(Issued on August 12, 2009 in accordance with Decree No. 20 of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality, amended for the first time on September 30, 2015 in accordance with Decree No. 132 of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality and amended for the second time on December 24, 2021 in accordance with Decree No. 185 of the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality)

　　Chapter I General Provisions

　　Article 1 In order to standardize the use and management of social security cards in this Municipality, safeguard the legal rights and interests of cardholders and improve governments’ social management and public service levels, these Measures are developed in accordance with the Social Insurance Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws and regulations and on the basis of the actual conditions of this Municipality.

　　Article 2 The term “social security card” herein refers to an identity certificate for the cardholder to enjoy social security and other public service benefits according to law, which is issued to the public and has the functions of information recording, information inquiry, medical expense settlement, payment of fees, welfare collection and financial services.

　　Article 3 These Measures shall apply to the application, production, distribution, use and related services and management activities of social security cards within the administrative area of this Municipality.

　　Article 4 Social security cards shall be issued to persons with household registration in this Municipality and persons without household registration in this Municipality but enjoy social security services and other public services in this Municipality according to law.

　　Article 5 Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau shall be responsible for coordinating the issuance management, supervision and coordinated application of social security cards in the whole city, and organize the implementation of these Measures.

　　Social security card issuing agencies shall be responsible for the planning, construction and maintenance of the social security card information system, as well as the application acceptance, production, distribution, application and promotion of social security cards, and related services and management.

　　All district and town people’s governments and sub-district offices shall cooperate in the application, popularization and service of social security cards.

　　Social security card application agencies shall apply social security cards according to law when providing public services, and fulfill their respective responsibilities in the services and management related to social security cards.

　　Article 6Social security card issuing banks shall provide such services as application, activation, loss registration, loss deregistration, card reissue, card replacement, card cancellation, application locking and unlocking, application status inquiry, password modification and reset and information change in accordance with relevant social security card management regulations and workflow.

　　Social security card issuing banks shall be determined by Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau according to relevant regulations and announced to the public.

　　Chapter II Application and Use

　　Article 7 Applicants may apply for social security cards on the network service platform or at the outlets of social security card issuing banks with their valid identity documents.

　　Article 8 Employers are encouraged to inform the insured to apply for social security cards in time to enjoy social security services and other public services when registering social insurance for their employees.

　　Social security card issuing banks are encouraged to provide such door-to-door services as social security card application for elderly people with mobility difficulties and people with disabilities.

　　Article 9 When applying for a social security card, the applicant shall provide his/her valid identity document, photo, occupation, mobile phone number, mailing address and other information, and determine the social security card issuing bank.

　　Social security card issuing agencies shall not require applicants to repeatedly provide those effective information available on the government information sharing platform.

　　Applicants may choose their own social security card issuing banks from the list of social security card issuing banks published by Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

　　Article 10 If an applicant applies for a social security card for the first time, the relevant social security card issuing agency shall issue the social security card to the eligible applicant within 12 working days after accepting the application.

　　If the applicant is in urgent need of a social security card, he/she may apply for the social security card at the instant card making outlet of the social security card issuing bank with his/her valid identity document.

　　Article 11 The production and application of social security cards shall conform to national and local standards and technical norms.

　　Article 12 Applicants may choose to receive the social security cardsat the outlets of the social security card issuing banks or through express service.

　　Article 13 The settlement accounts of social security cards include personal accounts of medical insurance and financial accounts.

　　Personal accounts of medical insurance may be used for such social insurance applicationsas settlement of medical expenses and transfer of social medical insurance funds.

　　Financial accounts, as RMB debit application, may be used for such financial applications as payment of social insurance premiums, collection of social security benefits, reimbursement and return of medical insurance expenses after non-real-time settlement, cash deposit and transfer, etc.

　　Article 14 Social security card application agencies shall promote the application of social security cards in providing their public services, and gradually promote the public service “all-purpose card” with social security cards as the carrier.

　　The application functions of social security cards in smart city services, social convenience services and other areas of people’s livelihood are encouraged to develop, so as to promote cross-field and cross-industry integrated applications.

　　Article 15Social security card application agencies shall provide the information related to social security cards collected and updated ex officio to the social security card issuing agencies free of charge in a timely, accurate and complete way according to law, and share such information among the social security card application agencies.

　　Article 16Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, social security card issuing agencies, social security card application agencies, social security card issuing banks and their staff shall protect the personal information of cardholders and ensure the safe use of social security cards by technical means and management measures. The personal information of cardholders obtained at work shall be used ex officio according to law, and shall not be disclosed or illegally inquired or used.

　　Article 17 The personal information recorded in the social security card includes visual reading information and machine-readable information.

　　The visual reading information of social security card includes such basic information as card number, cardholder’s name, social security number and personal photo.

　　The machine-readable information of social security card includes the basic information of the cardholder and the relevant management and application information of the cardholder in various application fields of the social security card.

　　Article 18 Social security card issuing agencies shall announce the service items, scope and method of use of social security cards in service places or websites, and provide service guidelines free of charge.

　　Social security card application agencies shall take the initiative to announce the specific items of available public services with the social security cards, application conditions, basic procedures, handling time limit and other information in the service place or website, so as to facilitate cardholders to enjoy public service benefits.

　　Article 19 A social security card is only used by its cardholder. Cardholders shall properly keep their social security cards and passwords to prevent cards from being fraudulently used or stolen.

　　Article 20 Cardholders may inquire about the card information and application information of their social security cards. Social security card issuing agencies and social security card application agencies shall provide inquiry services to cardholders in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations and rules on government information disclosure.

　　If a cardholder believes that the information records inquired are inaccurate, he/she may apply to the social security card issuing agency or the social security card application agency for correction in accordance with the relevant laws, regulations and rules on government information disclosure.

　　Chapter III Loss Registration and Replacement

　　Article 21 If a cardholder loses his/her social security card, he/she may go through the loss registration formalities through the online service platform, the government service hotline or the bank’s customer service hotline or an outlet of the social security card issuing bank with his/her valid identity document. After loss registration, the settlement account of the social security card will be suspended according to law.

　　Article 22 If a cardholder retrieves his/her social security card after going through the loss registration formalities but before going through the card replacement application formalities, he/she may go through the loss deregistration formalities at an outlet of the social security card issuing bank with his/her valid identity document. After loss deregistration, the social security card will resume normal use.

　　Article 23 If a cardholder loses his/her social security card, he/she may apply for a new card through the online service platform or at an outlet of the social security card issuing bank with his/her valid identity document.

　　Article 24 Under any of the following circumstances, the cardholder may apply for renewal of the social security card:

　　(1) The social security card is defaced rendering the scans unrecognizable, or the card chip is damaged and make the card cannot be read on the cardreader;

　　(2) The cardholder’s name, ID number, nationality or any other basic personal information is changed according to law;

　　(3) The cardholder shifts to another social security card issuing bank.

　　If a cardholder requests to shift to anothersocial security card issuing bank, the relevant social security card issuing agency and the original social security card issuing bank shall give support.

　　Article 25 If a cardholder applies for reissue or replacement of a social security card, the social security card issuing agency shall issue a new card to the eligible applicant within 12 working days after accepting the application.

　　If a cardholder is in urgent need of a social security card, he/she may apply for the card reissue or replacement at the instant card making outlet of the social security card issuing bank with his/her valid identity document.

　　Article 26 If a cardholder’s household registration is canceled by the public security organ due to death or if he/she shall not continue to enjoy the social security or other public service benefits in this Municipality according to law, the social security card issuing agency shall cancel that cardholder’s social security card, and the social security card application agency shall stop the use of his/her social security card.

　　Article 27 An applicant shall pay the cost of a social security card according to law. If any of the following conditions is met, the cost of a social security card shall be exempted:

　　(1) Those who apply for social security cards for the first time;

　　(2) Those who replace social security cardsthat cannot be used due to quality problems within 1 year after receiving the cards.

　　The cost of a social security card shall be determined in accordance with the relevant provisions of the price authority and the finance authority.

　　Article 28 During the period when a cardholder replaces or regains a social security card, the social security card application agency shall take effective measures to ensure the basic needs of the cardholder for relevant public service benefits can be met.

　　Article 29 If a natural person, a legal person or an unincorporated organization believes that Guangzhou Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau orany social security card issuing agency, any social security card application agency or any social security card issuing bank and its staff have violated laws and regulations during the issuance or application of a social security card, it/he/shemay complain and report to the higher authorities or by dialing thegovernment service hotline. The authorities that have received complaints or reports shall investigate and handle them according to law.

　　Chapter IV Legal Liability

　　Article 30 If the relevant authorities and their staff violate the provisions of these Measures and fail to perform their duties according to law, the competent authorities shall order them to make corrections, and punishments shall be given to persons in charge and persons directly responsible, and whereas the case constitutes a crime, criminal responsibilities shall be affixed.

　　Article 31 If the relevant authorities, enterprises or public institutions and their staff cause any economic loss to cardholders or other interested parties in the issuance and management of social security cards, they shall make compensation according to law.

　　Article 32 Whoever falsely claims, uses or embezzles other people’s social security cards shall be investigated for legal liability by relevant authorities according to law.

　　Whoever forges, alters, buys or sells social security cards or uses, buys or sells forged/altered social security cards shall be dealt with by the public security organ in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Punishments in Public Order and Security Management. If a crime is constituted, the offender shall be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law.

　　Chapter V Supplementary Provisions

　　Article 33The term “social security card application agency”herein refers to anagency that applies social security cards to provide public services in the field of human resources and social security, medical security, finance, civil affairs, public health, education, public security, judicial administration, housing and urban-rural development, agriculture and rural areas, transportation, culture, radio, television, tourism, sports, forestry and landscaping, protection for the disabled, decommissioned military personnel or provident fund management.

　　The term “cardholder” refers to the natural person corresponding to the information recorded on a social security card.

　　Article 34 Upon implementation of these Measures, the municipal government sectors and the district people’s governments shall no longer issue other identity certificates for natural persons to enjoy social security or other public service benefits. For those identity certificates having been issued, the incremental issuance shall be stopped, and such identity certificates shall be gradually integrated into the social security card system. Any special provision in laws, regulations and rules shall prevail.

　　Article 35Electronic social security cards have the same effect as physical social security cards.

　　Article 36 These Measures shall come into force on February 1, 2022.