Is "Five Star Card" a foreigner's ID card in China? Is its function the same as that of a Chinese resident ID card?

您好，请问“五星卡”是外国人在中国的身份证吗？它的作用和中国居民身份证一样吗？

The "Five Star Card" (the new version of the People's Republic of China Foreigner Permanent Residence Identity Card) is a legal identity document issued by the National Immigration Administration to eligible foreigners who have approved their permanent residence in China.

“五星卡”（新版中华人民共和国外国人永久居留身份证）是国家移民管理局对符合条件的外国人批准其境内永久居留后，为其签发的法定身份证件。

The holder of the "Five Star Card" can use it alone to prove personal identity when handling financial, educational, medical, transportation, accommodation, communication, work, tax and social insurance, property registration, litigation and other affairs. This mainly includes the following aspects: firstly, the holder can enter and exit China multiple times with the "Five Star Card" and a valid passport, without the need for additional visa procedures; Secondly, when taking domestic transportation such as airplanes, trains, and ships, passengers can purchase tickets and board the plane with a "five-star card"; The third option is to stay in domestic hotels and complete the relevant check-in procedures with a five-star card; Fourthly, when handling financial services such as banking, insurance, securities, and futures, as well as social affairs such as communication, taxation, property registration, litigation, etc., the "Five Star Card" can be used as a legal identity certificate; On the basis of fully realizing offline applications, public and government service application software such as the "National Government Service Platform", "Railway 12306", "Traffic Management 12123", and "Personal Income Tax" have included the "Five Star Card" in the recognized types of certificates for use.

“五星卡”的持证人可以在办理金融、教育、医疗、交通、住宿、通信、工作、税收和社会保险、财产登记、诉讼等事务需要证明个人身份时单独使用，主要包括以下几个方面：一是持证人可凭“五星卡”和有效护照多次出入中国国境，无需另外办理签证等手续；二是在国内乘坐飞机、火车、轮船等交通工具，可凭“五星卡”购票、乘车乘机；三是在国内旅馆住宿，可凭“五星卡”办理有关入住手续；四是办理银行、保险、证券和期货等金融业务与通信、税收、财产登记、诉讼等社会事务时，“五星卡”可作为合法身份凭证；五是在全面实现线下应用的基础上，“国家政务服务平台”“铁路12306”“交管12123”“个人所得税”等公共、政务服务应用软件已将“五星卡”纳入认可使用的证件类型。