Before you start

Residence permit and work permit
Employment contract, which triggers social insurance enrolment
Employer private insurance details, if provided
A Chinese mobile number for hospital appointment apps

Step-by-step

1
Confirm the employer has enrolled you in social insurance
The 2011 Interim Measures make enrolment compulsory nationally for foreign employees across pension, medical, work injury, unemployment and maternity. Enforcement varies by city — check your payslip shows the deductions rather than assuming.
Via employerWho: Your employerMonth 1
2
Check whether a totalisation agreement applies
China has bilateral social security agreements with a number of countries including Germany, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark and Finland. Posted workers may be exempted from specified contributions with a certificate of coverage from home. Scope differs by agreement.
Via employerWho: You
3
Read the private policy before you need it
The key question is whether it admits you to hospital international wings or only reimburses ordinary public treatment. Check maternity, dental and evacuation terms too.
Via employerWho: You
4
Learn how ordinary Chinese outpatient works
Register for a department, see a doctor briefly, then tests and pharmacy in the same building. Fast, inexpensive and conducted in Mandarin — knowing the process means you are not stranded outside international clinic hours.
In personWho: You
5
Book through hospital apps and mini-programs
Guangzhou's major hospitals run on app-based appointments and popular specialists fill days ahead. Sun Yat-sen's hospitals draw patients from across the province, so slots go quickly.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Take mosquito-borne illness seriously in the wet season
Guangzhou has recurrent dengue transmission through the warm wet months, driven by Aedes mosquitoes that breed in standing water around buildings. The municipal health authority runs public campaigns and mosquito indices each season. Use repellent, keep balcony containers empty, and treat a sudden high fever with severe joint pain as a reason to see a doctor rather than wait it out.
In personWho: YouRoughly May–October

Documents you’ll need

Passport and residence permit
Social insurance card, once issued
Private insurance card and policy number
Employment contract
Vaccination and medical history, translated where possible

Things most newcomers don’t know

Guangzhou, not Shenzhen, holds southern China's deepest specialist medicine.

The Sun Yat-sen University affiliated hospitals and Guangzhou Medical University's institutions have a century of accumulated specialist depth that a forty-year-old city cannot match. People travel here from across Guangdong and beyond for oncology, cardiology and rare-disease care. If you live in Shenzhen and need a serious second opinion, this is where you come — the high-speed train makes it a half-day trip.

Source: community-reported

Dengue is a real seasonal risk here in a way it is not in Beijing or Shanghai.

Guangzhou's subtropical climate supports Aedes mosquito populations through a long warm wet season, and the city has recurrent dengue transmission with periodic larger outbreaks. The municipal health authority monitors mosquito density and runs clearance campaigns. The practical steps are unglamorous — repellent, no standing water on your balcony, screens on windows — and the reason to take them seriously is that dengue is genuinely unpleasant and there is no specific treatment.

Source: Guangzhou municipal health authority

Social insurance for foreigners is mandatory nationally and enforced unevenly by city.

The 2011 Interim Measures require enrolment across all five funds, but implementation was devolved and the practical result differs city by city — Shanghai ran a voluntary regime until 2021 and enforcement in smaller cities remains patchy. If you are comparing offers across Chinese cities, the payslip deduction for the same nominal salary may not be the same. Ask payroll directly rather than inferring.

Source: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security

The international wing and the ordinary department are often the same doctors.

Guangzhou's major teaching hospitals run international or VIP outpatient services with English support, appointments and short waits, staffed by the same senior physicians who see the ordinary queue at a fraction of the price. If you are self-funding, the ordinary department with a Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking friend gets you to the same clinician. If your employer's policy covers the international wing, use it.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating social insurance as optional for foreign employees.
Ignoring mosquito control through the wet season.
Finding out at the hospital desk that your policy excludes the international wing.
Turning up at a Sun Yat-sen hospital without an app appointment.
Leaving China without starting the pension refund while you still have a local account.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.