ExpatChina services
Services for foreigners in China
Start with the decision you are trying to make. Use the routes below to find a relevant guide, service category, or practical next question.
Search and compare
Find the right kind of help.
State the city, timing, purpose, and outcome you need to understand. Begin with the route that best matches the decision.
Shortlist well
Begin with the decision, not the biggest list of services.
A useful shortlist is small enough to compare properly and specific enough for providers to answer honestly.
Define the question
State the city, timing, purpose, and outcome you need to understand. “Relocation help” is less useful than a focused housing, work, family, or documentation question.
Check relevance
Open the route that most closely matches your question. Where it leads to professional support, confirm directly that the service is current and relevant to your location and circumstances.
Compare responses
Ask the same core questions about scope, communication, timing, fees, documents, and exclusions so replies can be compared fairly.
Protect the enquiry
Do not send identity, financial, health, or family records until you understand why they are needed and who will receive them.
What service routing means
A starting point, not a guarantee.
ExpatChina organises practical guides, service categories, and consultation routes to help you identify the next useful question.
A route does not certify suitability for your circumstances, guarantee availability or results, replace professional due diligence, or confirm that every detail remains current. Contact the relevant provider or official authority before acting.
Confirm the current scope
Separate what is stated from what still needs confirmation.
A service category and contact route can help establish where to begin. They do not confirm availability, support for your exact situation, preferred-language service, or a suitable fee model.
Use the provider’s official website and direct response to confirm current scope. For professional or regulated services, ask about the people who will do the work and any qualifications relevant to the task. Keep a written record of quoted scope and exclusions, especially where several organisations share responsibility.
ExpatChina’s “source checked” information indicates when selected public source data was reviewed. It is not a continuous monitoring promise. Treat dates and contact details as prompts to reconfirm, particularly when the decision is time-sensitive.
Questions to ask
Make the first conversation useful.
- Does your current service cover this specific question and location?
- What work is included, excluded, or handled by another party?
- Who will be my day-to-day contact and in which language?
- What information is needed before you can estimate scope?
- How are fees structured and which external charges may apply?
- What timing is within your control and what depends on someone else?
- How will personal documents be transferred, accessed, and retained?
- What should I verify with an official authority or independent adviser?
Frequently asked questions
Choosing the right service route.
Which category should I start with?
Start with the decision you are trying to make. State the city, timing, purpose, and outcome you need to understand, then choose the route that most closely matches that question.
What if my question crosses more than one category?
Separate the question into the decisions involved. For example, a move may include immigration, employment, housing, tax, or family questions that need different routes and different confirmation.
When is a consultation useful?
Use a consultation when you cannot identify the right route or when several categories depend on one another. Describe the practical decision and ExpatChina may be able to suggest a relevant public guide or service category.
What still needs direct confirmation?
Confirm current requirements, availability, fees, scope, and timing with the relevant provider or official authority before acting. No information route can guarantee an approval, outcome, or provider response.
Need a category?
Not sure which kind of help fits?
Tell us the practical question you are trying to solve. We can help identify a sensible public starting point.
Get a consultation