Buy a mainland SIM
Check a real-name +86 line at an official outlet.
Get connected first.
A mainland number makes your move easier.
Arrange your SIM, then connect payments, banking and daily life. Compare mainland registration, Hong Kong roaming and home internet—without assuming one plan fits everyone.
Official sources linkedReviewed 18 Oct 2026Costs are assumptionsNo account required
Your first-week setup: a useful sequence
These steps can overlap. Accommodation-registration deadlines run independently.
Activate WeChat & Alipay
Link a reachable number and complete each app’s checks.
Open a bank account
Ask the branch about identity and SMS requirements.
Arrange home broadband
Confirm service at the exact building and unit.
Keep recovery numbers
Keep your home-country line and useful roaming access.
Which setup fits your stay?
Prepare the right questions—not a carrier selection or eligibility decision.
Start with your phone and your stay
Check the exact handset, local-number needs, arrival arrangements and written roaming terms. A mainland line plus a separate Hong Kong roaming line can serve different needs.
Answers stay on this page and are not saved or sent. No live plan prices or branch availability are checked.
Compare Shenzhen’s three mobile carriers
No universal coverage ranking. Test the places you actually use.
| What to check | 中国移动China Mobile ↗Check local coverage and the written plan. | 中国联通China Unicom ↗Ask about travel add-ons and plan minimums. | 中国电信China Telecom ↗Check mobile and building broadband together. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign passport registration | Use an official outlet; confirm branch capability. | Use an official outlet; confirm branch capability. | Use an official outlet; confirm branch capability. |
| Signal at home and work | Test the actual building; no city-wide winner. | Test the actual building; no city-wide winner. | Test the actual building; no city-wide winner. |
| Physical SIM / eSIM | Check exact model, market version and identity process. | Check exact model, market version and identity process. | Check exact model, market version and identity process. |
| Hong Kong roaming | Check the exact add-on, allowance and validity. | Check the exact add-on, allowance and validity. | Check the exact add-on, allowance and validity. |
| Home broadband | Only if service reaches your exact unit. | Only if service reaches your exact unit. | Only if service reaches your exact unit. |
| Contract flexibility | Check minimum term, extras and cancellation. | Check minimum term, extras and cancellation. | Check minimum term, extras and cancellation. |
| Customer service (mainland) | 10086 | 10010 | 10000 |
Airport or city?
At Shenzhen airport
- Convenient if an appropriate counter is open.
- Confirm real-name service for your passport and the full charge.
- Do not assume every arrival time has SIM sales.
At an official city shop
- Confirm that the branch handles foreign documents.
- Compare plans, cancellation and home broadband.
- Bring your exact phone model and Chinese address.
Late arrival? Arrange a working roaming/data fallback before flying. Buy a mainland line at an appropriate official outlet after it opens.
Real-name registration: what to prepare
- Original passport or the identity document accepted for your case.
- Visa/residence and address information the branch requests.
- Your unlocked handset and exact market/model version.
- A payment method and written plan terms.
Ask staff to confirm the registered name, test calls/data/SMS and explain top-ups, cancellation and recovery. The site cannot verify registration or guarantee processing time.
Official carrier starting point ↗Plan cost calculator
Your assumptions in RMB—not a quote, tariff or conversion from HKD.
Illustrative monthly total
¥68
per month¥816 / 12 months
Excludes installation, deposits, hardware and other one-time charges.
Physical SIM vs eSIM
Mainland local line
All three mainland operators have eSIM offers for eligible devices, but not every overseas handset qualifies. Model, sales region and in-store identity checks matter. Confirm before relying on an eSIM-only phone.
Hong Kong / travel eSIM
Check unlocked-device support, number assignment, voice/SMS, QR installation and mainland roaming. eSIM is a SIM format, not a promise of a +852 number or a particular internet route.
Get a Hong Kong line for mainland roaming
A practical setup guide. Check the exact product, not just the brand.
Hong Kong-routed data can work differently
SoSIM’s Greater China travel-data page explicitly advertises Hong Kong internet routing and access to named overseas services. Other plans may route differently. This is not a guarantee of unrestricted access, speed, privacy or long-term suitability for every website or app. Mainland Wi-Fi does not use your SIM’s roaming route.
Read the operator’s routing claim and terms ↗Choose a real line, not just travel data
If you need a +852 number, select a Hong Kong prepaid product with voice/SMS and confirm it assigns a number. Some travel eSIMs are data-only; a Hong Kong label does not guarantee calls, texts or mainland coverage.
Buy through an official sales route
Use the operator’s own shop, eShop or listed redemption points. For a physical card, check Hong Kong pickup or delivery. For eSIM, verify your exact unlocked handset, available eSIM slots and QR-code installation rules before paying. Apple says supported mainland-market iPhones cannot install a non-mainland eSIM while physically in mainland China; install the travel profile outside mainland China with Location Services enabled.
Complete Hong Kong real-name registration
Use the operator’s registration channel. Visitors generally use an original valid travel document accepted for that product; Hong Kong ID holders must use their HKID. Follow the document and identity-photo checks. Allow time for manual review and never upload identity documents to this website.
Activate before crossing when required
Check where first activation is allowed. CMHK says its prepaid cards cannot first activate in mainland China from 17 June 2026. Other products have different rules; some SoSIM products can activate in supported overseas destinations after registration. Safest: confirm and test the specific line before your mainland trip.
Add mainland roaming and check the small print
Confirm Chinese Mainland is included, then buy or enable the appropriate pass. Check high-speed data, throttling, hotspot, renewal, expiry, long-stay/fair-use rules, top-up requirements and voice/SMS charges separately. SIM-number expiry and roaming-pass expiry are separate. Ask about recurring card-keeping fees as well as data charges. A Hong Kong local-data allowance is not mainland roaming data.
Set your two lines deliberately
Keep a mainland +86 line for local calls and verification if needed. Select the Hong Kong line for cellular data, enable data roaming on that line and use only the operator’s official APN instructions. SoSIM’s FAQ lists APN mobile.three.com.hk; its mainland guide also asks users to enable supported VoLTE. These settings are SoSIM-specific, not settings for other carriers. Disable automatic cellular-data switching if you want to avoid falling back to another line. Check roaming settings on your home-country line to prevent surprise charges.
Test with Wi-Fi off and keep a fallback
On arrival, turn Wi-Fi off and test the sites/apps you actually need, remaining data, hotspot if needed and incoming SMS. Keep the account, recharge and recovery details offline. Roaming is not an anonymity service or an all-sites availability guarantee; follow service terms, local requirements and your employer’s access policies.
Before you buy: six questions to ask the carrier
- Does this exact product assign a Hong Kong +852 number with voice and SMS?
- Can I register using my exact travel document and where can I first activate it?
- Is mainland China included and what internet routing is used there?
- What are the data limit, throttled speed, hotspot and long-stay restrictions?
- What are the costs of incoming/outgoing calls and SMS while roaming?
- How do I top up, keep the number alive, replace it or cancel from abroad?
Keep the numbers your accounts depend on
- Mainland +86: local calls, deliveries and verification where required.
- Home-country number: bank recovery and important existing accounts.
- Optional Hong Kong +852: cross-border use and a suitable roaming route.
- Check expiry, minimum top-up and recovery before changing a number.
- Use an authenticator where your bank supports it; keep recovery offline.
Home broadband planner
Nothing is saved or sent. This does not check coverage or book an appointment. Ask building management and the landlord before signing a bundle.
Find an official outlet—not an unverified pin
Start with the operator’s official site or hotline. Ask for a nearby 营业厅 that can register your document and confirm opening hours before travelling. District guides help you plan the trip; they do not certify a branch.
Chinese phrases to use
I would like to get a mobile SIM.
Can I register with my passport?
What is the total monthly cost?
Is there a contract term or a cancellation fee?
Please help me test data, calls and SMS.
Can broadband be installed at this address?
Do I need the landlord’s permission?
What are the installation and router charges?
Can I transfer the service when I move?
Does this plan include roaming in mainland China?
Please explain the data cap and speed limit rules.
Can this number receive SMS verification codes?
Please write it down so I can translate it.
Common questions
Does a Hong Kong SIM avoid mainland internet restrictions?
It depends on the exact roaming product and its routing. SoSIM explicitly says its Greater China travel data connects through Hong Kong and lists access to services such as YouTube and WhatsApp. That is that provider’s product claim, not proof that every Hong Kong SIM, every app or every future connection will work. On mainland Wi-Fi you are using that Wi-Fi connection, not the SIM’s roaming route.
Can I buy and first activate it while already in Shenzhen?
Do not assume so. Check the exact product’s online purchase, document verification, delivery and first-activation rules before paying. CMHK prepaid cards cannot first activate in mainland China under its June 2026 notice. Other operators and products may differ.
Can the Hong Kong line replace a mainland +86 number?
Not reliably for every local service. Number acceptance, bank verification and app requirements differ. Keep a working +86 line if your local accounts depend on it, and retain your home-country recovery number where needed.
Is mainland eSIM still unavailable?
No blanket answer is safe. Mainland carriers now offer eSIM for eligible devices, but exact model, sales region and in-store identity requirements matter. An overseas eSIM-only phone is not automatically eligible for a mainland carrier eSIM. Check before travelling or signing a plan.
Official sources, dates and image notes
References checked 18 October 2026. Product features, document requirements and prices can change. No paid ranking, purchase, activation or live-availability check is made by this website. The calculator is arithmetic using your assumptions, not an operator quote.
- OFCA — Real-name Registration Programme for SIM Cards ↗ — Office of the Communications Authority, Hong Kong
- OFCA — Tourists and original travel documents ↗ — Office of the Communications Authority, Hong Kong
- SoSIM — Official FAQ ↗ — SoSIM / 3 Hong Kong
- SoSIM — Chinese Mainland Travel Data ↗ — SoSIM / 3 Hong Kong
- SoSIM — Real-name Registration Terms ↗ — SoSIM / 3 Hong Kong
- csl — Roaming Prepaid SIM ↗ — csl / HKT
- csl — Current Prepaid Products ↗ — csl / HKT
- csl — Real-name Registration ↗ — csl / HKT
- CMHK — Mainland China and Macau 3-Day Data Prepaid SIM ↗ — China Mobile Hong Kong
- Shenzhen — Foreigners' Guide to Shenzhen, telecommunications and broadband ↗ — Shenzhen Foreign Affairs / EyeShenzhen
- Apple — Using eSIM with your iPhone in China mainland ↗ — Apple Support
- China Mobile — SIM Card Guide for Foreign Visitors ↗ — China Mobile
- Tianjin Communications Administration — SIM Card Guide for Foreign Visitors, 14 April 2026 ↗ — Ministry of Industry and Information Technology / Tianjin Communications Administration
- China Mobile — Broadband Setup ↗ — China Mobile
Existing site imagery illustrates arrival and phone setup. It does not identify a currently staffed sales counter or prove an operator’s coverage.