Beijing launches point-based hukou system

Non-Beijingers will be able to apply for registration as permanent urban residents of China's national capital under the city's new point-based household registration system to open on Monday.

The much-coveted Beijing urban status is a crucial document entitling residents to social welfare. Many Chinese living outside Beijing are eager to apply for Beijing hukou, or household registration status.

Under the new policy, non-natives of the city under the legal retirement age who have held a Beijing temporary residence permit with the city's social insurance records for seven consecutive years and are without a criminal record are eligible to accumulate points for the hukou.

Those with good employment, stable homes in Beijing, strong educational background, and achievements in innovation and establishing start-ups in Beijing are likely to obtain high scores in the point-based competition for the city's hukou.

By the end of 2017, the number of people holding Beijing hukou reached 13.59 million, while the city's permanent population totaled 21.7 million in the same period.

The municipal government said the point-based household registration system will be open for applications between April 16 and June 14. After the time limit, the system will be closed, and applicants' files will be audited.

The city government said on Wednesday that it will announce this year's quota for new hukou holders after September 5. The quota is to be decided based on the city's population capacity. The winners' names, occupations and scores will be announced for public supervision in the fourth quarter.

Point-based hukou registration has been piloted in a number of big Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Xi'an, which are hot destinations for job-seekers. The system has proved to be fair and effective in satisfying the demand for personnel flow while limiting rapid growth in the permanent population.