Guangzhou releases first electronic residence permit in Guangdong

Nansha district in Guangzhou released the first electronic residence permit in Guangdong province on March 5, allowing migrant workers to receive better access to government services.

Residence permits are important for migrant workers in Guangzhou because it gives them access to city employment, public culture and law services, and allows them to apply for driver's licenses and occupational qualification exams.

Miss Su, a resident of Jinzhou village in Nansha, was the first person to receive her e-residence permit, which is an online copy of her physical permit. The electronic permit uses the latest identity authentication system developed by the First Research Institute of Ministry of Public Security.

An applicant shows off her electronic residence permit. [Photo/Nanfang Plus]

According to Wang Jianqing, director of Nansha's migrant worker service bureau, the new electronic permit functions identically to the physical versions and is connected to the databases of local government departments, which means e-residence permit holders can receive government services through their smartphone.

The e-residence permit can be obtained through the Nansha's official WeChat account for migrant worker services and completing a facial recognition procedure. [Photo/www.cnr.cn]

The release of the e-permit is part of Nansha's move to digitalize all identification documents across the district; the service will offer more convenience to migrant workers while also helping to prevent the leak of personal information, said Wang. Wang noted that in addition to issuing electronic identification documents, the bureau is also trying to move more offline government services to online platforms.

In order to obtain an electronic residence permit, applicants first apply at Nansha's official WeChat account for migrant worker services - "南沙区来穗人员服务信息平台" and undergo an online facial recognition procedure. The e-permit will be released to the applicant's virtual card bag on their WeChat accounts.