Before you start

Passport and valid residence permit
A Chinese mobile number in your own name
Work permit or employer letter
Proof of address and the temporary residence registration slip

Step-by-step

1
Get the SIM before you try the bank
Account opening needs SMS verification to a Chinese number, and the number needs real-name registration against your passport. The order cannot be reversed.
In personWho: YouDay 1–2
2
Pick a branch that handles foreign customers
Branches in Qianjiang New City, near the Alibaba campuses and around the central business districts see foreign employees regularly. Bank of China, ICBC, China Merchants Bank and the mainland arms of HSBC and Standard Chartered are all workable. Ask a colleague for the specific branch they used.
In personWho: YouWeek 1–2
3
Over-prepare the documents
Passport, residence permit, work permit, employer letter, lease, registration slip, phone number. One missing item costs a whole appointment.
In personWho: You
4
Link the card to Alipay and WeChat Pay the same day
In Hangzhou this is not optional. The metro, shared bikes, market stalls, hospital appointments, your electricity bill and most restaurants all expect the phone, and physical cash is genuinely awkward to use.
Mobile appWho: YouSame day
5
Set up the city service functions inside Alipay
Hangzhou pioneered municipal service integration into Alipay — transport, health codes, utility bills, hospital registration and government services all run through mini-programs. Working through these once will save you a great deal of counter time later.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Learn the outbound currency rules early
China operates capital controls with an annual individual conversion quota, and remitting salary abroad requires evidence of the income and the tax paid on it. Keep contracts, payslips and tax filings from the start.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit
Chinese mobile number in your name
Work permit or employer letter
Lease and temporary residence registration slip

Things most newcomers don’t know

Hangzhou is the most thoroughly cashless city in China, and that raises the stakes on the account.

Alipay was built here and municipal services were integrated into it earlier and more completely than anywhere else. Street stalls, temple donation boxes, public toilets and hospital registration desks all expect a QR code. The upside is enormous convenience; the downside is that the gap between arriving and having a working local account is genuinely harder here than in a city where cash still circulates. Load a foreign card into Alipay before you fly.

Source: community-reported

Real-name registration binds SIM, bank and wallet, and a passport renewal breaks all three.

Your Chinese number, bank account and payment wallets are registered against your passport number and cross-referenced. Renewing the passport changes that number and each needs updating separately. People discover this weeks later when a payment fails or the account is frozen. Do all three in the week you collect the new passport.

Source: People's Bank of China

Foreign cards in Alipay cover daily life and stop exactly where it matters.

The payment-convenience reforms allow international cards up to USD 5,000 per transaction and USD 50,000 cumulatively per year after verification, with a smaller ID-free tier below. Daily spending is solved. A rental deposit plus three months' rent can approach the single-transaction cap in one payment. Treat the foreign card as a bridge for your first fortnight, not a substitute.

Source: People's Bank of China payment guidance

Getting money out of China is a documentary problem, not a banking one.

Individuals face an annual foreign exchange conversion quota, and remitting salary abroad requires proof of income and of tax paid on it. Your employment contract, payslips and annual tax reconciliation are the enabling documents and they need to exist as you go. Waiting until departure to move several years of savings is how people find the process slow or blocked.

Source: State Administration of Foreign Exchange

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without a foreign card loaded into Alipay, in the most cashless city in China.
Attempting the account before you have a Chinese mobile number.
Not updating the bank after a passport renewal.
Expecting a foreign card in Alipay to carry a rental deposit.
Leaving all outbound transfers to the month you depart.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.