ID verification platform to be set up for expats in China

A recently announced identity verification platform is expected to make entering or exiting China as well as accessing services far easier for expatriates.

According to China’s Ministry of Public Security, the new system will record the names and passport details for all foreigners entering or exiting the country. Foreigners’ details will be added to a special nationwide authentication platform and will enable incomers and resident expats to gain access to internet, government and public services available to all residents on the vast Chinese mainland. The platform will also be available to citizens of Macau and Hong Kong, as well as to overseas Chinese, with the 35 public services including healthcare, finance, transportation, education, accommodation and telecom services.

Although Chinese media outlets in the English language seem unsure as to whether the full service will be extended to all expats without exception, the general opinion is that it will be accessible across the board. Prior to the platform’s introduction, expat access to services could be challenging without the hard-to-get Chinese ‘green card’. According to Chinese language media, the system is a ‘free certification service’ which works with a government initiative to reform its services by means of the internet.

China’s National Immigration Bureau is hoping it will also make the country more attractive to foreign talent hoping to take part in its push for entrepreneurship and innovation across the board. It’s no surprise that China is making use of the internet to publicise its search for top talent in the tech sector as well as entrepreneurial start-ups involving the country’s growing expat community. Even so, the digitalising of personal or private information may well be seen by some expatriates as a step too far in spite of the system’s obvious rewards and benefits.