We Just Got Our First Closeup of the New China Work Permit

We just got our first look at the new foreign work permits that now replace the brown books that all of us laowai previously required to call ourselves street legal in China.

The flashy new permits are printed on perforated sheets of A4 paper, unlaminated, and we've been told by the Labor Bureau not to punch the cards out to make them easily stored in a wallet (we think perhaps the new system, which was put in place December 1, still has some kinks in it.)

So what's new?

In the top right-hand corner of the page is the recipient's all-important grade, as determined by the almighty powers that be. Oh wait, maybe you forgot: the government announced back in September that we're now all to be ranked as an A, B or C expat under the new work permit system.

If just the idea of such gives you flashbacks to high school, shaking in your little booties, you're not alone. You might want to take our handy quiz here to see how you score and to avoid any nasty surprises down the road.

We're now also each given an 18-digit ID, which is the same number of digits as Chinese IDs, but apparently does not follow the standard encoding of the Chinese version (in which the first few digits are geographic, the middle portion is date of birth, and the last digits some random numbers).

We're haven't tested it yet, but we're hoping the new ID numbers will now allow us to use the various and sundry services that require a proper Chinese ID number (such as Uber, Taobao, ordering tickets via online ticketing systems, and shopping overseas and having goods shipped into China via amazon.com, which has required a Chinese ID since mid-year).

There's also a QR code on the front of the card, which we initially thought might lead to some juicy personal details or link to our WeChat account, but as is merely links the riveting homepage of the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs. We suppose eventually we'll be able to poke in our 18-digit ID number and get our official employment record or something, but as of writing our HR department was unable to do so.

Somewhat shockingly, the unlaminated nature of the ID card makes it look easy for some freak to tear off your photo and replace it with their own, making us more than a little nervous about what sort of malfeasance could be achieved with the new IDs if they were to find their way into the wrong hands.

RELATED: Find Your Expat Ranking With Our Work Permit Scoring System Quiz

Also, it should be noted that not everyone is going to get the IDs right away – only those that are applying for a new job or taking a position for the first time in China will receive a card; the rest of us who are merely renewing already existing permits will eventually be brought into the system over the course of the next year.

Given that this new system is still a work in progress; we'd love to hear your experiences with it and if our one example differs from your own in any significant way.

Images: Michael Wester