STEP BY STEP

Arriving in China:
Network Setup, Step by Step

China significantly expanded its visa-free entry rules in 2026: passport holders from 48 countries can now enter visa-free for business, tourism or family visits for up to 30 days, and visa-free transit for eligible visitors from 54 countries was extended to 240 hours (10 days) across 60 ports of entry. Visa-free makes "deciding to go" the easy part — but getting your network sorted still needs some advance planning; it won't handle itself just because entry got simpler. Here's what to do, in order, from before you fly to after you land.

Before you fly: on your home Wi-Fi

1. Confirm your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked: carrier-locked phones may need unlocking first; also confirm your phone supports the frequency bands used by China's three carriers.
2. Install your China eSIM: installation itself requires an internet connection, so do this before you fly, on home Wi-Fi — don't count on doing it after landing. See our eSIM survival guide for how to pick the right type.
3. Download the apps you'll need on day one: Alipay, WeChat, Amap, Didi. Download experience differs between app stores, so it's easier to grab these from your home country's store before you go.
4. Set up payment methods in advance: both Alipay and WeChat Pay now accept foreign Visa, Mastercard, Amex and JCB cards. Registration and card-binding take a few minutes each — do this at home, not while queuing at a street stall trying to type in card numbers.

On arrival: from landing to baggage claim

1. Turn on data roaming for your eSIM: once you switch off airplane mode, go into your cellular settings, switch your data line to the China eSIM, and turn on data roaming for that line specifically — this is the step people forget most often.
2. Double-check which visa-free policy applies to you: different rules carry different allowed durations and regions (30 days / 144 hours / 240 hours). Immigration will verify this on entry — confirm which policy applies to you, how long you can stay, and whether your travel is restricted to specific regions, before you go.
3. Airport Wi-Fi can bridge the gap: most international airports offer free Wi-Fi — useful if your eSIM needs a moment to activate and you still need to finish verifying Alipay or WeChat Pay.

After landing: confirm these three things before you leave the airport

Once these three are working, your basic digital setup in China is essentially done. Everything else — booking hotels, buying train tickets, translating a menu — builds on top of this foundation, and you can solve those as they come up.

One thing worth double-checking

Whether Google, Gmail and WhatsApp work for you comes down to which type of eSIM you installed. Roaming-type eSIMs from Airalo, Holafly, Nomad and Saily route your data through an overseas gateway, so these apps typically work without a separate VPN — but a local Chinese SIM bought after landing routes domestically and will be restricted like any local connection. Get the type right before you fly and this generally isn't an issue — see this article for the full explanation and a few useful local apps to pair with it.