Q: I am a foreign national. My employment relationship with my employer has ended, and I will be leaving China. What documents are required to terminate my individual account under the basic pension insurance?

A: Under the relevant national regulations, if a foreign national leaves China before reaching the statutory retirement age, their individual social insurance account will be retained.

Should they return to China for employment, their contribution periods will be counted cumulatively. Alternatively, they may submit a written application to terminate their social insurance relationship and receive the balance in their individual social insurance account in a lump sum.

The employer should submit the application on the individual's behalf to the branch of the Shanghai Municipal Administration Center for Social Insurance Affairs responsible for the employer's social insurance registration.

For the required application materials, refer to the service guide for terminating an individual account under the basic pension insurance for enterprise employees on the Government Online-Offline Shanghai platform.

You may also find the following Q&A on withdrawing social security contributions:

How can I withdraw social security contributions?

Source: Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security