Guangzhou Foreign Talent Green Card Application

Guangzhou is a world-famous international metropolis and international trade center. More and more people have come to study, work, invest and live in Guangzhou. In order to become a national innovation central city and an international technological innovation hub, Guangzhou is also trying to attract more talents from home and abroad to Guangzhou.

Since May 2016, Guangzhou has officially launched the talent green card project and issued the "Notice of the Talent Green Card System in Guangzhou." Non-Guangzhou household registration person who intend to settle in Guangzhou can apply for a talent green card and enjoy citizenship treatment in Guangzhou, such as buying a house, buying a car, and applying for public school for children, if they meet the given conditions.

What is a foreign talent green card?

The Talent Green Card is a kind of identity certificate, a guarantee of identity, treatment and welfare.

What kind of benefits can talent green card holders enjoy?

All talent green card holders will enjoy the same treatment as the citizens of Guangzhou City, including:
1. Foreigners can directly apply for foreign employment certificates or foreign expert certificates, and apply for residence permit with a validity 2 to 5 years, or multiple R visas for no more than 180 days;
2. Applying for professional title evaluation in Guangzhou;
3. Children can apply for public school and have access to compulsory education for free;
4. Applying for ordinary passports, Hong Kong and Macau Passes, Taiwan Passes and various endorsements in Guangzhou;
5. Applying for business license directly;
6. Opening bank account and applying for purchase and payment;
7. Domestic residents can enjoy the treatment of residents in Guangzhou to buy their own houses for personal use; People from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and foreigners can purchasing one house/apartment for personal use.
8. Applying for driving license.

What are the conditions for applying for a talent green card?

First, you must meet the following basic conditions:
1. Domestic and foreign talents
2. Meeting the talent demand of Guangzhou
3. Without having Guangzhou residence registration
4. Have worked or launched start up business in Guangzhou over six months every year
5. Having a legal residence in Guangzhou

Second, you can apply for a talent green card if you meet one of the followings:
1. High-level and high-skilled talents identified or verified by Guangzhou
2. Overseas high-level talents with experience in overseas work, study, and innovation and entrepreneurship
3. Experts who have a senior professional qualification or above and have a professional experience in related fields for more than 10 years.
4. Persons who have a “985 Project” or “211 Project” college degree and a Ph.D. degree, or who have a post-graduate degree in a top-notch foreign university with a master's degree or above in the top 300 in the world.
5. Persons who have senior technician qualifications, in line with the shortage of jobs in Guangzhou
6. High-end foreign talents holding foreign experts' certificates, Hong Kong, Macao talents and foreign talents identified by Guangzhou Nansha Free Trade Zone
7. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan person and foreigners with an annual salary of more than RMB 600,000 and who have paid individual income tax above RMB 120,000 for employment in Guangzhou
8. Talents identified by relevant departments in Guangzhou as having certain special skills or expertise.

What documents required for application?

1. Application Form of Talent’s Green Card of Guangzhou Municipality
2. Electronic photo that meets the standard of China's second-generation ID card
3. Graduate and degree certificate
4. Valid identification
5. Labor (employment) contract
6. Proof of legal residence in Guangzhou

Application process:

1. Applying online. (5 workdays)
2. Documents processing online. (10 workdays)
3. Making green card. (15 workdays)
4. Verify originals and get green card.

Notice:
1. Talent green card is valid for up to five years. You can apply for renewing the new permit within 30 days before the expiry date.
2. You can apply for a secondary card for relatives after the main card has successfully claimed for one year.

Business China Services:

Guangzhou Talent Green Main Card Application Service
Guangzhou Talent Green Secondary Card Application Service
Guangzhou Talent Green Card Change, Replacement, Renewal Service