China Immigration Service Hotline
+86-12367
Choose English on the voice menu and the platform gives an immediate, direct voice response. The service runs around the clock, and also through the NIA 12367 app and its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs.
Connectivity recovery
My eSIM didn't activate when I landed in China
In short
My eSIM didn't activate. What do I do first?
Installing a travel eSIM needs a network, and you just landed without one. Get on airport Wi-Fi first: both Beijing airports authenticate a foreign passport with no Chinese number, at Daxing by photographing the passport page. Then check three things in order — carrier lock, whether the line is switched on, and which line is set as the data line. A mainland carrier eSIM is not the fix: it cannot be installed on a phone bought abroad.
Open the recovery kitApplies to
Anyone whose travel eSIM will not install, will not connect, or connects without carrying data after landing in mainland China, on an iPhone or a Pixel.
Check before you rely on it
The airport Wi-Fi facts are Beijing's own and are published in two versions that disagree on the Daxing network name. No page we opened states arrangements at any other Chinese airport, and none states which foreign apps resolve on a mainland connection.
Review date: 2026-07-25
The trap is circular. The plan you bought needs the internet to switch itself on, and the reason you bought it was to get the internet. Everything below breaks that circle.
In the terminal
Seven moves, in this order
- 1.Get on airport Wi-Fi before you touch the eSIM settings, because installing or repairing a profile needs a network.
- 2.At a Beijing airport, use the passport route rather than the SMS route: at Daxing photograph the passport page on the authentication webpage, at Capital feed the passport into a Wi-Fi dispenser and it prints a username and password.
- 3.Check the handset is not locked to your home carrier: on iPhone, Settings, General, About, where Carrier Lock should read No SIM Restrictions.
- 4.Check the travel line is switched on at all, and then check which line is carrying data: iPhone Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data; Pixel Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, Mobile data.
- 5.If the profile never installed, install it now over the airport Wi-Fi using the provider's QR code or app.
- 6.Do not go looking for a mainland carrier eSIM as the fix. Apple states an eSIM profile from a China mainland carrier cannot be installed on a phone bought outside China mainland.
- 7.If you still have nothing, buy a physical SIM at the airport counter on your passport, or ask the arrival terminal's information desk for help.
The words on the login screen
What the airport Wi-Fi page is asking you
The municipal guide prints the Chinese labels, because the login page does not switch to English.
- 输入手机号
- Enter phone number — the SMS route, which needs a mainland number
- 获得验证码
- Get verification code
- 输入验证码
- Enter verification code
- 输入账号
- Enter username — the passport route
- 输入密码
- Enter password
- 登录
- Sign in
- 请问最近的无线上网身份验证自助终端在哪里?
- Where is the nearest Wi-Fi authentication self-service terminal? — the sentence the city supplies for showing to staff
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Get Connected & Essential Apps (page dated 2024-08-30; read 2026-07-25)
Decision table
What the phone is doing, and what to check because of it
Six symptoms, each with the one check that resolves it. Work down the table rather than changing settings at random.
| What you are seeing | Check this first | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The eSIM never installed. The QR code screen just spins. | Get on Wi-Fi, then install | Apple lists a Wi-Fi network or hotspot as a requirement for installing an eSIM, and notes that only eSIM-only iPhone models can activate without Wi-Fi, in some countries and regions. Airport Wi-Fi is the network you are missing. |
| The provider says the plan is active, but the phone refuses the profile. | Carrier Lock | A handset locked to your home carrier cannot take another carrier's plan. Settings, General, About: an unlocked iPhone shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock. |
| The line is listed in Settings but there is no signal bar for it. | Turn the line on | A stored eSIM is not an active one. iPhone stores 8 or more eSIMs and keeps only two active; on Pixel the line needs Mobile data turned on under Network & internet, SIMs. |
| There is a signal, but maps and apps still time out. | Which line is the data line | Data follows one line only. Set it on iPhone under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, and on Pixel under Your primary SIMs, Mobile data — Google states only one SIM can be the default for data. |
| It worked at home during testing and stopped after the flight. | The iOS 26 travel prompt | With iOS 26, a travel eSIM bought before departure may wait for a Turn On Travel eSIM notification at the destination. Tap it, then choose Travel eSIM Only or Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. Keeping both lines on can still draw home-line roaming fees. |
| I will just buy a local eSIM at the airport instead. | That route is closed | Apple states other iPhone models, including those purchased outside China mainland, cannot install an eSIM profile from a mainland carrier, and that mainland eSIM activation needs a carrier store visit with an ID check. Buy a physical SIM instead. |
Source: Apple — Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone (page dated 2026-03-10; read 2026-07-25)
Source: Apple — Using eSIM with your iPhone in China mainland (page dated 2026-03-02; read 2026-07-25)
Source: Google — How to use dual SIMs on your Google Pixel phone (read 2026-07-25)
Getting online with no local number
How do I connect to airport Wi-Fi without a Chinese phone number?
The SMS route needs a mainland number. The passport route does not, and it is published by the city itself.
| Where | Network | How you prove who you are |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing Daxing International Airport | BDIA-FREE-WIFI | Photograph the passport information page on the authentication webpage. Kiosk authentication, WeChat quick login and phone-number authentication are also offered.Published by the Beijing municipal portal on 2025-12-05. |
| Beijing Daxing International Airport, earlier instructions | Green Airport | Same passport-or-SMS choice, with the passport route running through a Wi-Fi dispenser machine that prints credentials.Published by the same portal on 2024-08-30. The two pages give different network names, and we could not settle which is live. |
| Beijing Capital International Airport | AIRPORT-FREE-WIFI-NEW | Find a Wi-Fi dispenser, slip the passport photo page into the slot marked 护照扫码口 Passport Scanning, and enter the printed username and password on the login page.Published 2024-08-30. Credentials last five hours; one valid ID can be used for a maximum of three print-outs. |
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Accessible with Passports: Free Wi-Fi at Daxing Airport Helps Foreign Travelers Fill out Arrival Cards (page dated 2025-12-05; read 2026-07-25)
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Get Connected & Essential Apps (page dated 2024-08-30; read 2026-07-25)
Who answers
If none of this works, which number reaches a person in English?
These are published service lines. None of them depends on the data plan that just failed.
Beijing citizen service hotline
(+8610) 12345
A non-emergency line. The first prompt is in Chinese; press 1 for personal services. The hub page lists ten languages including English; the older call-flow page lists eight. This is Beijing's own line and says nothing about other cities.
Emergency numbers named by that same page
110 police · 119 fire · 120 medical · 122 traffic
12345 is explicitly not for emergencies. A data-only travel eSIM carries no voice service, so check that a line able to dial these is switched on before you need it.
Operator enquiry lines
China Mobile 10086 · China Unicom 10010 · China Telecom 10000
Published by Beijing with a +86 prefix, and by Shanghai with an 021 prefix. These are the numbers for asking which service hall is nearest and for reporting a lost handset.
Source: National Immigration Administration — China Immigration Service Hotline 12367 Now Supports French (page dated 2025-12-11; read 2026-07-25)
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — 12345 Citizen Service Hotline (read 2026-07-25)
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Dial (+8610)12345 (page dated 2023-12-25; read 2026-07-25)
The published facts
What the manufacturers and the city actually say
Each line links the page it came from and the day we opened it. Sources read 2026-07-25.
Installing an eSIM needs a network first
Apple lists the requirements as an iPhone XS or later, a carrier or worldwide service provider that supports eSIM, and the iPhone connected to a Wi-Fi network or hotspot. Only in some countries and regions can eSIM-only iPhone models activate without Wi-Fi.
Source: Apple — Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone (page dated 2026-03-10; read 2026-07-25)
A locked handset cannot take the plan
To use another carrier abroad the iPhone cannot be locked to a carrier. Settings, General, About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock when it is unlocked. Check this at home, where the fix is a phone call to your own carrier.
Source: Apple — Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone (page dated 2026-03-10; read 2026-07-25)
Stored is not the same as active
An iPhone can store 8 or more eSIMs and swap which are active in Settings, but only two run at the same time. A profile sitting in the list is not carrying anything.
Source: Apple — Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone (page dated 2026-03-10; read 2026-07-25)
Only one line carries data
Google states plainly that only one SIM can be the default for data. On Pixel the data line is set under Network & internet, SIMs, Your primary SIMs, Mobile data, and mobile data has to be turned on for that line.
Source: Google — How to use dual SIMs on your Google Pixel phone (read 2026-07-25)
iOS 26 may be waiting for you to tap something
A travel eSIM bought before departure can prompt Turn On Travel eSIM on arrival, offering Travel eSIM Only or Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. Choosing both lines uses the travel eSIM for data and may still incur home-line roaming fees.
Source: Apple — Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone (page dated 2026-03-10; read 2026-07-25)
A mainland carrier eSIM is not the escape route
iPhone models other than iPhone 17e (A3635) and iPhone Air (A3518), including any bought outside China mainland, cannot install an eSIM profile from a mainland carrier. Activation of a mainland eSIM also requires a carrier store visit with an ID check.
Source: Apple — Using eSIM with your iPhone in China mainland (page dated 2026-03-02; read 2026-07-25)
Airport Wi-Fi accepts a passport instead of a local number
Beijing publishes two authentication routes: SMS for holders of a Chinese phone number, and a passport scan at a Wi-Fi dispenser for everyone else. The printed credentials last five hours, and one valid ID can be used for a maximum of three print-outs.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Get Connected & Essential Apps (page dated 2024-08-30; read 2026-07-25)
At Daxing you photograph the passport instead
On the BDIA-FREE-WIFI network, photographing the passport information page on the authentication webpage gives identity verification and free access. Kiosk, WeChat quick login and phone-number authentication are the other published options.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Accessible with Passports: Free Wi-Fi at Daxing Airport Helps Foreign Travelers Fill out Arrival Cards (page dated 2025-12-05; read 2026-07-25)
There is a counter, and it sells plastic
Both Beijing airports have SIM vending machines and staffed counters. The same page states that China uses physical SIM cards, which may not be compatible with your current phone, so check whether your handset still has a SIM tray.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Get Connected & Essential Apps (page dated 2024-08-30; read 2026-07-25)
There is also a desk that helps with the apps
For help setting up Alipay or WeChat at the airport, Beijing directs arriving travellers to the Information Desk and Payment Service Center in the arrival terminal.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — Get Connected & Essential Apps (page dated 2024-08-30; read 2026-07-25)
One number answers in English at any hour
Dialling +86-12367 and choosing English gives an immediate, direct voice response, and the immigration service hotline runs around the clock. Other languages open a three-way channel with an interpreter.
Source: National Immigration Administration — China Immigration Service Hotline 12367 Now Supports French (page dated 2025-12-11; read 2026-07-25)
The city help line is not the emergency line
Beijing publishes (+8610) 12345 as a non-emergency channel and names 110 for police, 119 for fire, 120 for medical emergencies and 122 for traffic accidents. Press 1 after the Chinese voice prompt for personal services.
Source: Beijing Municipal People's Government — 12345 Citizen Service Hotline (read 2026-07-25)
In short
Questions people type from an arrivals hall
Short answers on the install failure, the data line, the local-eSIM dead end, and who to call.
My eSIM didn't activate when I landed in China. What do I do first?
Get on Wi-Fi before you change any settings. Apple lists a Wi-Fi network or hotspot as a requirement for installing an eSIM, so a phone with no data cannot repair itself. Both Beijing airports authenticate a foreign passport without a Chinese phone number: at Daxing you photograph the passport page on the login screen, at Capital a Wi-Fi dispenser scans the passport and prints a username and password good for five hours.
The eSIM shows signal but nothing loads. What is wrong?
Almost always the data line. Only one line carries data at a time — Google states only one SIM can be the default for data. Set it on iPhone under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, and on Pixel under Network & internet, SIMs, Your primary SIMs, Mobile data, and make sure Mobile data is turned on for the travel line rather than the home one.
Can I just buy a local eSIM at the airport instead?
No, not for a phone bought outside China mainland. Apple states that iPhone models other than iPhone 17e (A3635) and iPhone Air (A3518) cannot install an eSIM profile from a carrier in China mainland, and that activating a mainland eSIM requires a visit to a carrier store with an ID check. The airport route that does work is a physical SIM card on your passport.
Why does my phone refuse the profile even though the plan is paid for?
Check the carrier lock. Apple's condition for using another carrier abroad is that the iPhone is not locked to one. Settings, General, About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock on an unlocked handset. This is worth checking before you fly, because unlocking is a conversation with your home carrier, not a setting you can change yourself.
I have no data at all. Who can I call?
+86-12367 is the immigration service hotline; choosing English gives an immediate, direct voice response and the line runs around the clock. In Beijing, (+8610) 12345 is the non-emergency citizen line — press 1 after the Chinese prompt. That same page names 110 for police, 119 for fire, 120 for medical and 122 for traffic accidents. A data-only travel eSIM cannot dial any of them, so keep a voice-capable line switched on.
Does the airport Wi-Fi last long enough to fix this?
At Beijing Capital the printed credentials give five hours, and a new username and password can be printed, but a single valid ID can be used for a maximum of three print-outs. That is enough time to install a profile and download a translation language pack, and it is not a substitute for a working data plan once you leave the terminal.
Not published
What we could not confirm
Two official pages disagree with each other here, and several questions have no published answer at all.
- The two Beijing municipal pages disagree on the Daxing network name: BDIA-FREE-WIFI on the 2025-12-05 page, Green Airport on the 2024-08-30 page. Try both, and treat neither as settled.
- No page opened states airport Wi-Fi arrangements outside Beijing, so nothing here is claimed for Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu or anywhere else.
- No operator or government page opened states which foreign apps and services resolve on a mainland data connection. This page makes no claim about that.
- Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei publish no English eSIM support page equivalent to Apple's or Google's that we could open, so the Android instructions here are Google's Pixel documentation only.
- Nothing published states what a travel eSIM provider's support can do for you once you are already in the country with no data.
Buy a SIM card on your passport
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