Are you a foreigner visiting or residing in China and looking to purchase a SIM card for your mobile phone? Navigating the process of acquiring a SIM card in a foreign country can be daunting, but fear not! This comprehensive guide is here to walk you through everything you need to know about buying a SIM card in China.
So, how can foreigner get a China SIM card?
First, you should prepare:
1. An unlocked phone, or you can click the link below to find the unlocking ways:
https://www.giffgaff.com/unlock#unlock-three
2. Check with your mobile service provider that your phone will work with the 3G and 4G networks in China.
3. Passport (Chinese government requires real-name registration for anyone activating a SIM card)
Then, you can consider purchasing a China SIM card:
1. Before you travel
You can search include sites like Amazon, Simify and they can help ship the SIM card to you. But there may be expensive shipping charge, long-time delivery and most are illegal. You can also consider purchasing the SIM card from the local operators’ website including the three major operators China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile. Others like Nihao Mobile, which only offers SIM cards for expats in China and has English service, can help deliver the SIM card within mainland China for free. Then you can get and activate the SIM card online when you enter China. As for payment, most support different payment methods like WeChat Pay, Alipay and Nihao Mobile also supports Paypal.
2. After you arrive in China
There are lots of places to pick up a SIM card in China including international airports (this can be an expensive option, and not all airports have SIM card stores), mobile provider stores, convenience stores or online mentioned above.
3. eSIM
eSIM is a relatively new concept. It’s a virtual SIM card inside your phone, that you can connect to any operator offering eSIM services. Essentially, it lets you use a new SIM in your phone without having to physically buy and insert a new SIM card.
In order to use an eSIM in China, you’ll need to check that your phone supports this technology.
However, the eSIM technology has not been mature and used widely in China.
Last, if you used a China SIM card before:
If you have a Chinese SIM card before but haven’t used for a long time, you can also confirm with your operator if you can use it again. Nihao Mobile has the suspension service and users can suspend their numbers once they leave China and use the service again when they come back. That’s quite convenient!
