Stress-free Moving: Guide to Relocating Within China

Stress-free Moving: Guide to Relocating Within China
Apr 19, 2014 By Kate Williams , eChinacities.com

Moving is a stressful undertaking. The situation can be even more stressful when living abroad, especially when dealing with communication barriers. Having recently relocated from the south of China to central China, I would like to impart some of my moving knowledge and experience unto you. By adding your own experience and suggestions in the comments section below, we can better help each other avoid many of the common pitfalls associated with relocating within China  

relocating in China
Photo: www.nipic.com        

Before you leave City A

There are a lot of loose ends that should be tied up before leaving one Chinese city behind and moving on to the next. If you are employed, you’ll obviously want to make sure that you’ve fulfilled all contractual obligations to avoid any undesirable consequences. If your housing was provided by your employer (i.e. their name is on the lease), lucky you. This will mean a lot less time spent dealing with the landlord to finalize outstanding balances, work out any issues, and (hopefully) get your deposit back.

In my situation, I anticipated the ‘moving out’ process to go much more smoothly than it actually did. For some reason my landlord was under the impression that the dim bedroom light was somehow a result of my wrongdoing. She apparently didn’t realize that the fixture’s location on the ceiling made it impossible for me touch, let alone break, and that perhaps the bulb just needed to be replaced. So, we had to engage in a few-day dispute, which culminated in a mere 20 RMB deduction for repairs. Moral of the story, allow extra time for unexpected events when settling up with the landlord.   

From a visa/residency standpoint, you’ll need to look at your personal situation and intentions to make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row. This could cause a fairly significant headache, so again, plan ahead. The Public Security Bureau’s Division of Exit and Entry Administration informed me that when changing cities, your residence permit needs to be canceled in City A before moving, otherwise you’ll need to return to City A later to handle the procedure in person. I’m not sure whether this applies to every situation, but since I would be applying for a new residence permit in City B, it was of significant importance to me. So I canceled my residence permit and applied for a one-month, zero-entry tourist visa in the meantime before applying for a work visa in Hong Kong. If your move means changing jobs, you’ll want to make sure you’ve kept all important paperwork to handle any forthcoming procedures related to your application for a residence permit or foreign expert’s certificate in City B (e.g., a release letter from your former employer).

Some final odds and ends that should be handled before making the final move are all those things that operate on a regional basis in China, one in particular being banking. According to the bank representative I spoke with, some bank accounts are completely inaccessible outside of the city where they were opened, whereas others can be used but are subject to out-of-region service fees. If you’re like me and have no clue what type of account you opened, it might be best to just close up shop in City A and open new accounts in City B. Although the fees might only be a matter of RMB, it’s still a waste of money that will add up over time and can easily be avoided. If you are starting a new job, there’s a good possibility that you will need to open a new account at their bank of choice to receive your salary anyhow.

From City A to City B: The physical move

Moving means discovering hoards of items you never knew you owned. I thought, living in China, I couldn’t possibly accumulate that much stuff. But when I started packing, I was amazing by how my belongings seemingly grew right before my eyes. So the issue turned to transportation and these are the options that I’ve discovered in China:

1) Train or plane
For lighter moves, train or plane is the quickest option, although it’s somewhat cumbersome lugging packages through airports and crowded train stations. Since you’ll be purchasing a ticket regardless, this may be a good way to save money, but it’s not practical for every situation. If you’re traveling on China’s high-speed rail, try to score a seat at the front or rear of the rail car to take advantage of the extra luggage space and ability to keep an eye on your belongings.

2) Freight moving company
Another inexpensive option is to ship your items with a freight moving company. This is the option I chose for my cross-country move and was quite pleased with the service. The price runs around 200 RMB per pallet—my pallet held a combination of ten suitcases and cardboard boxes—but can increase for furniture and other large items, depending on the space they take up. The items are transported by truck and can arrive in a matter of days. It’s not the most delicate of service, so use caution when packing. Also important to note is that you might need to arrange for the items to be delivered to the freight moving company’s location in City A and from the unloading location in City B. This can be easily done by asking around and hiring someone with a van for under 100 RMB. Chinese moving companies are generally nestled together in specific areas of a city; a bit of help from a local friend or colleague should lead you in the right direction.

3) China Rail
The next option is moving your household items by China Rail. This process may be much more complicated as you’ll need to first transport your items by truck to the nearest train station where it can be loaded onto the train and later pick up the items from the train station closest to your destination. You will be charged China Rail’s base moving rate and an additional 40% for taxes and fees. Based on these criteria, the aforementioned option with a freight moving company is probably a better route.

4) Household moving company   
At the top of the price scale is hiring a specialized household moving company. These types of business generally do local moves only, but some provide long-distance service. The charge for this type of move depends on each individual package or piece of furniture that is being moved. In addition, you need to pay, on average, 6 RMB per kilometer traveled. Depending on your budget, their specialized service may or may not justify the price tag. But then again, the service might not be any better than a freight moving company.

After arriving in City B

Once you’ve arrived in City B, first and foremost you need to register with the officials. According to Chinese law, foreigners are required to register their temporary accommodation at the local public security bureau (PSB) within 10 days. The process is quite simple, requiring a photograph, your lease or proof of accommodation and passport. The PSB will provide an official registration certificate, which you’ll need to hold on to for handling residence and foreign expert permit procedures later on. Of course you can’t complete this process without having a residence to register. If your move requires an apartment hunt, beware that different cities operate on different terms when it comes to renting apartments. For example, renting an apartment in City A might require two months deposit and the first month’s rent due at lease signing, while an apartment in City B might require a one-month deposit and six months rent due at lease signing. Your move might result in significant cash outlays from the outset, so you’ll want to make sure you’re financially prepared.

A final item worth noting is your phone’s SIM card. As previously mentioned, a lot of things in China operate on a regional basis and your SIM card is one of them. Several locals warned me of the seriousness of changing my SIM card after moving, so I took their word for it and you might want to too. Whereas incoming calls might be free in your SIM card’s local area, they face roaming rates when received in other cities. The roaming rate can be double the rates charged in your local area. To get the low-down on your particular plan and roaming fees, a call to your cell phone service provider’s hotline will get you the information you need.

Anything else that I forgot to mention? Please provide your comments and moving suggestions below!

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Keywords: Relocating Within China relocated in China Chinese moving company

13 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

pullmanthe11pull

Thank you for a wonderful overview and detailing of Stress-free Moving: Guide to Relocating Within China. Well done. https://www.smithtransport.nz/

Dec 13, 2019 15:18 Report Abuse

scericksonchina

Very useful, thanks, considering a move from Beijing to Shenzhen.

May 19, 2016 17:12 Report Abuse

jimheeren9

i am highly recommend www.shifumover.com as your shanghai mover and relcation company, they are based in Shanghai and they are doing good jobs! I do trust them and everything is well done!! you could try to reach mr.Jackie at his cell ( weichat) 15801708557. nice people and excellent jobs!

Dec 10, 2015 20:29 Report Abuse

jayone76

What is the name of the freight moving company that you used ? I need to move from Henan Province to Jiangsu Province in June

May 18, 2014 13:48 Report Abuse

cocoffee

As I know, there is a storage for people to storage their own belongings called Baibaocang. Flexibility and Professional Moving Service! And the rental is only 100RMB per cbm per month..

Apr 27, 2014 12:46 Report Abuse

anderguy

Glad to see this article. I'm moving from Haikou to Shanghai once my contract ends in late June. Looks like a freight moving company is my best option--I assume they would load the pallet on a ferry? Or put it on a freighter and send it directly to Shanghai? My new job doesn't start until September and I don't need to return until late August. I will be going back to the States in the interim. Would the company that moves my stuff have a place in Shanghai where it could be stored until I get an apartment? Or, are there storage facilities in Shanghai that I could rent for the summer? Any info. folks could be provide would be helpful. Thanks!

Apr 24, 2014 16:08 Report Abuse

andyinshenyang

Don't forget you'll also have to open a new bank account in your new city because, like the SIM cards, they are linked to your location. It'll cost you a small fortune to take out money otherwise. You should either close down your old account before you go and carry the money with you (risky) or, if you have access, to internet banking, open an account with the same bank in your new city and transfer it over.

Apr 19, 2014 10:37 Report Abuse

mike168229

Hah!

Apr 19, 2014 12:54 Report Abuse

Rosh

I am looking for a moving company from Xiamen-Shanghai. Anybody knows a company please send me a message. Thank you!

Apr 17, 2013 22:21 Report Abuse

SwedKiwi1

When I moved from Wuhan to Huizhou myself, I just used the China Postal option. Simply get your stuff over to a China Post office and they will pack and weigh it for you and then charge accordingly. This was relatively smooth for me but you have to make sure to protect sensitive items.

Apr 16, 2013 09:55 Report Abuse

Nessquick

We have moved 2 years ago to Shanghai from Yiwu, fully loaded truck about 20cbm, about 2500rmb, from house to house, include loading/unloading. We was in the driver cabin, so always together with stuff.

Apr 16, 2013 09:31 Report Abuse