New policy makes home buying easier for overseas people with new one-stop service

Shenzhen recently unveiled a streamlined “contact notarization + filing” joint service designed to simplify property transaction for people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as foreign nationals living in the city.

The policy, initiated by the Shenzhen Housing Provident Fund Management Center in coopeartion with the Qianhai Notary Office, cuts multiple agency visits into one single trip and can be combined with property registration for a full one-stop process.

Under the old procedure, buyers first had to upload their sales contract to the Shenzhen Real Estate Information Platform and pass a purchase-qualification check. They then went to a notary office for contract notarization and collected paper documents to file with the housing provident fund center — a process that required visits to at least two departments and carrying numerous physical documents.

The new arrangement lets customers commission the Qianhai Notary Office to both notarize the contract and initiate the online filing with the provident fund center, eliminating the need to prepare and hand in paper files or make a separate trip. The provident fund center has also opened a fast-track channel promising same-day processing and instant filing; once approved, buyers can download the filed contract from the platform at home and proceed with subsequent steps.

The reform cuts the number of handling steps from three to one, and reduces the volume of required materials by 70%. Processing efficiency is expected to improve by 60%, with average processing time shortened from 14 days to 3 days, required documents down from 12 to 4 items, and user satisfaction reportedly reaching 98.6%.

The service is currently being piloted at the Qianhai Notary Office. Authorities plan to evaluate the trial and progressively roll the joint handling service out to notary offices across the city, aiming to extend the convenience to more Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan residents and foreign nationals purchasing property in Shenzhen.