Internet, SIM and blocked services
Part of Before you go, a sourced pre-trip guide for a first visit to Shanghai. Checked 2026-10-03; rules change, so each step links to its source. Data version 5e1254c0b277.
7/15/30 days — Short-term China Telecom SIM options at the Pudong ISS desk.
In short
- Buy a SIM at a carrier store with your passport.
- Scan your passport page for free PVG Wi-Fi.
- Plan offline copies of tickets, addresses and maps.
- VPNs need a Chinese government licence, per FCDO.
Google, Facebook, YouTube and X are blocked
1. Chinese authorities control internet access, according to FCDO China print advice.
2. Some services are permanently blocked, including Google, Facebook, YouTube and X.
3. Other sites may be blocked at times.
4. The same page says internet access can also be limited around key political events and dates.
5. Plan offline copies of tickets, hotel addresses and maps before you rely on those services.
- The FCDO China print advice is updated 27 August 2026 and still current on 3 October 2026.
Sources: UK FCDO
FCDO: VPNs need a Chinese government licence
1. FCDO says China's cybersecurity laws require online products and services, for example VPNs, to be licensed by the Chinese government.
2. FCDO points readers to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
3. This guide restates that licensing requirement. It does not name, recommend or explain how to install or use a VPN.
Sources: UK FCDO
Passport at carrier stores; ISS sells short-term SIMs
1. Buy a SIM at a China Unicom, China Telecom or China Mobile store.
2. Choose a package, show your passport and the SIM size, then purchase and register.
3. At PVG, the baggage-claim zone sells SIM cards, portable Wi-Fi rental and currency exchange.
4. The International Services Shanghai one-stop centres (PVG T1/T2 arrivals, SHA T1) cover payment, tourism, communication and transport.
5. The 7-, 15- and 30-day China Telecom SIM with a passport is on the Pudong ISS report.
6. The Nihao Mobile online path needs photos of the passport bio page and the Chinese visa page.
7. It also needs the entry-stamp page and a selfie video.
8. That is the service-provider flow printed on the government page, not an endorsement by this guide.
9. The page does not say what a 240-hour TWOV visitor should upload if they have no visa page.
10. On the PVG free airport Wi-Fi login page, scan the passport photo page if you do not have a Chinese number.
- The store steps are on the city mobile guide (updated 22 August 2025).
- The PVG baggage-claim zone detail is dated 24 April 2026.
- The one-stop centre page is dated 19 March 2026; the 7/15/30-day SIM is on the 24 April 2026 Pudong ISS report, not the 19 March overview.
Sources: Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Shanghai Municipal People's Government
No official minute to install or turn on a travel eSIM
1. Do not expect an official activation minute for a travel eSIM.
2. No english.shanghai.gov.cn page ranks travel-eSIM brands or states one.
3. Installing a profile, turning the line on and starting a paid validity window are different actions.
4. Treat the carrier-store and ISS paths above as the official SIM facts; visitor timing stays in the tips.
- Not confirmed by an official source yet.
Sources: Shanghai Municipal People's Government
Traveller tips
- One traveller's eSIM setup timing. A traveller on Reddit (June 2025) installed an Airalo eSIM at home and activated it after landing, and kept a T-Mobile home eSIM for SMS and calls. They still received bank and Alipay SMS on the T-Mobile line in China. The brand names are the author's purchase, not a recommendation. _Outside the 12-month window for visitor_reported main fields as of 3 October 2026._ (cv-x, 2025-06-24)
- A family of four used eSIMs. A traveller on Reddit (January 2026) reported four eSIMs bought through Alipay (Trip.com); one was set up before entering China and three were activated in Shanghai, and they were used in Shanghai and Xi'an. A follow-up the same night said they used hotel Wi-Fi and wrote it was not really needed. One family's January 2026 experience; brand names are that family's purchase. (TheWanderingSalmon5, 2026-01-10; TheWanderingSalmon5, 2026-01-11)
- Keep SMS working for payments. A commenter on Reddit (November 2025) wrote that you will not get verification SMS for Alipay or WeChat in China if you have set everything up correctly at home, which does not say the phone cannot receive SMS. On the same thread, another traveller reported that their bank blocked WeChat purchases without SMS codes, and a follow-up said those codes were reachable only on Wi-Fi because roaming did not work, while a partner's Alipay needed an SMS the partner never received. Keep the ability to receive bank and payment verification SMS during the trip. Two commenters' November 2025 reports; this round does not promise that verification finishes once. (trainerkittyk, 2025-11-18; Nickexp, 2025-11-18; Nickexp, 2025-11-18)
- Airport ISS sells short-term SIMs. At the ISS one-stop in the Pudong public arrivals hall, you can apply for a 7-, 15- or 30-day short-term China Telecom SIM with a passport or other valid ID (Shanghai.gov.cn, 24 April 2026). The baggage-claim area also sells SIMs while you wait for luggage, and the free PVG Wi-Fi accepts a scan of the passport photo page. The 19 March overview does not reprint the 7/15/30-day packages for Hongqiao. (Shanghai Municipal People's Government, 2026-04-24)
- Nihao Mobile online uploads. The city English mobile-services page lists Nihao Mobile as the online path for the three carriers, with required uploads of the passport photo page, the Chinese visa page, the entry-stamp page and a selfie video. A 240-hour TWOV visitor may not have a visa page, and the page does not say what to upload instead; use the airport ISS counter with a passport if the online form does not fit. This is the printed provider flow, not a recommendation of Nihao. (Shanghai Municipal People's Government)
- A local SIM may be optional. A commenter on Reddit (November 2025) wrote that if you are travelling around major Chinese cities for two weeks, you do not really need a local SIM, and that Alipay and WeChat Pay can work without a Chinese number. The same comment reports first-hand eSIM use with a ChillaxSIM after two days in Hong Kong: a partner's line worked, while theirs dropped after three days until support restored it. One commenter's conditional advice and eSIM experience, not a completed two-week itinerary; brand names are that author's purchase. (cutie2k24, 2025-11-04)