Patients traditionally needed to pay for treatment upfront in full, then seek reimbursement from their insurer back home, creating significant cash flow burdens and administrative complexity. China’s expansion of direct cross-border medical insurance settlement changes this equation fundamentally. Check which country is responsible for your social security, health cover, family allowances, disability or old-age pension when you move to, live or work in another EU or EEA country. In an increasingly mobile world, ensuring the preservation and transferability of so-cial security entitlements, such as pensions and health insurance, across countries, also understood as cross-border portability, has become a critical policy and opera-tional challenge (Holzmann et al., 2005). For patients, families, and the organizations that serve them, understanding this regulatory framework is essential to making informed, legally sound decisions. Social insurance rights guide for foreigners in China. Learn about contributions, benefits, cross-border transfers, and claiming procedures. What happens to my social security contributions if I move to a different EU country? Nothing is lost. All your contribution periods are aggregated under EU coordination rules. When you retire, each country where you contributed pays its proportional share of your pension. This article explains what these contributions cover, the 2026 rates applicable across China, available exemptions under bilateral agreements, consequences of non‑compliance, and what happens when a foreign employee permanently leaves China.