Countries with no visa requirement for holders of a PRC (People’s Republic of China) passport:

Benin

Length of visa free stay: 3 months
Notes: Vaccination against Yellow Fever is required.



Source: Timatic

Cook Islands

Length of visa free stay: 31 days
Notes: onward/return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Dominica

Length of visa free stay: 21 days
Notes: onward/return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Dominican Republic

Length of visa free stay: 30 days
Notes: tourist card has to be purchased on arrival



Source: Timatic

Fiji

Length of visa free stay: 4 months
Notes: onward/return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Micronesia

Length of visa free stay: 30 days
Notes: onward/return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Niue

Length of visa free stay: 30 days
Notes: onward/return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Seychelles

Length of visa free stay: 1 months
Notes: onward/return tickets required and proof of accommodation



Source: Timatic

Vanuatu

Length of visa free stay: 30 days
Notes: return tickets required



Source: Timatic

Finding an apartment to rent online is not easy in China. There are thousands of apartments on the Internet and it is hard to tell the quality, even if they look very good in the picture. You will have to spend some time at it. If you see a really good one and it is available, contact the landlord or the agency and visit it as soon as possible. After visiting you can ask them to keep the apartment for you, but the landlord won’t hold it long without a deposit. Once other people decide to give a deposit, the flat is gone. Unless you speak Chinese, looking online for your flat is not a really practical solution, but it can give you a rough idea of the market.

Real Estate Agencies:

• http://www.century21cn.com/ worldwide estate agent
• http://www.chuzuwu.com/ A Chinese language estate agent with good selection all over China

Local Market:

• http://www.byzj.cn/
• http://www.hihomechina.com/
• http://soufun.com/
• http://www.zufang.com/
• http://fang.koubei.com/
• http://www.58.com/zufang/
• http://www.okfang.com/
• http://rent.online.sh.cn/
• http://beijing.liebiao.com/
• http://www.rentahome.cn/ (short-term rental)
• http://www.zt3.cn/
• http://www.2sf.com.cn/

Here you can find apartments offered directly by the landlord, so you do not have to pay any fee for an estate agent.

Rent an apartment by local real estate agencies

During the economic crisis, a lot of real estate agencies in China disappeared, but it’s still quite easy to find them in any area in larger cities, even in small towns you will find at least a few.
If you speak Chinese you can check the local Yellow book to find a real estate agency or call 114 and ask for one. If you are not comfortable enough in Chinese, you can walk around an area you like and see if any of the local estate agents speak a bit of English. Most agents do not speak English, unless they specialize in the foreigners market. Expatriate (expat) websites and forums can also be a good place to find the address of a good English-speaking real estate agent. You can also ask one of your Chinese friends for his or her help. Once you find your estate agent, you can start making appointments to see a few apartments in the following days. Always leave plenty of time between appointments because landlords or estate agents are not always very punctual or fast. Be very clear as to your requirements, such as: 24 hour hot shower availability, internet access, western style toilet etc. If you know in which location you prefer to live, you have to let them know that as well, otherwise they will take you to visit those apartments way below your requirements or far away from where you actually want to be. This would waste your time but local estate agents would not consider or value your time. If you find an apartment you like, the agent will ask for a deposit of perhaps RMB100-500 or so to make sure you will take it. If you decide not to take it after that, the agency will not return your deposit.
Landlords and estate agents are not always honest about problems an apartment may have, so you need to be very careful. Be sure to check the water system; test the hot water and make sure the toilet flushes. Check also the stove and the electrical system (lights and plugs). Once you have signed your lease, it will be very difficult to get the landlord to fix those problems and in most cases they will not even pay to have them fixed.

How to sign an apartment lease
Very few agencies have dual language Chinese-English leases, and only the Chinese version is a legal document. When you sign a Chinese lease, you have to read it carefully in order to protect your rights. The agency usually will not let you take the lease away to have it checked, so it would be good to have someone you trust helping or translating for you. In some places, you may sign a one-year or a three months lease and pay the rent every three months with a one-month deposit as is done in Beijing and Shanghai. In other places, such as Kunming and Chengdu, you will usually have to sign a minimum six-months lease and pay the full six months in advance.
The required deposit for the flat can vary greatly depending on its quality. For an ordinary flat, the landlord will ask you for a one-month deposit, but a luxury flat may demand a full three-months deposit. You should be able to get most of your deposit returned at the end of the lease, if you leave the flat in very good condition.
The agency will usually ask for the equivalent of one months rent as payment for finding you an apartment, so before you hire any agency, be sure to ask how much they charge. In some places, you may be required to pay less than one months rent if you negotiate. With a little luck, they may lower the price in the low season.

The price of renting an apartment
The price of the apartment depends upon the size, the location and the city. Flats in China are usually unfurnished, even if at times the stove and the fridge are included. A regular Chinese two-bedroom apartment usually costs RMB800-1200 per month, while a three-bedroom apartment may cost RMB1400-1800 per month. In a good location, such as downtown, it can cost an additional RMB200-500. In a large city, like Beijing, it will cost even more – an additional RMB200-500 would not be unusual. If the flat is fully furnished, it might cost 10-20% beyond that.
All these prices are what would be charged for a regular Chinese flat. If you want a modern flat, your starting price would be the highest price of a regular flat. Count on paying RMB1200-1800 for a modern two-bedroom flat and RMB1800-3000 for a three-bedroom. If you want higher quality or even a luxury flat, prices vary too much from city to city to give a meaningful price bracket, but you can expect to pay prices equivalent to what you would be paying back home in a similar sized city in western countries.

Other options
The local expat-communities are a great resource for local information. They can provide useful suggestions and good recommendations. There is usually a web site for expats to discuss events and various other things. You will be able to find a lot of useful and needed information there, and usually if you just ask a question, you will receive an answer very quickly.

A quick google search for “expat” + <city name> should give you some sites. Examples:

• http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/
• http://www.beijing.alloexpat.com/
• http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/
• http://www.expatsz.com/
• http://bestofguangzhou.com/
• http://www.gokunming.com/

In websites such as these, you might be able to find a flat to share. This can be a fairly flexible and cheaper solution than renting your own flat. Flat sharing is widespread in China, especially among young professionals, university students and foreigners learning Chinese. Check the rental market and expect to find a mid-market or upper flat to share. If you team-up with other people from the start you can expect to split the rent equally, however, if you join an apartment already set-up your share will probably be higher and also include a pro-rata for the furniture. It is still a cheaper solution if you are staying less than one year, as buying furniture can cost the equivalent of several months rent.

Different types of hotels:

1. Star-level Hotels
Star-level hotels in China can have between one to five stars based upon the design and size of the hotel, its furnishings, the quality of its service and its management. Management of the ’stars’ standard falls to The Chinese National Tourism Administration, however the number of stars granted a hotel might not be a very precise indication of its service level. In fact, stars give only a very rough idea of the quality of a hotel, so it is always better to visit the room you are going to stay in before making any payment.

1-Star Hotels
A one-star hotel must have a front desk and at least 15 guest rooms. They must have basic facilities and a lodging notice posted. 70% of the guest rooms must have a hot shower, and there must be separate bathrooms for men and women located on the same floor. Do not expect English service, Internet hookup or breakfast service.
Cost for these hotels is around RMB100-120 per night, depending on the city and location. You can probably negotiate the price.

(example one-star room)

2-Star Hotels
Two-star hotels usually have comfortable facilities, better quality and better service than 1-star hotels. They must have at least 20 guest rooms and their rooms must be both comfortable and clean. Rooms have private baths and some 2-star hotels may also offer breakfast. Some staff may speak some English. If you are lucky, you may find Internet hookup in the room and actually be able to use it without technical problems.
The rates are around RMB140-160. Rates are often negotiable.

(example two-star room)

3-Star Hotels
Guest rooms in 3-star hotels are equipped with an air-conditioner, color TV, telephone, double curtain, a desk, and at least one couch as well as a private bathroom. They offer better quality soap and shampoo, and perhaps that there are supplies like coffee maker, hot water maker and hair dryer, made available. Hot and cold water is available 24 hours a day and Internet access is usually available as well. You will find in the room a pricelist of the various services offered by the hotel. The front desk will also have information on local transportation and a map of the local scenic areas. They should provide a 24-hour room reservation service and a safe for the guests’ valuables. They offer breakfast and other meals. Some of the staff can speak basic, everyday English.
They charge around RMB180-350, prices differ widely between large and small cities.

(example three-star room)

4-Star Hotels
Four-star hotels are only accredited in provincial capitals and major tourist destinations. The standard of quality varies greatly between provinces and between hotels. At some 4-star hotels you may feel like a king/queen, yet after visiting others you might prefer to stay at a comfortable 3-star. These are supposed to be luxurious properties that translate to mean at least 70% of the guest rooms must have a refrigerator, carpet and good sofa, etc.
Hotels above the 3-star standard are supposed to have restaurants, bar, coffee shop, banquet hall, conference rooms, laundry facilities, business center, a 24-hour baggage service, an 18-hour foreign currency exchange service and 24-hour room service. They are supposed to provide excellent Chinese and western food and have a number of staff speaking good English. Unfortunately, this criterion is not always met.
Cost at these hotels is around RMB400-650. Prices are not usually negotiable but promotional discounts may be available.

(a very nice example of four-star room)

5-Star Hotels
The quality of 5-star hotels in China varies greatly from one hotel to another, however the standard calls for a 5-star hotel to be a luxury property with spacious and soundproof rooms. Hotels above a 4-star level must also be in a prime location such as the city center or at an international airport. It is also expected that the hotel would have a great view, a large lobby, a health club, a spa – in short, they offer their guests the best comforts. Their staff should also provide excellent service and have professional English skills.
In larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there are many well-known international chains and among these may be found the Hyatt, Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Four Seasons, Hilton, Marriott, Intercontinental, Shangri-La and Kempinski. Those chains will offer you the expected luxurious services but in most cases without local charm. You might as well be staying in Berlin or Chicago, and their prices will tend to be higher than the local luxury hotels.
Some local 5-star hotels can rightly be called luxury hotels but a large number of the local 5-star are only meeting the US or European 4-star standard. As usual in China, you should check out the room before taking it. If you are planning to enjoy a bit of luxury in a local 5-star, take five minutes at the airport to buy one of those little luxury hotel guidebooks; it is worth the small investment and you might find one of these hidden gems.
This is the most expensive hotel category, so expect to spend between RMB700 to RMB3000 per room per night. Prices are higher in high-volume business cities than in other cities. Prices are also higher than usual during exhibition times.

(example 5-star room)

” Important Note
For most hotels in China, check-in is generally after 2:00 p.m. and check-out is usually by noon. A later check out can be arranged, but an extra charge (typically half of the daily room rate) may be required. It is wise to take your hotel/room card with you when you leave the hotel. It contains the telephone number and address printed in both Chinese and English and could greatly facilitate your return to the hotel.

2. Vacation Resorts
It’s very hard to distinguish between star-level hotels and vacation resorts in China. A lot of hotels also function as vacation resorts, however most professional vacation resorts are in Hainan and Qingdao, close to the sea or nature. Others are mainly found in bigger cities or in tourist cities. Their quality varies greatly from one location to the next. Check on the Internet for recommendations and ask for suggestions before you go there.

3. Economic Chain Hotel
These have been increasing rapidly in the past few years in China, along with the growth of international travelers. They are not aimed at the foreign market but rather are targeting the increasing Chinese market. The aim of these chains is to offer people a nice and clean but simple accommodation at reasonable rates. Indeed, an increasing number of people choose the economic hotel chain because they are clean as well as cheaper than the star-level hotels.
The economic chain hotel style is very simple. Although they have all the usual hotel facilities, everything is of medium or low quality. Most of them have Internet access and they offer breakfast and other meals as well. Typically you will also have a shower and/or toilet corner in the bedroom.
This type of chain hotel may be found all over Chinese cities, and they are getting more and more white-collar customers, from families to businessmen. They also offer monthly-rental rooms with a discount, which is particularly useful when you are trying to settle into a new city. They also offer lower rates for single travelers.
These hotels are an excellent option if you wish to keep your budget fairly low. The foreign traveler however, should keep in mind that these hotels are aimed at the local Chinese market and therefore offer minimal customer service with usually a non-English speaking staff (but a phrasebook can go a long way with staff not used to seeing foreigners). Of course, for the traveler wanting to try out their newly learned Mandarin, this is a place of choice, as you will meet all kinds of Chinese people (with a limited command of English).
Economic hotel chains charge between RMB90 to RMB350, depending upon location and time of year. In the largest Chinese cities (Beijing, Shanghai and a few others) you will see the higher prices while in most other cities you should find a double room for RMB120-200 and a single room for RMB90-160.

(A nice but fairly typical Economic Hotel room)

4. Youth Hostel
Youth Hostels are getting more popular in China, their main customers being students and backpackers. Typically they will find 2 types of rooms: private rooms and dorm-style rooms. The dorm-style layout is often four, six or even ten bunk beds in a room with a communal shower and toilet facilities on the same floor. Private rooms can include a shower. In popular tourist areas you can probably find someone who can speak some English in youth hostels.
The appeal of Youth Hostels is that they offer low rates with simple, but pretty clean and safe facilities. In practice, private rooms in Youth hostels are similar in style and price to rooms in Economic hotels, however for the traveler who wants to travel on a budget, the price of a bunk bed in a dorm room is hard to beat. A bunk bed in a dorm room will run between RMB25 to RMB80, depending upon the city.

(Not all Youth Hostel are as clean as this one)

5. Low-end Hotels
Low-end hotels are typically run by a family in a local neighborhood. They are usually outside the city centre or near universities. They offer the cheapest price and the most basic (low quality) facilities. Safety depends greatly upon the neighborhood, but if you have some valuables with you, you should probably skip these local hotels (or keep your valuables with you at all times). Though the price could be as little as RMB15-25 they will typically cost around RMB40-50 for a room. Some of these hotels however, will not accept foreigners, as most of them do not have the proper license for lodging foreign tourists.

(TV is a perk in low-end hotels)

How to book a hotel room

1. Book the hotel by phone call
If you can speak Chinese or you have a friend who can, you can call the front desk to ask what types of rooms they have available at your dates. If the room you want is available, ask for the price and a discount as well. They will need your personal information and the more expensive hotel might also ask for your credit card number in order to secure the booking (but they will not charge it). Before hanging up, take the time to check that they have your arrival date and departure date correct. Errors are common with Chinese hotels when booking over the phone. If there is a need, ask the hotel if they do pick-up service from the airport or train station, and the cost. Some hotels will do it for free while others will charge you.

2. Book the hotel online
Booking a hotel over the Internet in China is not much different than elsewhere. First choose the type of hotel you want, then check that the type of room you want is available on your dates. It is important to remember that website “star” ratings are not necessarily the official stars of the hotel. In most cases it is just a ranking made by the website itself.
It is not recommended you prepay for the booking of a hotel you don’t know yourself. As mentioned before, it is always better to visit the room before making payment. Some booking website ask for full payment upon booking while others only take your credit card to secure the booking, in which case you are required to pay upon arrival. Read carefully the booking condition of any website before booking. If you are booking a hotel you just picked off the Internet you should really make your booking via a website that only secures the booking but does not take the full payment.
Since every major city in China has hundreds of hotels, it is most practical to first decide on your budget. What kind of hotel do you want and what are you ready to spend? Low-end hotels will never be advertised on the Internet. Youth hostels are usually easy to find online, either on their own website or on a booking website. Economic chain hotels tend to have their own websites, but they can also be advertised on booking websites. “Elong” is a good place to find them, since this website is aimed mainly at Chinese customers. Vacation resorts use booking websites in the low season to fill their rooms and some bargains are possible then. Of course star-level hotels are widely available on booking websites.
As you have read in previous sections, the star system in China is rather unreliable. Indeed a bad 3 star hotel can charge the same as an economic hotel and offer a quality of service and accommodation lower than the economic hotel. In many cases an economic hotel is a better bargain than a 2 star hotel.
The Internet can be a great way of finding a good 4 or 5 star hotel. “Tripadvisor” is your friend when you are looking for upper quality or luxury hotels. Thousands of travelers are reviewing hotels and posting their own pictures of the hotels. “Tripadvisor” uses these reviews to rank the hotels by cities. Looking at the reviews can allow you to find a good bargain or save you from booking a bad 4 or 5 star, or simply save you from booking a hotel which is undergoing major renovateing!
Some upper or luxury hotels will also offer long-stay package rates for stays longer than 2 weeks, but the practice is not widespread. In major cities, however, if you are planning to stay 2 weeks or more it might be worth checking directly the hotel websites, especially for the ones that have good reviews.

Below are some links for booking a hotel online.

• http://en.venere.com/china/ A famous worldwide booking site
• http://www.elong.com/hotels/ The largest Chinese booking site.
• http://www.asiarooms.com/china/ A large selection of hotels for Asia but not always the best bargain.
• http://www.booking.com/hotel/cn/ A worldwide booking site with usually good bargains in Asia
• http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g294211-China-Vacations.html A worldwide famous collection of hotel reviews made by travelers. The review can be extremely up-to-date.

Insurance companies in China require patients to first pay for treatment, and then send all claims and receipts to the insurance company. Some of the best hospitals in China have direct billing arrangements with certain international health insurance companies. These arrangements are still the exception rather than the rule. Contact your insurance broker to determine which hospitals have direct billing arrangements with your international health insurance provider.

Recently, a company called Dadi Insurance offers an insurance which is “Global Medical Insurance” for the upper class and foreigners in China. It’s the a newest medical plan cooperating with Global Benefits Group (GBG). It covers outpatient service, physical examination, childbirth, dentistry, ophthalmology and so on.
http://www.ccic-net.com.cn/
If you are currently traveling in China, you may consider purchasing separate travel insurance. Check with the website http://www.globalcare-cocco.com/ to get more details.
If you are looking for health insurance advice:
Telephone: +86 21 6445 4592
Fax: +86 21 6467 0328
http://www.global-health-insurance.com/country/china/

Local Medical Insurance

Foreigners in China cannot buy social medical insurance. But if they are living in China for a long time, they can buy business medical insurance. Requirements are: a passport and residence registration. Check with the local insurance companies to get more information.
The biggest insurance company in China is “Chian Life Insuranse(Group) Company”, their branches are all over China. Call at: 95519 http://www.chinalife.com.cn/

This hospital in Beijing accepts foreign insurance.
http://www.gamhospital.ac.cn/
Two more web sites for foreigners to get an insurance plan in China are:

1. http://www.jiankangxh.com/
2. http://www.bjanhui.com.cn/medical/global/

These two TCM pharmacies are the most recognized in larger cities.

1. Tongjitang Chinese Medicine http://www.tongjitang.com
   
2. Tonrentang Chinese Medicine http://www.tongrentang-yaodian.com.cn/
   

Here is a link to Guang’anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
http://www.gamhospital.ac.cn/

1. Nepstar Chian Drugstore http://www.nepstar.cn/

This brand is one of the largest pharmacies in China and it has the most branches and the best sales in the north of China.

2. Laobaixing Chian Drugstore http://www.lbxdrugs.com/

This brand has lots of branches which cover the central part of China in blue color, check them on the map)

3. Yixingtang Chian drugstore http://www.hx8886.com/

Most of this brand’s branches are in South-west of China and the main branch is in Yunnan province.

In China, there are two types of hospitals, national hospitals and private hospitals. In larger places, you can find all kinds of divisional hospitals, especially in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. In smaller places, you will have less choice. In most of the cities in China, you will find a hospital called “people’s hospital”; some places have a few of the “people’s hospital” and they are called “First people’s hospital”, “Second people’s hospital” etc. Usually, they can be found in the capital of each province. But in the countryside or remote places, you might only find some local clinics. The difference between national hospitals and private hospitals are:

The number for First Aid information in China is 120. Here are two websites you can use to check the information of hospitals of China. It has all the details about the city, type, address, and contact numbers for hospitals all over China.

China Hospitals: http://www.hospital315.com/

Hospitals Guide: http://www.12077.com/

Seeing doctors in a national or local hospital

You cannot make an appointment to visit the doctor in national hospitals. You just have to go directly there. But you’d better go early, otherwise there will be a lot of people waiting in front of you and you may not get the chance to see the doctors before they get off work for the day. Once you arrive at the hospital, go to the information center to find out where the registration hall is and then go straight there to pay for the registration fees. You will get a receipt, keep it in your hand and go to where the doctor is and give it to the nurse. She’ll give you a waiting number, and then you wait to be called. Most of the old doctors don’t speak English, but some of the young doctors speak some English. If you don’t have somebody to translate for you, you’d better bring some notes in Chinese stating what you need, just in case there’s nobody there who speaks decent English. But you can make an appointment in private hospitals, and usually they can offer English service.

International Hospitals

The quality of international hospitals varies greatly from urban centers to rural countryside. Some urban hospitals have a special foreigner ward or VIP ward, both of which accept foreigners and are generally of a higher quality. There are a few international hospitals and clinics in major cities geared toward international visitors. If you have an emergency, check the Red Cross hospital where you are located. Red Cross hospitals tend to do a good job and their quality is good in general.

Below you will find information about some international hospitals in China.

Global Doctor: It runs 8 international clinics with the latest technology and telemedicine in Beijing, Nangjing, Shenyang, Changsha, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Chongqing and also provides emergency evacuation. Global Doctor’s Clinics are staffed by English speaking doctors using modern equipment in hygienic surroundings ensuring that all your health needs are met.

24hrs Alarm Center:

Room 3317,Van Palace Bld E Tower,No.2, Guandongdian S St., Chaoyang District,Beijing
TEL:+86 10 5131 6222
Fax:+86 10 5207 8144
Email:responsecenter@globaldoctor.com.au

Check http://www.globaldoctor.com for more details.

Below is a list of international hospitals in major cities:

1. Bethune International Peace Hospital. It’s the first international hospital in Beijing. It was built in 1973. http://www.peacehospital.com/
2. Beijing university international hospital http://www.pkucare.com/cn/
3. Beijing New Century International Hospital for Children http://www.ncich.com.cn/
4. Shanghai International Peace Maternal and Child Health Hospital http://www.ipmch.com.cn
5. Xiangya International Hospital http://www.xiangya.com.cn
6. Mingde International Hospital http://www.matilda.org/chi/index.php
7. Halixun International Hospital http://www.halixun.com/
8. Jiangxi Zhonghuan International Hospital http://www.zhhospital.com/
9. Chongqing Jinshan International Hospital http://www.hospitalcqmu.com/
10. Yunnan Richland International Hospital http://www.intrh.com/

China is one of the few countries that does not allow foreigners to drive a car/motorbike using a foreign or even an international driving license. You have to apply for a chinese driving license, but only have to do the theoretical exam.

Got to the responsible office for driving licenses in your city. You can ask you local PSB where it is.

Requirements

• passport photos – a lot of, sometimes 7(!) are required
• (temporary) residence registration from the local PSB
• your foreign driving license
• your passport
• money: 290 RMB
  The fee consists of 10 RMB for the actual license which is valid 6 years. 280 RMB allows you to do the written test. One repetition is included in case you fail the first time.

Procedure for Registration

• Queue up on the reception counters
• Get an application form
• Fill the registration form (sometimes the application form is only available in chinese and must be filled in chinese, so you might want to take a chinese friend with you)
• Hand the form back in.
• Do a “medical examination”, which in fact only consists of an eye-check.
• Pay the fee.

Procedure for doing the Test

• Wait until someone guides you to the test room and give him the receipt you have received before
• A computer will be appointed to you
• Select one of the possible test languages: chinese, english, spanish, japanese, french, russian
• Do the multiple choice test which consists of 100 questions out of ~1000 within the time constrains of 45 minutes.
• After you have finished the test, you will immediately see the result. You have passed it if it is equal or over 90%.

Notes

In many bigger chinese cities are companies targeting expats that help you to prepare for the test. They usually point out some “hard questions” that might differ from common sense. It is however easy to find out yourself. Just download the question papers below.

Chinese Drivers License Test-Question Downloads
These are all possible test questions in a compressed word-document.

(22 MB each)

Test Questions for Cars in chinese
Test Questions for Cars in english
Test Questions for Cars in spanish
Test Questions for Cars in japanese
Test Questions for Cars in french
Test Questions for Cars in russian

Test Questions for Motorcycles in chinese
Test Questions for Motorcycles in english
Test Questions for Motorcycles in spanish
Test Questions for Motorcycles in japanese
Test Questions for Motorcycles in french
Test Questions for Motorcycles in russian

Alternatives

It seems that some cities do not have the international system installed yet and only offer chinese questions. In that case you can bring a “translator” with you to help you translate the test questions. It seems that some of those translators know a bit more though …

In China, there are quite a few banks. They are of three different kinds.

• The first kind is the central bank (THE PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA).
• The second kind are the state-owned and national banks such as BANK OF CHINA, AGRICULTURAL BANK OF CHINA, ICBC (INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF CHINA) and CHINA CONSTUCTION BANK.
• The Third kind are private banks such as BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS, CHINA MERCHANTS BANK, CHINA CITI BANK, HUAXIA BANK and also some regional banks such as SPD BANK of Shanghai and SHENZHEN DEVELOPMENT BANK of Shenzhen.

The central bank does not take private or business customers, it only deals with other banks, so you can open an account only in the second and third kind of bank. The second kind, national banks, tend to have an extensive branch network all over China and are convenient for people traveling regularly within the country. These banks share their ATM network, which means that you can use your debit card in any ATM of the national banks. The third kind is more business oriented and can be more adequate for business people, however their branches network tend to be much smaller and their debit cards might not work in other ATM network.

The most common ATM networks in China are Union Pay, Visa and Master Card, so if your bank offers you a card affiliated to one of those networks you should be able to use it everywhere in China.

In the next section you will find the details of the most recognized banks in China.

International bank transfer

For international bank transfers Chinese banks are not yet using IBAN code (the most common code in the world used for bank transfer), they are still using BIC or Swift code. BIC and Swift code are the same, they are just older systems for bank transfer. The first part of the Swift code is an 8 letter series specific to each bank while the second part is the 3 digit transit number provided by each branch.

Bank details

Below you will find the name, website, logo, customer telephone number and the first part of the Swift code of the banks.

THE PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA

http://www.pbc.gov.cn/

BANK OF CHINA

http://www.boc.cn/en/static/index.html
Swift code: BKCHCNBJ
Customer Contact center: 95566

AGRICULTURAL BANK OF CHINA

http://www.abchina.com/cn/hq/abc/index/index.jsp/lang=cn/index.html
Swift code: ABOCCNBJ
Customer Contact center: 95599

ICBC

http://www.icbc.com.cn/icbc/
Swift code: ICBKCNBJ
Customer Contact center: 95588

China Construction Bank

http://www.ccb.com/portal/cn/home/index.html
Swift code: PCBCCNBJ
Customer Contact center: 95533

BANK OF COMMUNICATIONS

http://www.bankcomm.com/BankCommSite/cn/index.html
Swift code: COMMCN
Customer Contact center: 95559

CHINA MERCHANTS BANK

http://www.cmbchina.com/
Swift code: CMBCCNBS
Customer Contact center: 95555

CHINA CITIC BANK

http://bank.ecitic.com/
Swift code: CIBKCNBJ
Customer Contact center: 95558

HUAXIA BANK

http://www.hxb.com.cn/chinese/index.jsp
Swift code: HXBKCN
Customer Contact center: 95577

SPD BANK

http://www.spdb.com.cn/chpage/c414/
Swift code: SPDBCNSH
Customer Contact center: 95528

SHENZHEN DEVELOPMENT BANK

http://www.sdb.com.cn/
Swift code: SZDBCNBS
Customer Contact center: 95501

National Banks Comparison

There are four national banks in China. They are not only the most common banks but also the most popular banks. They are more easily found because they have more branches than other banks. Nowadays, the four national banks offer almost the same services as all other banks. Services cover asset management, mortgage and loan, investment, liability insurance, business intermediary, credit card, trust, lease, guarantees etc. They offer both personal and business services to their customers.

Each of the four national banks has its own specialized area. For example, the Bank Of China specializes in foreign currency deposits and international transactions. ICBC emphasizes Industrial and commercial projects. China Construction Bank specializes in granting loans for construction projects. The Agricultural Bank of China focuses on agriculture and has a policy of helping farmers. The Agricultural Bank of China is often the only bank in the smallest towns and in the countryside.

How to open a bank account

It’s quite easy to open a bank account in China. As the Bank of China is the one specializing in foreign currency, it is often the one chosen by foreigners. For that reason, its requirements provide a good example of the steps you have to follow. All others banks have pretty similar requirements and their forms have only cosmetic differences.

Steps to open a bank account:

• Requirements: passport, plus a copy of the passport and your residence registration.
• Money needed: If you only want the bankbook, you only need to pay 10rmb. If you also want the bank debit card, you need to pay 10rmb for the card fee plus 100rmb which is the minimum original deposit.
• When you walk into the bank, there is a ticket machine by the door. Press the button (if you don’t know how, the security guard will show you) to get a number.
• While you are waiting to be called to the counter, you can fill out the account application form. ( See sample form below)
• When called, hand in all the materials to the cashier.
• The cashier will first issue you a “bankbook” where all operations are recorded. The first page states your name and account number.
• Then the cashier should issue you a bank card, and will ask you to enter a 6 digit pin number (of your own choosing) 3 times.
• Since you are there, ask for the swift code if you need it.
• You are done!

Sample Application Forms

Bank Of China Sample Application form with english annotations (PDF)

Agricultural Bank of China Sample Application form with english annotations (PDF)

Apllication forms of other banks are similiar to those samples above.