As the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) enters a new stage with island-wide special customs operations set to begin on December 18, 2025, creating an international and convenient business environment has become central to driving the FTP’s high-quality development. Recently, the Hainan Provincial Tax Service, introduced a bilingual (Chinese/English) tax appointment service interface, offering a seamless, user-friendly experience to foreign nationals living and working in Hainan.

The newly launched bilingual appointment system addresses three common scenarios encountered by foreign nationals:

1. Annual settlement and refund of individual income tax (IIT) for comprehensive income, facilitating foreign nationals’ annual tax declarations and related refund or payment appointments.

2. Application of tax treaty benefits for non-resident taxpayers, enabling foreign taxpayers to book policy consultations to enjoy whatever preferential treatment on dividends, interest, royalties, and related income that they may be entitled to. 

3. Merging IIT accounts after passport number changes for non-resident taxpayers, offering one-on-one appointments to resolve inconsistencies caused by passport updates and avoid disruptions in subsequent tax services.

The bilingual service interface is designed for simplicity and ease of use. After registering your personal information first in person at one of Hainan’s taxpayer service halls, you can log into the “Hainan Tax Ma Shang Ban” (海南税务码上办) WeChat official account. Then, select the “International” button to access the English-language interface. You can make an appointment for any of the three services mentioned above at the taxpayer service halls listed, with standardized language and intuitive tips making navigation easy, even if you don’t know anything about doing taxes in China.

“Once special customs operations commence, more foreign talent and enterprises will come to Hainan. So, we have to make sure we are ready for them,” said Sun Liang, Director of the Taxpayer Service Division of the Hainan Provincial Tax Service. He added that the bureau will also establish a dynamic tracking mechanism for foreign taxpayers’ needs. Through channels such as suggestion boxes in service halls, online surveys and forums with foreign-invested enterprises, the bureau will collect feedback on high-frequency tax service needs and gradually extend bilingual services to more tax-related matters, bringing fresh momentum into building an international business environment in the Hainan FTP by providing high-quality tax services.