The Santa Fe Group has reported that Shanghai local police are ramping up stricter enforcement on residential registration of foreign nationals and All Points recommends that HR’s communicate this within their organizations.

Registrations have long been required upon a foreign national’s arrival in the country. However, enforcement was not always predictable, and at some times could have even been described as lax.

So it is a good idea to go back to basics:

Foreign nationals/assignees must register within 24 hours of:

• When they first arrive in Shanghai; or
• When they move to a new property in Shanghai; or
• When there is a change of their passport.

After foreign nationals localized in China or assignees on global assignments register with the police they must then update their work permits and residence licenses. If the global assignee moves into a hotel or temporary living facility, reception or management can assist with Shanghai local police registration.

While these are not new policies, All Points Relocation feels that adherence to the local registration process is more important now than it had even been in the past. The penalty for failing to register or update a residential address within 24 hours is between RMB 500 and RMB 5,000; however, the cost of stress on the assignee is far greater. While Santa Fe reports that some police stations are more lenient and will allow 72 hours, we are concerned that with penalty revenue potential other police stations may follow their more strict peers.

All Points recommends that Human Resource professionals remind their foreign nationals and global assignees of the importance of quick local registration and remind others that may be involved in global mobility if the process is decentralized in your company.

This article is provided for information purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.

For more information, please go to Santa Fe Group’s website.