A Chinese phone number and real-name rules

Short answer: get a +86 number in your first week, register it to your passport, and keep your Australian number alive on the side. You'll need both.

The short version

China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and China Broadnet sell SIMs to foreigners. Bring your passport with a valid entry stamp [1][2].
Every number must be registered to a real identity. Carriers can limit or suspend cards that fail re-verification [3].
Selling, renting or lending a phone card is illegal, with fines of up to RMB 200,000 in some cases [3].
WeChat and Alipay generally accept foreign numbers for sign-up, but deliveries, ride-hailing, banks and building management all lean on a +86 number in practice.
Keep your Australian number active with roaming if myGov or your bank sends SMS codes to it [5][6].

Why a +86 number matters more than you'd think

In Australia, your mobile number is a way to reach you. In China, it's closer to an identity number. It's tied to your passport by law, and apps and services treat it as proof that you are who you say you are [3].

That's why a local number opens so many doors in daily life. Here's how it plays out in Shanghai.

Service	Works with only an Australian number?	Why a +86 number helps
WeChat sign-up and Pay	Usually, with SMS codes to a foreign number	Friends, landlords and colleagues expect a local number; recovery is easier
Alipay with an Australian card	Yes, within foreign-card limits [4]	Linking a Chinese bank card needs a local account, which banks tie to a local number
e-CNY digital yuan wallet	Yes, it can be opened with an overseas number [4]	Handy backup if WeChat or Alipay play up
DiDi and other ride-hailing	Often	Drivers call or message you on a local number
Food and parcel delivery	Patchy	Couriers phone you at the gate
Opening a bank account	Passport is the legal requirement [7]	Branches usually want a local number for SMS codes and app sign-in
Residential compounds, gyms, clinics	Patchy	Bookings and visitor passes run through local numbers

The pattern: you can survive a few weeks on an Australian number. You can't live here comfortably on one.

Getting a SIM in Shanghai

What you need

The rules are simple on paper. Foreigners apply with a passport carrying a valid entry stamp, or a Foreigner's Permanent Resident ID Card [2]. Bring the original, not a photo. Your residence permit sits in your passport, so a store will see it anyway.

Where to go

Carrier stores. China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom all have official stores, often in shopping centres and near Metro stations. Choose a plan, show your passport, pick a SIM size, then pay and register [1].
Online, in English. The Shanghai government lists an English-language app, Nihao Mobile, that delivers SIMs. Activation asks for photos of your passport photo page, Chinese visa page and entry stamp, plus a video selfie [1].
Airports. Look for carrier counters at Pudong and Hongqiao, handy if you land with nothing working.

Step by step at the counter

Bring your passport and your Chinese address written in Chinese.
Choose a plan. Most bundle call minutes with a data allowance, and carriers offer a range [2]. Monthly packages are cheap by Australian standards, but compare data allowances, since a small one runs out fast if you live on WeChat video.
Pick your number. Some numbers cost more (eights are lucky, fours are not).
Have your photo taken and sign the registration. This is the real-name step.
Test it in store. Make a call, receive an SMS and check data before you leave.
Set up top-ups. You can top up through Alipay, WeChat, the carrier apps, or at self-service machines [1].

If you need help later, the Shanghai hotlines are 021-10086 for China Mobile, 021-10010 for China Unicom and 021-10000 for China Telecom [1].

The real-name rules, explained

China has required real-name phone registration for years. In 2015, Shanghai warned that users who hadn't registered their name and number could have service cut, and told foreigners to register at a carrier branch with their passport [8].

The current backbone is the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law, in force since 1 December 2022 [3]. The parts that matter to you:

Rule	What it says	What it means for you
Real identity (Article 9)	Carriers and their agents must register users' real identities [3]	No anonymous SIMs, anywhere
Card limits (Article 10)	Nobody may hold more cards than national rules allow; carriers can refuse abnormal applications [3]	Don't be surprised if a second or third SIM is refused
Re-verification (Article 11)	Carriers re-verify suspicious cards and can limit or suspend them [3]	Answer re-verification requests promptly, in store if asked
No lending (Article 31)	No trading, leasing or lending of phone cards, or verifying accounts for others [3]	Never register a SIM for a friend or visitor
Penalties (Article 44)	Confiscation, fines up to RMB 200,000 where proceeds are small, detention up to 15 days in serious cases [3]	This is not a parking fine

Situations that catch Australians out

Helping a visiting mate. It feels generous to put a SIM in your name for your brother's two-week trip. Under Article 31, it's lending a phone card [3]. Send them to a store with their own passport.
A new passport. If you renew your Australian passport, your registration still shows the old number. Visit a carrier store with both passports so the details match. Banks, WeChat and your residence permit records will need updating too.
Leaving it to lapse. An unpaid number can be suspended and eventually reissued to someone else. If WeChat, Alipay and your bank are tied to it, losing the number is painful. Decide before you leave China whether to keep it topped up or transfer everything first.
A lost phone. The Shanghai government suggests calling your number, reporting the loss to your carrier, contacting police, freezing bank services, changing passwords and warning friends about fraud [1].

Keeping your Australian number too

Don't cancel your Australian SIM just because you've got a shiny +86 one. A surprising amount of Australian life still runs on SMS codes.

Why it matters

myGov. If you sign in with SMS codes, myGov sends them to the Australian number on your account. You need roaming switched on and a network your provider works with [5]. The myGov app, passkeys and Digital ID avoid this problem entirely [6].
Banks and super. Many still send one-time codes by SMS to your registered Australian number.
Porting rules. If your Australian number is disconnected, you lose the right to it and can't port it later. Suspended numbers can still be ported [9].

Ways to keep it alive

Dual-SIM phone. Most recent phones take a physical SIM plus an eSIM. Run your Chinese number for data and calls, and keep the Australian one for SMS.
Cheapest plan that stays active. Move to a low-cost prepaid or plan that won't expire, and check your provider's rules on inactive services.
Roaming on, data off. You need roaming to receive texts, but turn off roaming data unless you want a shock bill.
Move sign-ins to apps. Switch myGov and your bank to app-based or passkey sign-in where you can [6].
Port to a cheaper provider before you leave if your current plan is expensive. ACMA says a mobile port usually takes about three hours, with extra identity checks [9].

Scam calls and your number

Real-name rules exist largely because of phone fraud, and scam calls still come. The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai warns that scammers have impersonated the Australian Embassy's phone numbers in China, and that it will never ask for personal information unprompted [10]. Hang up, find the number yourself and call back.

The same goes for calls claiming to be from police, customs or a courier with a "problem parcel". Chinese law lets carriers block spoofed numbers, but some still get through [3].

Got a question about which carrier works best in your building? Ask in Cooee China, our Facebook group for Australians in China (join here).

A Chinese phone number: real-name registration and why your life runs on it