Getting a Chinese number, and why it matters more than the data
A Chinese mobile number is not only for calls. Apps, payment accounts, delivery, appointment bookings and a lot of café and hotel wi-fi all verify you by sending an SMS to a mainland number, so the SIM tends to be the thing everything else is waiting on.
Registration is by law, and it's done with your passport
Every mobile number in mainland China is registered to a verified identity — 实名认证 (shímíng rènzhèng), real-name registration. For a foreigner that means your passport, in person, at an official carrier shop. The staff scan the passport, take a photo, and the number is issued in your name.
That has two practical consequences. First, go to a real branch of one of the three carriers — 中国移动 China Mobile, 中国联通 China Unicom, 中国电信 China Telecom — or an airport counter, rather than a phone kiosk in a market, because small resellers often can't register a foreign passport. Second, don't buy a number that someone else has already registered, from a stall or online. It stays in their name, you can't manage it, and it will fail the verification steps you bought it for.
At the counter
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我要办手机卡 | Wǒ yào bàn shǒujī kǎ | I'd like to get a SIM card |
| 我是外国人，可以办吗？ | Wǒ shì wàiguórén, kěyǐ bàn ma? | I'm a foreigner — can I sign up? |
| 这是我的护照 | Zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào | Here's my passport |
| 一个月多少钱？ | Yí ge yuè duōshao qián? | How much per month? |
| 有多少流量？ | Yǒu duōshao liúliàng? | How much data does it include? |
| 要签合同吗？ | Yào qiān hétong ma? | Is there a contract? |
| 可以月付吗？ | Kěyǐ yuè fù ma? | Can I pay month to month? |
| 可以帮我装上吗？ | Kěyǐ bāng wǒ zhuāng shàng ma? | Could you put it in for me? |
| 我的号码是多少？ | Wǒ de hàomǎ shì duōshao? | What's my number? |
Take the paperwork they give you and photograph it. It has the plan on it and you will want to reread it later.
Afterwards
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 怎么充值？ | Zěnme chōngzhí? | How do I top up? |
| 我要换套餐 | Wǒ yào huàn tàocān | I want to change my plan |
| 没有信号 | Méiyǒu xìnhào | There's no signal |
| 上不了网 | Shàng bu liǎo wǎng | I can't get online |
| 流量用完了 | Liúliàng yòng wán le | I've used up my data |
| 怎么注销？ | Zěnme zhùxiāo? | How do I close the account? |
Topping up is usually easiest inside a payment app or the carrier's own app once your number is in it.
Before you leave the country
If you're going for good, close the number properly — 注销 (zhùxiāo), in person at a branch, before your flight. A number left open stays registered to your passport and can keep accruing charges, and an unpaid balance is awkward to sort out from another country. If you're coming back, ask what happens to the number while you're away: 我出国三个月，号码会停吗？(Wǒ chūguó sān ge yuè, hàomǎ huì tíng ma?) — I'll be abroad three months, will the number be suspended?
What Laonei does here
Laonei translates both directions in a shop, out loud, with the counter's reply big enough for them to read back from your screen — and its camera mode reads a plan sheet or a contract page and tells you what it's asking for. On anything involving identity checks it stays on the right side of the line: it explains what the shop needs from you, not ways around it. liuxuesheng.help/talk
FAQ
Can a foreigner buy a SIM card in China with a passport? Yes. Mobile numbers must be registered to a verified identity, and a passport is the document used for foreigners. Go to a branch of China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom, or an airport carrier counter, and bring the passport itself — a photo or photocopy won't be accepted for registration.
Why won't a small phone shop sell me a SIM card? Small resellers often can't complete real-name registration for a foreign passport, and their systems may only handle Chinese ID cards. It isn't personal and there's no workaround worth chasing. Go to an official carrier branch, where staff do foreign registrations regularly and the whole thing usually takes twenty minutes.
Do I need a Chinese phone number to use apps in China? For most practical purposes, yes. Payment accounts, delivery, ride-hailing, ticketing and a lot of public wi-fi verify by SMS to a mainland number. Some apps accept a foreign number for sign-in, but the verification steps you hit later tend to expect a Chinese one.