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Travel eSIM

eSIM China

Plans

How many eSIMs?

For family or friends: each eSIM has its own QR code, and you pay once.

1

You buy in a few minutes, and the eSIM is waiting in your account straight away. See how to install an eSIM on your phone.

Before you fly

Internet in China without roaming: a guide

Internet in China: roaming, a Chinese SIM or an eSIM?

With Polish operators China belongs to a distant, very expensive roaming zone. A Chinese SIM is cheap, but it has to be registered with your passport, and on a Chinese network you will not open Google, WhatsApp or Instagram. An eSIM bought in Poland solves both problems at once.

OptionWhat you have to doPolish numberGoogle, WhatsApp, Instagram
Roaming package from your Polish operatorTurn it on in the operator's appStaysThey work, but a gigabyte is very expensive
Chinese SIM card (China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom)A shop, registration with your passport, swapping the cardGone from the phoneBlocked
siEmanko! eSIM bought before you flyFive minutes at home over Wi-FiStays, you get the texts from your bankThey work as at home

What to know about China in particular

  • Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN. The packages connect to the China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom networks, but the traffic goes out to the internet through Hong Kong or Singapore, before Chinese filtering applies to it. So Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube open just as they do in Poland.
  • Wi-Fi in China is filtered. In a hotel, a café or at the airport the same services will not open, because the traffic goes through a Chinese network. Use the eSIM for WhatsApp and maps, and buy and install it while still in Poland.
  • Alipay and WeChat Pay on your Polish number. Both apps accept Visa and Mastercard cards from abroad, and you set up the account on your Polish number. The verification code comes by text, and your Polish SIM stays in the phone next to the eSIM, so you will receive it.
  • Visa-free for up to 30 days. Until 31 December 2026 Polish citizens enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days. If you fly later, check whether the scheme has been extended.
  • Coverage. According to China's ministry MIIT, the network covers every town and more than 95% of villages; in high mountains and in the desert there can be gaps.

How much data for a trip to China

TripHow much to takeWhat it covers
A week in Beijing or Shanghai3–5 GBMaps, WhatsApp, paying by phone, a translator
Two or three weeks touring10 GBInstagram, train bookings, translating with the camera
A month or remote work20 GB or moreVideo calls, files, films

Before you fly

  1. 1.
    Dial *#06#: an EID line means the phone supports eSIM. The phone must not be locked to an operator.
  2. 2.
    Choose a package for China and pay with BLIK, a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
  3. 3.
    Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi: instructions for your phone.
  4. 4.
    While still in Poland, install Alipay or WeChat and add your card.
  5. 5.
    After landing, switch data to the eSIM and turn on data roaming on it. On your Polish SIM leave data roaming off, but keep the SIM itself on so texts come through.

Questions about the internet in China

Do I need a VPN to use WhatsApp in China?

Not on a siEmanko! eSIM: the package's traffic goes out to the internet outside China, so WhatsApp works as it does in Poland. On Chinese Wi-Fi and a Chinese SIM it will not open.

Is Google Maps enough in China?

It will open, but its map of China is less accurate, because maps of China may only be made by companies with a Chinese licence. For navigation Amap is better, and it has an English version.

Do I have to register with my passport?

Not with an eSIM bought in Poland. Passport registration applies to Chinese SIM cards bought locally.

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