Before you start

Passport and a valid residence permit — a tourist visa gets you a much more limited account, if any
A Chinese mobile number registered in your own name
Proof of address and often the temporary residence registration slip
Employer letter or work permit, requested by many branches

Step-by-step

1
Get the SIM first — it gates the bank
Chinese accounts require a Chinese mobile number for SMS verification, and the number itself requires real-name registration against your passport. Doing the bank first simply does not work.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Choose a branch that handles foreign customers
Bank of China, ICBC, China Merchants Bank and the mainland arms of HSBC and Standard Chartered all open accounts for foreign residents in Shanghai. Practice varies by branch more than by bank — a central Shanghai branch used to foreign staff is far quicker than a suburban one, and going with a colleague who has done it recently is genuinely the best tactic.
In personWho: YouWeek 2
3
Bring more paperwork than you think you need
Passport, residence permit, phone number, employer letter, work permit, lease, police registration slip. Not every branch asks for all of it; being turned away for one missing document costs you a whole appointment.
In personWho: You
4
Link the account to Alipay and WeChat Pay immediately
This is what converts the account into daily usability. Once linked, everything from the metro to the vegetable stall to your electricity bill runs through the phone. Set both up — some merchants and services accept only one.
Mobile appWho: YouSame day
5
Understand the outbound currency rules before you need them
China operates capital controls. Individuals have an annual foreign-exchange conversion quota, and sending salary abroad generally requires evidence of the income and of tax paid on it. Plan remittances rather than discovering the rules mid-transfer.
In personWho: You
6
Keep an active foreign account and card
Do not close your home-country banking. You will need it for anything blocked from a Chinese card, for travel, and as the receiving end of any transfer out.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

Real-name registration ties your SIM, your bank account and your payment apps into one identity.

China requires identity registration for mobile numbers, bank accounts and payment wallets, and the three are cross-referenced. The practical consequence is that everything is sequential — passport and residence permit produce a SIM, the SIM produces a bank account, the account produces working payment apps — and that a change to any one of them, especially a new passport number, propagates to all the others. Update the bank the same week you renew a document.

Source: People's Bank of China

Foreign cards now work in Alipay and WeChat Pay, but the caps are real.

Following the payment-convenience push, both apps accept international cards with a single-transaction cap of USD 5,000 and an annual cumulative cap of USD 50,000 after identity verification, with a smaller ID-free tier below that. That covers a visit comfortably and covers a life badly — a rental deposit alone can approach the single-transaction ceiling. It is a bridge for your first weeks, not a replacement for the local account.

Source: People's Bank of China payment guidance

Getting money out of China is harder than getting it in, and the constraint is documentary.

Individuals face an annual foreign-exchange conversion quota, and remitting salary abroad generally requires proof of the income and of the tax paid on it — which in practice means keeping your employment contract, payslips and tax records filed rather than discarded. People discover this when they leave and try to move several years of savings at once. Move money out steadily and keep the evidence as you go.

Source: State Administration of Foreign Exchange

Branch practice varies more than bank policy does.

Two branches of the same bank a kilometre apart in Shanghai can give different answers about what a foreign resident needs, because the national rules leave discretion and the branch's experience with foreign customers decides how it is exercised. This is not obstruction — it is unfamiliarity. Ask a colleague which specific branch they used and go there; it is the single highest-leverage piece of advice for banking in China.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open an account before you have a Chinese mobile number in your own name.
Turning up at a suburban branch that has never onboarded a foreign customer.
Renewing a passport and not updating the bank, then finding the account restricted.
Assuming foreign cards in Alipay will carry a rental deposit — the transaction cap will not.
Leaving all outbound transfers until the week you depart.

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