Suzhou new all-purpose card ready for foreigners

Chinese citizens and expats working in Suzhou can apply for the new Jiangsu Social Security Card. [Photo/WeChat account: suzhoufabu365]

Both Chinese citizens and expatriates working in Suzhou can now apply for the Jiangsu Social Security Card, also known as the Suzhou All-purpose Card, which was launched on May 20, local media outlets reported.

Issued by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the card can be used for identity verification, information recording, self-service inquiries, medical expense settlement, financial payments, and public transportation.

It is an improvement over the former Suzhou Social Security and Citizen Card and can be easily scanned by imply tapping a card reader. The card allows people to seek medical services in other cities in Jiangsu province and can also be used as a city bus pass and an annual pass to Suzhou's classical gardens.

Both Chinese citizens and expats working in Suzhou can apply for the card by paying a fee for first-time application or upgrading for free.

Expats should present their passports or foreign residence permits, while Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents should take their mainland travel permits or residence permits to designated branches of Bank of Suzhou, Agricultural Bank of China, and Suzhou Rural Commercial Bank to obtain the card.

It usually takes 30 days to receive the card, but under special circumstances, it can be shortened to five workdays or even instantaneously.

For more information, please dial 12333.