Your gateway to SZ: Futian's One-stop Service Platform for Foreign Nationals

As the central district of Shenzhen and a key hub for international engagement, Futian is known for its dense expat population, frequent global exchanges, and dynamic foreign trade. To keep pace with its growing international profile, the district is focused on enhancing its foreign affairs services—making them more accessible, accurate, and efficient for a global audience.

Futian District launched a key initiative to accelerate its development into an international urban hub this March. As part of this effort, the district introduced Shenzhen's first district-level One-stop Online Service Platform for Foreign Nationals. The platform includes dedicated sections for government services, living guide, news updates, and recommended apps and mini-programs, offering comprehensive support for the everyday needs of expats living in the city. By streamlining access to essential services and information, the platform plays an important role in helping Shenzhen realize its goal of becoming a modern, globally connected metropolis.

Government services: Fast, paperless, one-stop processing

The platform introduces a new "one-stop, one-time" service model, making it easier for foreign nationals to handle administrative matters. Users can now complete temporary residence registration entirely online. In total, the platform brings together 13 exit and entry services and 553 district-level foreign-related government services, covering processes such as visa extensions, tax subsidies, and foreign business registration—all accessible via online appointment and processing.

All procedures come with clear English-language guides, outlining required documents, step-by-step instructions, service locations, and public transport routes. The result is a streamlined experience that delivers on its promise of "online handling, one offline visit at most."

A screenshot of the platform.

Living guide: Practical essentials for everyday life

The guide section helps foreign residents settle into life in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) with confidence. Whether it's finding top-rated hospitals, exploring local attractions, or understanding transport rules, this section provides 52 curated, scenario-based English guides. Covering everything from healthcare and transportation to shopping and recreation, the guides break down complex local systems into easy-to-understand information, helping expats integrate quickly and comfortably into daily life in Shenzhen.

A screenshot of the platform.

Useful apps: Smart toolbox for digital living

To help newcomers navigate Shenzhen's highly digital environment, the platform features a selection of trusted apps and mini-programs—ranging from multi-currency payment tools and local social media platforms to appointment systems for popular attractions.

All recommended tools are available in multiple languages and adhere to international service standards, helping foreign nationals bridge cultural and technological gaps, embrace a smart lifestyle, and build social connections more easily.

A screenshot of the platform.

News: Real-time window into GBA

The platform also serves as an information hub through its three-channel English news feed, offering real-time updates on what's happening across Futian, Shenzhen, and the GBA.

With just a tap, users can access curated news on latest local news—keeping them in step with regional developments. Since the platform's launch in March, the news section has published over 200 stories, providing foreign residents and overseas followers with a trusted window into the area's growth and transformation.

A screenshot of the platform.

Scan the QR code to access the One-stop Platform for Foreign Nationals.