Your First 30 Days at a New Job in China: Foreign Employee Checklist

Keep in mind
Rules and procedures can change. Check the linked official sources before acting on time-sensitive information.

Quick answer

What you need to know

Use the first month to reconcile the signed offer, contract, permit sponsorship, payroll, tax, social-insurance, expense, and performance records before small mismatches become renewal problems.

Confirm that employer, title, location, pay, and sponsorship records match the approved arrangement.
Keep copies of signed documents and ask HR for written timelines for permits, payroll, tax, and social-insurance setup.
Learn approval, security, expense, leave, and communication practices before relying on informal instructions.
Escalate legal, tax, or immigration uncertainty to the responsible authority or qualified professional.

The first month at a new employer is when verbal promises meet operational systems. A simple onboarding file helps you catch mismatched names, pay dates, permit details, and approval processes while the relevant people still remember the arrangement.

This guide is general workplace information, not legal, immigration, or tax advice. Confirm your individual situation with HR, the competent authorities, and qualified advisers.

Week 1: reconcile the core documents

Save the signed offer, employment contract, job description, handbook acknowledgements, confidentiality or intellectual-property terms, and benefit summary. Compare employer legal name, work location, title, duties, compensation, probation, term, leave, notice, and governing language.

Cross-check these details against the work authorization process. Do not assume a group-company transfer, second location, or revised title is covered. The official Guide to Working and Living in China is a useful starting point, while the responsible local authorities decide the case.

First thirty days checklist for a foreign employee in China

Week 1: establish identity consistency

Ask HR which passport name and number will appear in payroll, tax, social insurance, banking, and permit systems. Provide updates through a secure channel and keep a dated record. Avoid creating multiple employee profiles with shortened names.

Review our employment-contract guide and name-consistency guide before signing corrections.

Week 2: map payroll and benefits

Confirm pay date, salary components, bonus conditions, bank-account requirements, payslip access, attendance cutoff, expense reimbursement, and the contact for errors. Ask when tax and social-insurance records should appear and how you can verify them.

Foreign workers’ social-insurance treatment can depend on national rules, local implementation, and applicable agreements. Ask HR for the basis used and verify with the local authority or a professional adviser. Keep enrollment confirmations rather than relying only on a verbal statement.

Week 2: learn the approval system

Identify who approves purchases, travel, overtime, remote work, leave, data access, and external communications. Ask which instructions must be recorded in the company’s official system. The expense-reimbursement guide helps prevent missing invoices and approvals.

Complete security training and use company-managed tools for work data. Do not forward confidential files to a personal account merely because a system is unfamiliar.

Weeks 3–4: make expectations measurable

Schedule a manager check-in. Confirm priorities for 30, 60, and 90 days; how performance is evaluated; who the main stakeholders are; and how decisions are documented. Summarize agreed actions in a short follow-up message.

Record completed training, delivered work, feedback, and changed priorities. This is useful for collaboration and later review, not just disputes. Our performance-review guide offers a lightweight evidence log.

Resolve mismatches without delay

If the first salary, permitted role, employer name, location, or deductions do not match what you understood, ask a precise written question and preserve the response. For significant work-authorization, contract, tax, or payroll concerns, consult the competent authority or qualified adviser before taking action.

First-30-days checklist

I have a complete signed contract and current job description.
Employer, role, location, passport, and permit records are consistent.
I know payroll dates, components, deductions, and error contacts.
HR provided timelines for tax, social insurance, and benefits setup.
I understand leave, expense, security, and approval workflows.
My manager confirmed measurable 30-, 60-, and 90-day priorities.
Important instructions and changes are documented in approved systems.
I know when to ask an authority or professional adviser for help.

Official reference points

Company policy cannot expand immigration permission or replace statutory requirements. Confirm consequential questions with the body responsible for that record.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

When should I receive my employment contract?

You should keep a complete signed copy of the agreement governing your employment. If documents are missing or inconsistent, ask HR promptly and obtain professional advice where needed.

Can I begin a different role while a permit update is pending?

Do not assume approval is automatic. Ask the employer and the competent work-permit and exit-entry authorities to confirm what activity is authorized.

How do I know payroll is correct?

Compare the contract, attendance record, gross pay, deductions, reimbursement, bank deposit, and payslip, then ask payroll to explain discrepancies in writing.

Are all foreign employees treated the same for social insurance?

No. Local implementation and international social-security agreements may affect a case. Ask HR and the local social-insurance authority for the basis applied to you.