CHINA: Plans Announced to Eliminate Mainland Work Permit Requirement for Workers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan

August 7, 2018


The Chinese government has announced that it plans to abolish the work permit requirement for Chinese residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan that are hired to work for companies in mainland China. The move was apparently among a number of items on the agenda at last week’s State Council meeting. Once implemented, this would reverse a decades-old policy of requiring residents from those three regions to obtain work permits in order to work in mainland China.

Further details of how this change will be implemented are expected to be announced by the government within the next few weeks.

Our Advice

Companies and employees who may be affected by this dramatic change in policy are advised to consult with their Newland Chase immigration specialists before altering any current practices on obtaining or not obtaining work authorisation for mainland China. We are awaiting more details on this change and will report on them once available from the Chinese government. Please continue to follow our alerts for further updates.

For general advice and information on immigration and business travel to China, please email us at [email protected].