Moving & paperwork

How do you complete the foreigner medical exam in China in 2026?

Updated 2026-08-09·China answers

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Summary

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The foreigner medical exam is a filing attachment for China’s work and residence chain, not a casual checkup at any neighbourhood clinic. Your employer or Exit-Entry checklist names the approved centre. DIY hospital printouts from the wrong facility often bounce: Get a work permit.

Where do you book, and what happens on the day?

Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and other cities maintain designated international travel healthcare centres or Entry-Exit inspection and quarantine-linked hospitals for foreigner physical examinations. HR usually shares the current address, WeChat booking mini-program, and fee band in yuan. Bring your passport, photos to the size the centre lists, and any prior vaccination records you want recorded.

Expect height and weight checks, vision and blood pressure, chest imaging, blood and urine tests, and interviews about medical history. Some slots require fasting. Results may take several working days. Collect the sealed report yourself or through the channel the centre allows; do not open a sealed packet if the receiving bureau wants it intact.

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How does the report fit the wider permit timeline?

For first-time work permits, the exam often sits beside degree authentication and the no-criminal-record certificate in the Notification Letter pack, or it is completed after arrival when the city prefers a local report. Residence permit and renewal windows can also ask for a recent exam when local rules require it: Apply for a residence permit and Renew a residence permit.

Overseas medical reports sometimes work if they meet form, language, and authentication rules your local foreigners-working bureau publishes. Confirm before you skip the Chinese booking. Positive findings do not always end a case; some conditions need treatment proof or follow-up letters. Keep copies for insurance files: Choose health insurance. Fold the appointment into the settling checklist: Paperwork after moving.

Common misconceptions

Assuming any private hospital physical equals an Entry-Exit accepted report fails. Designation matters.

Assuming the exam replaces social medical insurance enrolment also fails. They are different systems: Enrol public health.

Summary

Book a designated foreigner medical exam centre named by your employer or Exit-Entry checklist, follow fasting and photo rules, and deliver the sealed report into the work-permit or residence file on time. Confirm whether an overseas report is acceptable before you skip the local slot.

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