Service overview: This guide is for foreign domestic workers who want to apply for a residence permit for private affairs (marked "Domestic Service").

Eligible applicants: Domestic workers employed by any of the following: foreign talent holding Foreign Permanent Resident ID Cards; foreign talent holding work-type residence permits; high-level talent from Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan; or foreign nationals serving as legal representatives, general managers, deputy general managers, or chief financial officers of regional headquarters (or headquarters-type organizations) of multinational corporations.

Service category: Residence permit

Service nature: Online appointment

Jurisdiction: Municipal

Application channel: Online appointment and in-person submission

Service platforms: Government Online-Offline Shanghai, Suishenban app

 

Required documents:

• Original valid passport and visa of the applicant;
• A completed Visa/Stay Permit/Residence Permit Application Form; the applicant must personally visit the city's exit-entry administration department to have a photo taken free of charge;
• A health certificate issued within the last six months by an entry-exit inspection and quarantine authority in China. Applicants aged 18 or under, or aged 70 or above, are exempt from this requirement. Applicants renewing an expired residence permit within three months after its expiration are also exempt from this requirement;
• Proof of employer's eligibility (see below);
• The originals and copies of an application letter and employment contract issued by the employer;
• The original of the employer's financial guarantee (a certificate of a frozen bank deposit of 100,000 yuan or more in the Chinese mainland);
• The original proof of personal accident insurance purchased in the Chinese mainland for the employed domestic worker.

For more details about the documents required to apply for a residence permit for private affairs (marked "Domestic Service"), visit the website of the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Employer eligibility and supporting documents

• For foreign talent holding Foreign Permanent Resident ID Cards: the originals and copies of the employer's valid passport, Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, and relevant proof of foreign-talent status. The latter is not required for talent recognized under the recommendation, investment, appointment, or employment categories;
• For foreign talent holding work-type residence permits: the originals and copies of the employer's passport, valid work-type residence permit, and relevant proof of foreign-talent status. The latter is not required if the work-type residence permit is marked "High Qualified Person";
• For high-level talent from Hong Kong, Macao, or Taiwan: the originals and copies of documents proving the employer's eligible status, as specified in the detailed requirements;
• For foreign nationals serving as legal representatives, general managers, deputy general managers, or chief financial officers of regional headquarters (or headquarters-type organizations) of multinational corporations: the originals and copies of documents proving that the applicant's status and purpose of application meet the requirements, as specified in the detailed requirements.

Online appointment

Open the Government Online-Offline Shanghai website, go to the "出入境专栏 Exit-Entry Services" section, then select "外国人居留证件签发 Issuance of Foreigner's Residence Permit".

Select "Residence permit for personal matters (marked 'Domestic Service')".

Select the district (or city) where you want to submit the application.

Fill in your personal information.

Select the service center where you want to submit the application and your appointment time.

You will then receive a notification about your appointment.

Submission

You need to go to the service center to submit your application at the scheduled appointment time.

For office hours and locations, check Shanghai exit-entry bureau locations and business hours.

 

Processing time

Upon submission of all required application materials, the process will be completed within seven working days.

 

Fees

• Residence permit valid for less than one year: 400 yuan;
• Residence permit valid for one year to less than three years: 800 yuan;
• Residence permit valid from three years through five years: 1,000 yuan.

Immigration hotline: 12367

Complaint hotline: 021-12345

 

Updated Aug 21, 2026

Sources: Exit-Entry Administration Corps of Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, National Immigration Administration