Guide to Foreign Talents and Team Members for Application for the Notification Letter of Foreigner’s Work Permit and the Work Permit for Foreigners within Entrepreneurial Period (Trial)
The Lingang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone has recently launched policies aimed at promoting the legal service industry. These policies seek to attract legal service institutions and build up a legalized business environment in the special area.
Here are some of the policy highlights.
Subsidies
The Lingang Special Area welcomes well-known international arbitration, commercial mediation, and dispute resolution agencies. They will receive a grant of 2 million yuan (US$277,000) to set up businesses.
Overseas law firms are being invited to set up representative offices in the special area.
Legal rating agencies have included well-known law firms from other countries as well as those from Hong Kong and Macau in their rankings. They will each receive funding of up to 1.5 million yuan to set up offices in the area.
Those not on the list but intending to open an office in Lingang will receive a subsidy of up to 1 million yuan.
Domestic law firms are also being encouraged to engage with law firms from other countries to set up entities in the Lingang Special Area. Local firms will receive subsidies ranging from 1 million yuan to 2 million yuan.
Visa
Foreign legal professionals working in the Lingang Special Area will have access to 24-hour port visa services and will be granted a five-year work and residency permit.
Chinese nationals who have obtained foreign nationality will be eligible for a long-term residency visa for foreign talent (Category B) with a maximum validity period of 10 years.
Announcement on Extending IIT-related Policies for Expat Individuals
No. 29 Announcement in 2023 by the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of TaxationIn order to further reduce the burden of taxpayers, the announcement of the individual income tax policy on allowances and subsidies for expatriate individuals is hereby released:
I.The expatriate individuals who are residents in China may opt to claim the additional itemized individual income tax deductions or enjoy the existing preferential policies of tax exemption for allowances related to housing subsidies, language training fees, and children's education fees in accordance with the Circular of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administraiton of Taxation on Some Policy Issues on Personal Income Tax (Cai Shui Zi [1994] No.20), the Circular of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on the Implementation of Individual Income Tax Exemption for Foreign Individuals with Relevant Subsidies (Guo Shui Fa [1997] No.54) and the Circular of the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation on the Exemption of Individual Income Tax for Foreign Individuals Obtaining Housing Subsidies in Hong Kong and Macao SAR (Cai Shui [2004] No. 29). Once an option is made, it may not be changed within a tax year. II. This announcement is enforced until December 31, 2027. This announcement is made by the Ministry of Finance and State Administration of Taxation.
Date：August 18, 2023
Starting from tomorrow, travelers entering and exiting China will no longer be required to fill in the Health Declaration Form, China's Customs authority announced today.
Nevertheless, individuals showing symptoms or with confirmed infectious diseases must promptly inform customs about their health conditions. Travelers who conceal relevant information and therefore cause serious consequences will bear legal liabilities.
Starting from October 26, if you're a foreigner who has worked or run a company in Hong Kong, you can apply for a visa for two years or more to shuttle between the mainland and Hong Kong.
After obtaining this visa, you can make multiple trips between Hong Kong and the mainland. Whether you come to the mainland for business or to attend meetings, it's very convenient!
But, if you enter Hong Kong with a tourist visa or visa exemption, you cannot apply for it. You must be a long-term resident in Hong Kong and hold a Hong Kong work visa or permanent residence.
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