How easy is it for foreign visitors to navigate Chinese society as of 2023?

In recent years, China’s rapid growth meant that many services were made available to users with a Chinese Resident Identity Card (shenfenzheng), but not to foreigners. This is because of Chinese regulations. The Chinese government is strict about preventing crime and binds all social services to one’s identity. Consequently, in China, all phone numbers, bank accounts, WeChat accounts, etc. are tied to a person’s identity.

In fact, most Chinese people only carry two things with them: their smartphone and their Resident Identity Card. With just those two in hand, they can do anything they want in daily life.

This can make life particularly difficult for foreign visitors. A few years ago, when technology was proliferating and nascent regulations came into play, tech companies in China struggled to adapt their products for foreigners, most likely due to the increased regulatory overhead (and the fact that the most important customers were Chinese residents themselves, not foreign visitors). Consequently, foreigners were severely constrained and cut off from many online services as recently as 2019. Thankfully, after China fully reopened to foreigners in March 2023, this is no longer a concern. In this article, we’ll go over what’s possible for foreign visitors to do and what’s not possible.

Registering with the local police

If you are staying at a licensed hotel, there is no need to do this. The hotel will do it for you with the identity document you provided at check-in. (If the hotel asks you for your passport, you must hand it to them in order to get your room keys; no exceptions.)

If you are staying at a private residence, the person hosting you needs to fill out a form with the local police (Public Security Bureau). Most cities offer this form online now, and no longer allow people to fill it out in-person. It’s best to check to see if the municipal/prefecture government offers a WeChat mini-app for foreigner registration. The apps tend to be of very good quality these days. Arguably, China has one of the world’s best ecosystem of apps for e-government services.

Payment apps

Status in 2023: usable

Status in 2019: unusable

China has become a largely cash-free society. By largely cash-free, I mean that you will have a hard time using cash even if you have it. Nobody in China carries a wallet with them anymore. And no self-respecting merchant won’t accept cashless payments, unless you are in the countryside.

The good news is, you can now set up both major payment apps on your phone. The two major apps are Alipay and WeChat Pay. Alipay is specifically for payments while WeChat Pay is a feature of the WeChat messaging app (that has become a ubiquitous app for everything in China).

For ease of use, I recommend going with Alipay. It’s just a payment app; WeChat is a messaging app that includes a payment feature as a secondary function. Much like Mastercard and Visa, both Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted in tandem (almost) everywhere.

The setup instructions are pretty simple and similar for both Alipay and WeChat Pay:

1. Download the app.
2. Use your foreign phone number to create your account.
3. You will be asked to confirm your identity. Select identity confirmation through your passport. Fill out the details they request and send a picture of your passport’s picture page when prompted.
4. Wait for your identity to be verified by Alibaba or Tencent. This can be instant or it might take a few minutes to several hours.
5. You may then add credit cards to your account. All transactions will be charged on your credit card. It’s best to add a credit card without foreign transaction fees.

Note that it’s not possible to receive money to be stored in your purse/wallet without a Chinese bank account linked to your account. You can only spend money via your foreign credit card.

Alipay used to have (and still kind of has) a service called Tour Pass. Don’t use it—it’s on its way out. It used to be the only way for foreigners to use Alipay (and I used it in January 2020), but now foreigners are able to link their credit cards directly to the main app. Also, the original Tour Pass has ceased operations.

Rideshares and taxi

Status in 2023: usable

Status in 2019: not really usable

China’s dominant rideshare app is called DiDi. It’s China’s version of Uber. DiDi allows you to either hail a rideshare car or a taxi. The good news is, you don’t need to download a separate DiDi app (although you’re most certainly welcome to do so if you insist). DiDi is available as a mini-app in both WeChat and Alipay. It’s best to use the DiDi mini-app because it’ll link directly with your payment account, making it very convenient for you to pay for your rides and lets you get onboarded faster.

Alipay/WeChat will pass over your phone number registered on file with them to DiDi. Drivers will see the last 4 digits of your phone number. You need to provide them with your last four when boarding so they can verify they’re picking up the right person. If you have a foreign phone number, you can still use DiDi. However, the driver won’t be able to call your phone number. This will raise eyebrows with many drivers, especially if they are trying to find you. Unfortunately, you’ll have to resort to texting in those cases.

If you insist on getting a Chinese phone number to be able to call your DiDi driver, read on for more details below. (That being said, it’s overkill and there’s no need to get one.)

Train

Status in 2023: usable

Status in 2019: unusable

All passenger train travel in China is operated by the state-owned China Railway, whether it’s regular trains or high speed rail. Their website is 12306.cn and that’s also what their app is called (12306) and phone number (i.e. one would dial 12306 on a Chinese phone to get in contact with them).

It’s important to note that, as of a few years ago, train tickets are now entitlements assigned to one’s identity. When you buy a ticket, it’s not a ticket for anyone to use. It is inherently tied to your identity (and thus, your identity documents). Paper tickets are no longer issued; passengers always board with their identity document.

A few years ago, Chinese friends or relatives with a Resident Identity Card would have to help you purchase a train ticket on their account with their money. Today, that’s no longer the case. You can do it all by yourself!

You can sign up for a 12306 account with your foreign phone number/email address and fill out your passport information. Once that’s done, return to the English version of the 12306 app.

When booking, you must use the English version of the 12306 app. The Chinese version will error out when foreigners try to book with their passport. When looking up itineraries, you may have to use the Chinese Android app to look up all possibilities, including connecting itineraries. But once you’re ready to book, you need to switch back to the English version of the app. You’ll have to book connecting segments separately on the 12306 English app.

When you get to the train station and board, be ready to present your passport to get through the ticket checking gates. At each entry to the platform, there are usually several automatic gates and one manual gate. Unfortunately, passports must be manually processed through the manual gate, because the automatic gates are only set up to process Resident Identity Cards. At many stations, there is only one manual gate per boarding platform. It’s best to line up early so you can be the first to be processed by the gate agent. Some Chinese people with Resident Identity Cards will also line up at the manual gate because there is sometimes a shorter line than the automated gates. But keep in mind, you can only use that one manual gate, so get on it fast or be stuck waiting in a long line!

Local public transit

These days, local public transit will support using Alipay or WeChat Pay to top up the IC cards. Some cities, like Shanghai, even allow you to use your phone directly to tap in and tap out by scanning your Alipay/WeChat Pay transit QR code on the local public transit mini-app.

Phone number

Status in 2023: obtainable

Status in 2019: difficult to obtain

It is pretty easy to get a +86 phone number, but you should try to roam on your foreign cell plan if possible. In many cases (and in all essential cases), it is now possible to get by without a Chinese phone number (which will henceforth be referred to as a +86 phone number in this article, as that’s China’s country calling code).

Roaming on your foreign cell plan lets you use all of the services with your existing phone number. Also, it routes all traffic back to your home country, which may be useful if certain online services you use are inaccessible in mainland China due to internet access restrictions imposed by Chinese regulations.

If you really want to get a +86 Chinese phone number though, good news! You should have no trouble signing up in a major city like Beijing or Shanghai with your passport, even if you are just a temporary visitor on a short-term L or Q2 visa.

China Unicom provides the best support for foreign phones. All three mobile phone carriers (China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom) provide great coverage throughout China, including 5G. There is limited eSIM support. Be ready to pop in the SIM card in a phone with a SIM card slot. The SIM cards are available in mini, micro, and nano SIM card sizes.

The base plan provided by China Unicom offers the following per month: 3 GB of regular data (with rollover of unused data to the following month only); 20 GB of data for popular websites and apps such as WeChat, Douyin (Chinese TikTok), and Youku; 50 minutes of outgoing call; unlimited incoming calls; 0.10 yuan per outgoing SMS; and unlimited incoming SMS. The plan costs 29 yuan per month. Depending on the exchange rate, that’s $4.50 per month to keep your plan active, which isn’t bad at all.

Bank account

Status in 2023: unobtainable

Status in 2019: unobtainable

Unfortunately, foreign visitors on a short-term visa remain ineligible to open a bank account. All of the major banks in China (and Hong Kong) have policies that prohibit creating bank accounts for those on short-term visas.

Closing thoughts

China has gotten a lot better at providing support for foreigners to use essential services when they are visiting China. Many members of the Chinese diaspora hold foreign citizenship and previously weren’t able to enjoy the services that Chinese residents get to use. In 2019, most of the above remained out of reach for tourists, making it very difficult to stay in and get around in China. Thankfully, this has gotten a lot better since the pandemic. China has had a few years to catch up to add support for foreigners, and this has made China a lot easier for foreigners to navigate.

If you have a foreign passport and a foreign phone number, no worries. Bring them to China and follow the above guide and you’ll be totally fine.