Guides · Residence permits

Get a Chinese SIM Card: What to Bring

The order of steps for a foreigner buying a Chinese SIM card, what gets checked at the counter, and what to do before you leave.

one sim card · Checked · For visitors, people relocating

No published figure yet. The authority does not publish this cost in a form we could verify and quote, so this guide covers the procedure only: what to bring, in what order, and where it goes wrong. We will add the figures the moment there is a source for them.

In order

  1. Check your passport is valid — The carrier registers the number against your passport, so confirm the document and your visa or permit status before you go.
  2. Choose a carrier — Ask locally which of China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom works where you will live.
  3. Find a shop that handles foreign passports — Ask your hotel or school which nearby branch registers foreign documents.
  4. Bring your passport, phone and payment — Have an unlocked phone and a way to pay for the card and first top-up.
  5. Register at the counter — Give your passport and local address, and check the form before you sign.
  6. Confirm the plan — Ask for the monthly fee, data allowance and whether calls and texts are included, and have it written down.
  7. Test the card in the shop — Make a call, send a text and open a web page before you leave the counter.
  8. Ask how to top up and keep the number active — Write down the top-up method and the carrier's rule for keeping the number alive.

A Chinese phone number is the key to most things here: apps, delivery, banking, bookings. You buy it in person at a carrier shop, and the counter staff check your identity before they hand over the card. This is the order to do it in, and what to have ready.

Before you go to the shop

Your passport is the document the carrier uses to register the number. Check that it is valid and that the name and number match what you will write on the form. If your stay depends on a visa or residence permit, check its expiry before you start, because the registration is tied to your status. Decide which carrier you want before you queue. The three main carriers are China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom. Coverage and shop locations differ, so ask people where you will live which one works there. You can also ask at your hotel or school which shop nearby handles foreign passports. Bring a way to pay. The shop will want payment for the card and the first top-up, and cash or a Chinese payment app both work at most counters. Have your phone with you, unlocked, so the staff can insert the card and test it.

At the counter

Tell the staff you want a SIM card for a foreign passport. They will ask for the passport and may ask for a local address and a contact number. Write the address of where you are staying, not a future address you have not moved into yet. The staff will register your passport details against the number. This is a legal requirement for every SIM card in China, and it is why you cannot simply buy one anonymously. Check that the name and passport number on the form are correct before you sign. Ask which plan you are buying and what it includes. The staff should tell you the monthly fee, the data allowance and whether calls and texts are included. If you do not understand, ask them to write it down. Do not leave the counter without knowing what you are paying for.

Test the card before you leave

Put the card in your phone while you are still at the counter. Make a call, send a text and open a web page. If something does not work, the staff can fix it there rather than you coming back. Check that your phone accepts the card. Some phones bought outside China need the carrier settings changed, and the staff can do this. Ask them to confirm the number is active and that you can receive calls from another phone. Ask how to top up. Most carriers have an app or a short code, and the staff can show you. Write down the top-up method and the customer service number before you leave.

After you have the number

Use the number to register for the apps you need. Many services send a verification code by text, so keep the card in the phone until those accounts are set up. If you change phones, move the card and test that codes still arrive. Keep the card active. If the number is not used or topped up, the carrier can suspend it, and you may lose the number and the accounts tied to it. Ask at the counter what the carrier’s rule is for keeping the number alive, and follow it. If you leave China and plan to return, ask the carrier what happens to the number while you are away. Do this before you go, not after, because reactivating a lapsed number is harder than keeping it.

Confirm before you act

Fees and processing times change. This page was checked on 2026-10-31; confirm the current rule with the authority named in each source above before you rely on a deadline.

Last checked 2026-10-31, next review 2027-04-29. Every figure above names its source and the date it was read. This page is a guide, not legal, tax or immigration advice — confirm with the authority before acting on a deadline.

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