You need a non-tourist visa or residence permit, your original passport and a Chinese phone number in your own name, and you walk out the same day with a UnionPay card.
To open a Chinese bank account in Shanghai you need a non-tourist visa or residence permit with real time left on it, your original passport, a Chinese mobile number registered in your own name, and about a morning at the branch. Tourist (L) visas are turned away. You walk out the same day with a UnionPay debit card, and mobile banking switched on at the counter if you ask.
Everyone tells you that you do not need a Chinese bank account anymore, that Alipay does everything. Which is true, right up until it is not. The day your employer asks for a local account number for payroll, or your landlord wants rent by bank transfer, or you want to stop paying a foreign-card fee on every larger purchase, the account stops being optional. So here is the whole process, from which visa qualifies to walking out with a card, based on how it actually goes rather than how the brochures describe it.
Which visa do you need to open a bank account in China?
A valid non-tourist visa or residence permit. Work (Z), student (X), family reunion (Q), talent (R), private affairs (S) and business (M) categories all qualify in practice, with work and student status the smoothest. If you are here on a tourist (L) visa, expect a polite no at the counter. Sort the visa first; nothing at the bank moves without it.
One thing the official lists do not tell you: branches look at how much validity your permit has left, not only which letter is on it. A residence permit with ten months to run is a comfortable conversation. One expiring in three weeks invites questions, and some branches will ask you to come back after you renew. If your renewal is close, do the renewal first and the bank second. Our work permit and residence permit guide covers that side of it.
What documents do you need to bring?
- Passport, plus your visa or residence permit. The original, not a photocopy. The residence permit sticker inside your passport counts.
- A Chinese mobile number registered in your own name. This is the one that catches people out. The bank sends verification codes to it during the process, and it has to be real-name registered to you, not borrowed from a colleague. Get your SIM sorted first; our Shanghai SIM card guide walks through it.
- Proof of address. Your lease or a utility bill works. Some branches ask, some do not, but the day you do not bring it is the day they ask. If you have already done your 24-hour police registration, bring that slip too; it is the cleanest proof of address you can hand over.
- A little cash. As of August 2026, most branches take a small opening deposit, often ¥1 to ¥10, plus a card fee of roughly ¥10 to ¥20 a year, and some waive it. Bringing a couple of hundred RMB in notes means you are never the person holding up the counter.
You will also sign a declaration of personal tax residency status at the counter. It looks intimidating and is not; it is a standard form about where you pay taxes, and the staff will point at the boxes you need. If you are unsure what to tick, our guide to income tax for expats explains how residency is counted here.
Which bank should you choose?
For a first account, the large state banks are the practical choice, because every neighborhood has a branch and every employer knows their systems: ICBC (hotline 95588) and Bank of China (95566) have broad networks and plenty of experience with foreign passports. China Construction Bank (95533), Agricultural Bank of China (95599) and Bank of Communications also open accounts for expats. If English-language app support matters a lot to you, ask around your office about China Merchants Bank; its app has a fuller English mode than most. Whichever you choose, branches in areas with more international residents, around Jing'an or Xuhui for example, tend to have staff who have done this a hundred times before.
One genuinely useful tip: call the hotline or have a Chinese-speaking friend call the specific branch before you go, and ask whether that branch opens accounts for foreign passport holders. Not every branch does, and a two-minute call beats a wasted afternoon.
Which one is for you 哪个适合你
If your salary is paid locally and your employer named a bank, open the account at that bank; payroll then needs no explaining. If you want a broad branch and ATM network, choose ICBC or Bank of China. If you will manage everything from your phone in English, ask about China Merchants Bank. If your visa expires within a couple of months, renew first and bank second.
What actually happens at the counter?
- Take a number at the machine near the door. If a staff member intercepts you (they usually do), the magic words are kaihu (开户), open account. You will be pointed to the personal banking counter.
- Hand over your passport and answer a few questions. What the account is for (salary, daily spending), where you work or study. The clerk photocopies everything, you sign forms, a verification code arrives on your phone, and you set a six-digit PIN on the keypad. Do this part unhurried; the PIN matters more here than in most countries because you will use it constantly.
- Walk out with a UnionPay debit card. At most branches the card is issued on the spot, in the same visit. Before you leave the counter, ask the clerk to help you activate mobile banking and, if you want, link the new card to Alipay and WeChat Pay. It takes them two minutes and saves you an evening of menu-translating at home.
Set aside a proper chunk of a weekday morning. Some visits are done quickly, some are not, and the difference is usually the queue rather than your paperwork. Mid-morning on a Tuesday or Wednesday is calmer than a Monday, and the first hour after lunch is calmer than either.
What if the bank refuses to open your account?
Try a different branch of the same bank before you conclude anything. Policies here are applied unevenly by branch, and a second attempt often sails through with the identical documents. The usual reasons for a no are a tourist visa, a phone number not registered in your name, very little validity left on your permit, or simply a branch that has never done a foreign passport and would rather not learn today. None of those is a judgement on you, and none of them is permanent.
If two branches turn you down for a reason you do not understand, ask a Chinese-speaking colleague to call the bank hotline and ask which nearby branch handles foreign passport holders. Every large bank has some that do it constantly. That is the branch you want.
What can you do with the account once you have it?
Domestically, everything: receive salary, pay rent by transfer, settle utility bills, and fund Alipay and WeChat Pay from a local balance instead of a foreign card, which removes the foreign-card service fee on larger payments. Our Alipay and WeChat Pay guide covers linking the new card.
Cross-border is the slower half. Mobile banking is usually switched on at the counter, but sending money out of the country involves its own paperwork and, at many branches, a separate visit with your tax and income documents. Do not assume that a card in your wallet on Tuesday means an international transfer on Wednesday. Our guide to sending money out of China walks through what the bank will ask for.
Once the card is in your wallet and linked to your payment apps, you will mostly forget it exists, which is exactly what you want from a bank account.
Common questions
Can an expat open a bank account in China without a residence permit?
Yes, if you hold another valid non-tourist visa such as a student (X), business (M), family (Q or S) or talent (R) visa with meaningful validity left. A tourist (L) visa is not accepted at mainstream banks.
Do I need a Chinese phone number to open a bank account?
Yes. The account is tied to a mobile number that is real-name registered to you, and the bank sends verification codes to it during the application. A number registered to someone else will stop the process at the counter.
How long does it take to open a Chinese bank account?
Plan for a morning. The paperwork itself runs roughly half an hour to an hour once you reach the counter, and the rest is queueing. The card is normally printed during the same visit.
Can I open a Chinese bank account online or before I arrive?
No. Personal accounts require you to appear in person at a branch with your original passport, so it is something you do after you land, not before.
Which bank in Shanghai is easiest for expats?
ICBC and Bank of China have broad networks and long experience with foreign passports, and China Merchants Bank has the fuller English app. What matters more than the brand is choosing a branch that opens foreign accounts regularly, so call ahead and ask.
Do I need a Chinese bank account if I already use Alipay?
Not for daily spending. You need one for a local salary, for rent by transfer, and to avoid the foreign-card service fee that applies to larger payments when your apps are funded from an overseas card.
