Your First Phone Number in China: ID, Real-Name Registration and Where to Go

The Tianjin Communications Administration's 2026 guide gives a practical route for a foreign national seeking a local SIM card: take a valid passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card in person to an operator's self-operated business hall. Real-name registration is required, and the operator's published rates apply. Before travelling to a hall, confirm that the particular outlet can handle your document and ask about phone compatibility. The receiving operator and city determine the details for your case.

Which identity documents work, and why you must apply in person

The Tianjin Communications Administration guide (published/updated 2026-04-14; opened 2026-09-28) states that foreign nationals may use a passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card at an operator’s self-operated business hall for SIM service, and must present valid identity documents in person; the applicant must appear in person (Tianjin Communications Administration, 2026 guide).

The National Immigration Administration’s older life-service guide says real-name authentication is required for a SIM card in China and refers foreign passport holders to operator websites or branches (National Immigration Administration). The more recent Tianjin guide gives the specific in-person route described here; check the receiving operator's current instructions in your city.

As a practical limit, do not assume every local outlet issues a card to every document type, and do not assume remote or postal issuance: no supplied source supports it. Recheck the receiving city and operator before you go, using the hall-lookup channels below.

Where to go: operators, self-operated halls and outlet checks

The Shanghai municipal service page names China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile as major operators and says their official stores sell SIM cards (Shanghai Municipal People's Government). That page is a city orientation page, not a complete list of every service channel in every province.

To locate a self-operated hall, the Tianjin guide gives China Telecom 10000, China Mobile 10086 and China Unicom 10010 as hotlines, and names official operator apps for hall lookup; it lists self-operated or cooperative halls, operator apps and online business halls as recharge channels (Tianjin Communications Administration, 2026 guide).

For a concrete example of outlet checking, China Mobile published a Heilongjiang-specific notice listing outlets that can handle SIM-card service for foreign nationals and tells readers to call 10086 for further details (China Mobile Heilongjiang notice). This is one regional example of an operator publishing a service-capable outlet list, not a nationwide guarantee that every outlet serves foreign nationals.

Phone compatibility and network checks

The Tianjin guide flags the need for a phone supporting 5G or VoLTE and directs incompatible-device questions to the operator hall (Tianjin Communications Administration, 2026 guide). No supplied source states a specific phone compatibility result, eSIM support or instant activation, so treat device compatibility as a question for the hall rather than a given.

Tariffs, recharging and ending a number

Published operator rates govern tariffs; the Tianjin guide directs users to published operator rates rather than quoting a fee (Tianjin Communications Administration, 2026 guide). These sources do not establish a universal tariff amount, data allowance, contract term or current cancellation process, so this article does not supply one. The same guide lists recharge channels as self-operated or cooperative halls, operator apps and online business halls.

If you later stop using the number, the National Immigration Administration orientation tells readers to cancel an unused mobile-number account at a branch, and says to confirm the current operator process rather than assuming every branch follows an identical route (National Immigration Administration). For current procedure, use the 2026 Tianjin guidance and ask the operator.

Questions to ask at the counter (editorial guidance, not official rules)

The list below is editorial guidance — suggested questions to take to the hall. They are not official rules, and the answers belong to the operator, not to this article, which cannot make an individual determination.

• Does this self-operated hall handle SIM applications from foreign nationals using a passport, and does it accept a Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card here?
• Which of the operator’s currently published rate options can be activated at this counter, and where is that rate published?
• Does my specific phone model support your 5G or VoLTE service, and if it does not, what does the hall advise?
• What recharge channels are available for this number (official app, online business hall, cooperative halls)?
• If I later stop using this number, what is the current in-branch process to cancel the account?

Answers vary by city and operator; verify with the official hotline or app before travelling.

Verification and limits of this guide

The Tianjin Communications Administration guide was published/updated 2026-04-14 and opened 2026-09-28; present its process as a current regulator guide and recheck the receiving city and operator, not as a promise that every local outlet can issue a card. The National Immigration Administration page is dated 2021-03-26 and is older orientation; use the 2026 Tianjin guidance for current procedure. The Shanghai page was current as opened 2026-09-28, and the China Mobile Heilongjiang notice was published/updated 2026-02-27 and opened 2026-09-28.

This article is general information for foreign arrivals, not a provider ranking, plan recommendation, immigration guide, or an individual legal, tax or medical determination. Outlet capability, published rates and procedures can change and differ by city and operator; confirm the operator’s current outlet and tariff before you travel.

Sources and verification

• Tianjin Communications Administration, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — Guidelines for Foreign Nationals in China on Applying for Telephone SIM Card Services (published/updated 2026-04-14; opened 2026-09-28): supports the passport or Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, the in-person requirement, the 5G/VoLTE device flag, published operator rates, the hotlines China Telecom 10000, China Mobile 10086 and China Unicom 10010, official apps for hall lookup, and recharge channels. Read the guide
• National Immigration Administration — Telecommunications (published/updated 2021-03-26; opened 2026-09-28): supports that real-name authentication is required and that unused mobile-number accounts should be cancelled at a branch; older orientation, so use the 2026 Tianjin guidance for current procedure. Read the page
• Shanghai Municipal People's Government — Get a SIM card (opened 2026-09-28): supports that China Unicom, China Telecom and China Mobile are major operators and that their official stores sell SIM cards; city orientation, not every provincial channel. Read the page
• China Mobile — Notice of Heilongjiang outlets able to handle SIM cards for foreign nationals (published/updated 2026-02-27; opened 2026-09-28): supports the example of a published list of outlets serving foreign nationals and directs readers to call 10086; regional example only. Read the notice

Before visiting any hall, verify the official operator’s current outlet capability and published tariff through the hotline or app named above, and ask the operator’s self-operated hall or the competent authority if you need an individual determination.