Lost Your Personnel File (Dang'an) in China While Abroad? Tracing, Rebuilding and Retirement

The short answer: trace where the file is first, apply to rebuild it only if it is truly lost — and start early

If you are living in the Philippines and discover that your personnel file (dang'an) back in China cannot be found, or you are told it has become a "dead file", do not panic. The first step is to have a relative in China trace the file station by station along your study and work history. Only if it genuinely cannot be found, or is confirmed lost, do you apply to rebuild it. The longer you wait, the harder it gets, because the employers, schools and staff who can confirm your history slowly disappear.

The file sits unused for years and then suddenly matters, usually urgently: processing retirement, recognising years of service and deemed contribution years, applying for civil service or state-sector jobs, professional title reviews, background checks, or certain certificates. For people who have lived abroad for many years, the file is often still with an old employer, a talent service centre, a street office or a school — and when an employer is restructured or closed, files easily go missing.

A "dead file" is an informal term for a file that has gone unmanaged for a long time and was never transferred or updated as required. It does not mean your history has disappeared; it means the file needs to be reactivated, completed and moved to a suitable custodian. Exactly how depends on the local human resources and social security bureau and the custodian, so treat their answer as final. The file review step in retirement is covered in retirement procedures while abroad; this page is only about a file you cannot find or must rebuild.

None of this requires you to drop everything and fly home. Most of the early work can be done from the Philippines through a trusted relative.

Where the file might be: follow your history backwards

Personnel files follow people through school and work. Start from your last stop and work back:

• Your last state-owned enterprise, public institution or government employer. These usually keep files themselves. If the employer was restructured, merged or closed, the file usually went to its supervising body or the local talent service centre.
• A talent service centre or employment agency. If you worked for a private company, freelanced or resigned, the file was often deposited with the local talent exchange centre or public employment service.
• The street or community labour office where your household is registered. Some areas keep files for people without an employer there.
• Your university, or the graduate employment office of your home region. If you never reported to an employer after graduating, the file may still be at the school or may have been sent back to your home region.
• Whatever office handled your departure. Some people arranged file storage before going abroad; old paperwork from that time can point the way.

When enquiring, your relative should carry a copy of your ID, the authorisation, and the employer names and years you can remember, and call or visit each office in turn. Many local bureaus also offer online lookups of where a file is held, which is worth trying first. Ask for written or screenshot confirmation of each answer, and note the officer's name and the date.

Be patient. It is common for the first two or three offices to say the file is not with them; each answer still narrows the search.

Keep a simple log of every call: office, date, who answered and what they said.

What to do now: this week and this month

1. Today. Write down your full history: school and graduation year, every employer with start and end dates, any talent centre that held your file, and your household registration. This is the map your relative will follow.
2. This week. Choose a trusted relative in China and work through the history together, starting from the last stop, recording each office's answer. Check that your national ID card is still valid, since many counters cannot help if it has expired; see if your Chinese ID expires abroad.
3. This week. Prepare an authorisation in the Philippines. Searching for, transferring or rebuilding your own file often requires you in person or a notarised and authenticated authorisation. How to do that is in authorising relatives in China from the Philippines.
4. This month. If the file is found, check it is complete (school records, hiring or appointment papers, salary and position changes, social insurance records) and move it to a suitable custodian if needed. If it cannot be found, ask the bureau where your household is registered, or where you last worked, about the procedure and documents for rebuilding a file.
5. In parallel. Gather everything that proves your history: diplomas, degree certificates, employment contracts, payslips, social insurance records, employer letters, old work IDs. Keep originals safe and send scans to your relative first.

Be wary of agents who claim they can "fix" a file through inside contacts for a fee. Forging personnel file material is illegal; if discovered, the file can be voided and your retirement benefits and other rights affected.

Agree with your relative how often you will check in, so the search keeps moving.

If the file really is lost: what rebuilding involves

Where several offices confirm the file is lost, you can usually apply to rebuild it. Which office accepts the application, what documents it wants and how much can be restored vary by locality, so follow the local bureau and custodian. Typically it involves:

• Education records: diplomas and degree certificates, or a school-issued certificate of enrolment and a copy of the graduate registration form. School archives usually keep student records.
• Employment records: letters from former employers, hiring or transfer papers, employment contracts, proof of salary and position changes. If an employer no longer exists, approach its supervising body or the organisation that absorbed it.
• Social insurance records: contribution history from the social insurance office is strong supporting evidence of work history. For gaps, see social insurance gaps while abroad.
• Your own statement and ID: a written explanation (when you left, where the file was last, how it was lost), plus your ID card and household register.

Whether a rebuilt file will be accepted for a particular purpose — years of service, deemed contribution years, professional titles — has to be confirmed separately with the office responsible for that purpose. The sooner you start, the more likely old employers and schools still hold records and can find someone who remembers you.

Keep a copy of everything you submit, with a dated receipt, so you can show what was provided if the file is questioned later.

If an old employer refuses to issue a letter because nobody remembers you, ask whether former colleagues can sign a statement of your employment, and whether the employer's own payroll or personnel archives still hold your name. Small pieces of evidence add up.

What a missing file affects: retirement, service years and certificates

Retirement and pensions. For people with deemed contribution years or special job categories, the file is the key evidence for recognising those years. Missing records can mean some years are not recognised, which affects benefits. If you are near retirement age, put the file search first. Pension eligibility verification is covered in pension eligibility checks from abroad.

Jobs and exams. Returning to government, public institutions or state enterprises, sitting civil service exams or applying for professional titles usually involves pulling your file.

Certificates. Some certificates of employment, separation or education rely on what the file records.

What it does not affect. Your Philippine visa, work permit and daily life are generally unrelated to your personnel file in China. Do not panic, and do not trust calls urging you to pay quickly to "fix" a file problem — scams impersonating Chinese government offices happen. Hang up and verify through official channels.

The basic principle: the file is evidence of your history. If it is lost it can usually be rebuilt, but that gets harder every year. Even if you have no immediate need, it is worth spending a weekend writing out your history and having a relative make a few calls.

If you are still a decade or more from retirement, the practical priority is simply to know where the file is and to make sure it is held by a proper custodian. If you are within a few years of retirement, treat the file as urgent and combine the search with the other preparations described in the retirement guide, so one trip home, if needed, covers everything.

What Yixing can and cannot do

Yixing is in the Philippines, so we help with the overseas side: notarising and authenticating your authorisation and written statement here, organising and scanning your education, employment and social insurance documents, couriering papers to China with tracking, and, if you need to go back in person, helping plan the trip and keep your Philippine visa in order.

What we do not do: Yixing is a consultancy registered in the Philippines. We do not handle personnel files, social insurance or retirement matters inside China, we do not deal with Chinese file custodians on your behalf, and we cannot promise a file will be found or successfully rebuilt. For procedures in China, the local human resources and social security bureau and the file custodian have the final word.

A typical case for us is short and practical: you tell us what your relative needs, we prepare the authorisation and statement for notarisation and authentication, check them against the receiving office's requirements, and send them with tracking. If more documents are requested later, we repeat the process quickly because your file is already organised.

Yixing is a private consultancy registered with the SEC (CS202009551), holding Bureau of Immigration accreditation (BI Accreditation No. CA-202624381-1, valid until 2027-06-30) and DOLE and PRA accreditation. We are not a government office.

For authorisations and authentication in the Philippines, contact us through our settling-in services.

If a request from China arrives at short notice, tell us the deadline straight away so we can plan notarisation around it. We will also tell you honestly if a request looks like something only you can do in person in China.