How do I register WeChat as a foreigner?
You sign up in the app with a mobile number. A foreign number is fine: WeChat says it supports numbers from over 200 countries and regions. After sign-up the app may ask you to verify again, and that is where the friend QR scan comes in. If no WeChat user is available to help, the app also offers a payment card route and a WeChat Pay route.
These are the two sign-up methods on WeChat's sign-up page:
- Mobile number. Open the app and tap "Sign Up", then "Sign up with mobile". Choose your region code, enter your mobile number and set a password.
- Facebook. Tap "Sign Up", then "Sign up via Facebook". WeChat sends you to a Facebook page to ask permission to log in. After that you still choose a region code, enter a mobile number and set a password.
Use the official version of WeChat. The sign-up page says not to use a non-official version, and your device and network should be in a safe and reliable environment. The blocked-account page names the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) as official download channels. The sign-up steps themselves don't mention a passport or any other ID.
Can I register WeChat with a foreign phone number?
Yes. WeChat's country page says it supports signing up with and linking mobile numbers from over 200 countries and regions. It names the United States, Indonesia, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan and Macao SAR as examples, and it gives no full list. If your country is not among those five, try your region code on the sign-up screen.
The Chinese government agrees on the point. The 2024 edition of the Ministry of Commerce guide for foreign business people (a Chinese embassy reposted it on 2024-04-10) says to install WeChat or Alipay, register as the app instructs, and enter a foreign or domestic mobile number.
Use a real mobile number
WeChat's unblock page lists registering with a virtual phone number among the reasons accounts get blocked. Its examples are Skype In, Google's Project Fi, Google Voice and Nexmo. It recommends a fixed phone number service and says to register again with a number that is not from a virtual phone service. Each mobile number can create only one WeChat account.
Why does WeChat ask a friend to scan a QR code?
WeChat calls it assistance registration. It appears if, after you register, the app prompts for further assistance verification or asks you to verify again when you use certain features. The routes on the sign-up page come in this order:
- Invite a nearby friend or another WeChat user to scan the QR code on your screen using their WeChat.
- If no WeChat user is available, tap "Verify via Payment Card", follow the on-screen instructions, complete authentication if asked, and finish registration.
- Or tap "Verify and Activate WeChat Pay", follow the on-screen instructions, complete authentication if asked, set a payment password and finish registration.
WeChat's sign-up page and friend-scan page do not say the helper must be Chinese, must have used WeChat for a set time, or must be in China. They give no helper conditions at all. They do warn that results may vary with the invited user's country or region, and that people in different countries or regions may face different conditions. So follow what the screen tells you rather than a rule you read on a forum.
I don't know anyone with WeChat. Can I verify with a bank card?
That is what route 2 is for. The page words it as "If no WeChat users are available to assist, you can verify with bank card." Tap "Verify via Payment Card" and follow the prompts. Route 3 is the other fallback: "Verify and Activate WeChat Pay", which ends with setting a payment password. The friend-scan page calls the same option "Verify and Activate Weixin Pay".
The sign-up page doesn't say which cards "Verify via Payment Card" accepts, or whether a card issued outside China works. Don't count on it before the screen lets you through. If you have a friend or colleague with WeChat, the QR scan is the first route WeChat lists.
Should I turn off my VPN when I register WeChat?
Yes. The sign-up page says to disconnect from any VPN during registration. The friend-scan page says the same in other words: "Please do not connect to VPN when you register a WeChat account." That page also says that if sign-up fails, you should try again. If it fails again, make sure you are not on a non-official version of WeChat and that your device and network have not been compromised.
Register WeChat before you fly to China or after you arrive?
WeChat's sign-up page doesn't say. The only hints are the two lines above: numbers from over 200 countries and regions are supported, and the government guide says a foreign or domestic number can be entered. We'd register with the number you plan to keep, since one mobile number creates only one account, and we'd switch your VPN off at that moment, wherever you are.
WeChat sign-up fails or keeps asking for assistance. What now?
Both the sign-up page and the friend-scan page link to a form. You give the mobile number you want to register with and screenshots of the failure. WeChat says it will follow up or contact you within three working days. That is the route if assistance verification still blocks you after you have retried without a VPN on an official version of the app.
My WeChat account is blocked. How do I get it back?
First work out which kind of block you have. WeChat's two blocked-account pages list these causes:
- Downloading WeChat from an unofficial channel.
- Running WeChat on an Android emulator (Bluestack, Andy and Youwave are named) or with other unofficial plugins. The blocked-account page calls these strictly prohibited.
- Sending lewd or violent content, scams, inappropriate rumors, or annoying or false ads. One page words this as having been reported for such content.
- Being reported by other users multiple times.
- Registering with a virtual number, as covered above.
Then the unblock page splits blocks into two types:
- Temporarily blocked. Follow the instructions on the login page and submit an appeal. If you still can't unblock the account, the page links to a help form.
- Permanently blocked. This applies when the account broke the WeChat Terms of Service. No unblocking option is available. If you have money left in WeChat Pay, you get login access only to withdraw it, and every other feature stays restricted. The only way to use WeChat again is to register a new account and follow the Terms of Service.
The unblock page doesn't say how long an appeal takes.
Do I need passport verification just to chat on WeChat?
The sign-up page and the friend-scan page don't mention identity documents, and neither says whether chat-only use needs real-name authentication. What WeChat does state is a WeChat Pay rule: real-name authentication is required for all WeChat Pay users. If you have no mainland ID card, it accepts a passport, a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao residents, or a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan residents.
If you have not done it, a notification pops up when you try to pay. Tap it and give the following:
- Your identity document and your full name exactly as on it, with capitalization and punctuation.
- Your mobile phone number, address and occupation.
- A photo of the ID and a clear photo of your face.
Once WeChat has valid information, it unfreezes your WeChat Pay account for payments.
What about paying with a foreign bank card?
Linking a card is a separate step. WeChat's card page asks for the card number, your full name exactly as on the bank account, the ID number used to open the account (a passport is listed), the country or region as on your ID, and the mobile number registered with the bank. An SMS code goes to that number, so it must be able to receive texts. That page does not say which banks or card networks it takes. A separate guide on this site will cover paying with a foreign card. Until then, the cash guide explains the back-up if an app won't work.
How do I switch WeChat from Chinese to English?
Open Me (我) > Settings (设置) > General (通用) > Language (多语言) and pick your language. WeChat's language page gives the same path. If your phone is set to Chinese and you can't read the menu, match the four characters in that order: 我, 设置, 通用, 多语言.
