Who this is for: exchange and international students arriving in mainland China. This is the one page on this site that covers phones and internet — city guides link here instead of repeating it.

What You Need Before You Arrive

• An unlocked phone — contract phones from some home carriers reject foreign SIM cards. Ask your carrier to unlock it before you fly.
• Dual-SIM or eSIM support — keeping your home number active (for bank SMS codes) while using a Chinese number is the easiest setup.
• A travel eSIM or roaming plan for your first days, installed and tested at home.
• Your passport — required by law to register any Chinese SIM.
• Your address in Chinese characters, saved offline, for taxis and the SIM shop form.

Your Three Options

Option	Best for	Reaches blocked sites?	Typical cost (estimate)
Travel eSIM (Airalo, Holafly, Trip.com, Klook…)	Arrival day and the first week	Usually yes — traffic is routed outside mainland China	~US$10–30 for a week; ~US$16–80 for 30 days
Home-carrier roaming	Very short stays, zero setup	Yes	Often US$5–15 per day — expensive over a semester
Local Chinese SIM	A full semester or year	No — you need a VPN for blocked services	Tourist/short-term packages from about ¥50 for 10GB/30 days to ~¥139 for 50GB; monthly plans vary by carrier

Prices are indicative ranges from carrier and provider listings in 2026 — check current plans before buying.

Step by Step: Getting a Local SIM

1. Go to an official China Mobile (中国移动), China Unicom (中国联通) or China Telecom (中国电信) store — not a street reseller. Airport arrivals halls also have counters.
2. Bring your passport. Staff complete real-name registration (实名登记), which usually takes 20–45 minutes and may include a photo or face check.
3. Ask for a plan with enough data (most students use 20–40GB a month) and ask clearly whether it has a minimum contract term (合约期) or cancellation fee.
4. Keep the SIM contract and receipt. You will need the number to verify Alipay, WeChat, your bank account and delivery apps.
5. Top up (充值) inside Alipay or WeChat Pay once they are linked to the number.

Many universities have carrier stalls on campus during orientation week that sell student packages. They can be good value, but read the contract length — some run 12–24 months.

Internet Restrictions and VPN Considerations

Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube and many news sites are blocked on mainland Chinese networks, including campus Wi-Fi and local SIM cards. WeChat, Alipay, Chinese maps and most university systems work normally.

• Roaming data and most travel eSIMs route traffic outside mainland China, so blocked services usually work while the plan lasts.
• VPNs are widely used by foreign students and residents, but unlicensed VPNs are not officially sanctioned and sit in a legal grey area. Follow your university’s guidance.
• Download before you fly. VPN websites and app-store listings are hard to reach once you are in China, so install and test yours at home. Names students commonly mention include Astrill, LetsVPN and ExpressVPN — reliability changes over time, so read recent reviews first.
• Tell people at home to use WeChat as a backup channel, so you are reachable if your VPN has a bad day.

Common Mistakes

• Landing with no data at all — you need it immediately for Didi, maps and messaging your university.
• Letting your home number expire — many banks send one-time codes by SMS.
• Signing a long campus contract without asking about early cancellation.
• Leaving China without cancelling a local SIM with a monthly fee — unpaid balances can follow the number.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	What to try
No signal with a new Chinese SIM	Phone is carrier-locked, or data roaming/APN not set	Restart; check your phone is unlocked; ask the store to set the APN
Travel eSIM will not connect on landing	eSIM line not set as the data line, or roaming switched off	Select the eSIM for mobile data and turn on data roaming for that line
Apps refuse your foreign number	Some Chinese services only accept +86 numbers	Use a local SIM for that service; keep the foreign number for home banking
VPN stops working	Connections are often disrupted around politically sensitive dates	Switch servers or protocols; keep a second option installed

Quick FAQ

Can I buy a Chinese eSIM instead of a physical SIM?

Local eSIM support for foreign passports is still limited and varies by carrier and city, so most students use a physical local SIM plus a travel eSIM on arrival. Ask at the carrier store — this is changing.

Is campus Wi-Fi enough?

Campus Wi-Fi usually requires a student login and has the same restrictions as any Chinese network. You will still want mobile data for payments, maps and ride-hailing off campus.

How do I keep my number when I leave?

A prepaid number stays active while it has balance, then usually has a grace period before it is cancelled. If you are on a monthly plan, cancel it at a store before you fly home.

What to Do After Setup

• Link your new number to Alipay and WeChat Pay.
• Install the rest of the essential apps for China.
• Save the SIM contract with your other documents in the exchange checklist.

Last updated: September 2026. Prices, opening hours and rules in China change often — treat costs as estimates and confirm anything important with the official source before you go.

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