LeavingLeaving
Leaving Shanghai
The deposit comes back on the dated photographs you took the day you moved in — not on what anyone says the day you leave. We do not hold your money.
Without dated move-in photographs, the negotiation starts weak. Same room numbers, original files, not a WeChat compression.
Four to six weeks out
- 01
Give written notice to the landlord or operator — the notice period in the contract, not a chat message.
- 02
Pre-inspect: photograph the same rooms again, with the same numbering as move-in. List what to repair and what to clean.
- 03
Book the international mover. Santa Fe and Crown publish Shanghai pages. Pets and utility closures are only in the written quote.
- 04
Book the furniture-rental collection. Damage terms are a separate contract from the lease.
- 05
School last day and the last school-bus day. German, French, Japanese and Korean years are not the same calendar as your ticket.
Two weeks out
- 01
Repairs, cleaning, walls, garden (villas). Keep the receipts.
- 02
Ayi’s last wage, year-end payment, and live-in checkout.
- 03
Broadband, TV, water, electricity, gas, the property-repair fund window — closures need your passport and the contract. Same-day is not a promise.
- 04
Bank: close the account, or leave one card to receive the deposit. Do not wait for a Citibank retail SMS — that retail book has left.
The last days
- 01
Move-out inspection: compare to the dated move-in photos, meter readings, keys and fobs signed for in writing.
- 02
Deposit reconciliation: amount, deductions, the path back, how many days. Without move-in photos the negotiation starts weak.
- 03
Police accommodation registration / residence-permit address: a move is a change. The next hotel files itself; the next private flat is still 24 hours.
- 04
SIM: ask the carrier shop that day about closing or transferring a real-name number. A travel eSIM is data only.
Departure tax refund
For visiting parents and a short stay. A work-residence family should not assume they qualify. Rates are not on this page.
- 01
Policy sits with the tax bureau, not with airport desk talk. Shanghai Tax published a multilingual departure-refund guide (PDF, 2025-05-28). Hotline 12366.
- 02
Buy only in a signed refund shop, and take the departure-refund form plus the fapiao at the till. Customs checks the goods at the exit port; the refund in yuan is at the airside desk.
- 03
The scheme is for “overseas visitors” as the guide defines them, including a stay-length test. A family on a work residence permit should not assume they qualify.
- 04
Shop lists live on the Shanghai Tax departure-refund column, not on a Xiaohongshu screenshot. Visiting parents and a short-stay guest are the main users. Day-to-day shopping for an assignee is ordinary VAT, not this path.
Old lane houses: leaks and holes get billed as your damage. Villas: the garden, the garage remote, which gate still has a key. Serviced: the operator’s list; still photograph existing marks. Huacao and Qingpu: the police station, the utility desks and the bank do not fit in one day — keep two.
Rent and deposit go to the counterparty on your contract. We prepare the evidence and sit with you at the inspection. We do not collect the deposit.
Official sources
- Residence / work visa overview (Shanghai.gov.cn English) ↗2026-08-22
- Exit-entry online (English) ↗2026-08-22
- Santa Fe Shanghai ↗2026-08-22
- Crown Relocations Shanghai ↗2026-08-22
- Departure tax refund guide (Shanghai Tax, multilingual PDF) ↗2025-05-28
Live near what you love.
Tell us the lease end date, the school last day, and whether a mover already has a slot.