Register before you need it
The operator states inbound users can register with their own mobile number. Do it on hotel Wi-Fi, not in an arrivals hall with a queue behind you.
Ride-hailing
How to use DiDi in China as a foreign visitor
By TravelerLocal editorial teamPublished Information checked
In short
Is DiDi a good first-transfer option?
The operator publishes an English version that inbound users register for with their own mobile number, in-app English-Chinese translation with the driver, and 24/7 in-app English support, for rides in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. Set the account up before you need it. The one thing to plan around is payment: international bank cards are listed as supported, but that is the operator's claim and we could not confirm it independently, so keep taxi fare in cash for the first ride.
Plan airport-to-hotelApplies to
Foreign visitors using DiDi, Alipay ride-hailing entry points, airport pickup zones, hotel transfers, taxi fallback, payment wallets, and translation apps in China.
Check before you rely on it
Everything attributed to the operator here was read off its own app listing on July 25, 2026. An app listing describes the product the company intends to ship, not what happens at a specific curb. Pickup zones, airport rules and city coverage vary, and app behaviour changes between versions.
DiDi can be useful, but it depends on phone data, pickup-zone confidence, Chinese addresses, driver communication, and payment working together.
Decision guide
Make ride-hailing a backup-safe choice
DiDi is easiest after the first phone and payment setup is already stable.
Address ready
Use the Chinese hotel address and district, not only an English hotel name, and keep it as a screenshot outside the app.
Payment is the unconfirmed part
International bank cards are listed as supported. That is the operator's claim, not a verified capability. Keep cash and a taxi option.
Pickup clear
Airport pickup points can be confusing. Use taxi or hotel pickup if the pickup zone is unclear.
Saveable checklist
DiDi first-ride checklist
1.Register and test the app before travel day, not at the curb.
2.Save the hotel address in Chinese as a screenshot outside the app.
3.Add a payment method early and try one short ride before you depend on it.
4.Carry enough cash for a taxi in case the card never registers.
5.Know the taxi queue or hotel pickup fallback at your arrival airport.
6.Avoid first-use experimentation after a late flight.
In short
DiDi questions
What the operator commits to for inbound users, the payment claim we could not confirm, airport pickup, and driver messages.
Can foreign visitors use DiDi in China?
The operator's own app listing states an English version of ride-hailing that inbound users register for with their own mobile number, in-app messaging with English-Chinese translation, and 24/7 in-app customer service in English. That is what the company commits to; keep a taxi fallback for the first ride.
Does DiDi take foreign credit cards?
The operator states multiple payment options including international bank cards. Whether a foreign-issued card registers reliably is the one claim our source pass could not confirm independently, so do not leave the airport with no other way to pay. Carry enough cash for a taxi.
Should I use DiDi from the airport?
Only if you can handle the pickup zone, phone data, driver messages, and payment. For a first tired arrival, taxi queue or hotel pickup may be calmer.
What address should I enter in DiDi?
Use the hotel name and address in Chinese and confirm the district. Keep it as a screenshot outside the app, because English names can map poorly and a failed sign-in should not also cost you the address.
What am I entitled to check before I get in a Chinese ride-hail car?
The licence plate, and the driver's name, photograph, mobile number and rating. The national ride-hailing measures require the platform to give you all of those when it provides the service (Article 19), and the car and the driver each hold their own permit — a transport permit for the vehicle, a driver permit for the person (Articles 13 and 15). Checking the plate against the app is the intended use of the rule, not an over-cautious habit.
Can I get a receipt for a DiDi ride in China, and what if the driver detours?
Yes. The platform must price the fare openly and provide you with the corresponding taxi invoice (Article 20). Deliberately taking a longer route, abandoning a passenger mid-journey and charging irregularly are all prohibited, and the platform may not retaliate against a passenger who complains or rates the ride badly (Article 25). Trip records are kept in the mainland for no less than two years (Article 27), so a dispute raised later still has something behind it.
Why was my ride request refused or unable to complete?
One common legal reason: a ride-hail vehicle works inside its licensed operating area, and for a trip that leaves that area, one end still has to be inside it (Article 22). A cross-city or far-out request can fail for that reason alone, with nothing wrong with the app, the driver or your account.
What if the driver calls or messages in Chinese?
The operator publishes in-app messaging with English-Chinese translation. If the pickup still goes wrong, call the hotel and hand the phone to the driver, or switch to a taxi.
Airport to hotel guide
Choose taxi, DiDi, metro, airport bus, or hotel pickup by first-night reality.
Open guidePhone setup
Make eSIM, roaming, VPN, and SMS work before app-based pickup.
Open guidePayment fallback
Prepare wallet, card, and cash backup before relying on ride-hailing.
Open guideBeijing taxi fares, by rule
The government-set meter a Beijing DiDi quote is worth comparing against: ¥13 for the first 3 km, ¥2.3 per km, +20% at night.
Open guideShanghai taxi fares, by rule
Shanghai's own numbers differ: ¥14 for the first 3 km, ¥2.7 per km, +30% between 23:00 and 05:00, +50% beyond 15 km.
Open guideNational regulation · read August 1, 2026
What the national rules give you, article by article
Everything above is one company describing its own app. This is the rule every licensed ride-hail platform in the Chinese mainland operates under, so it is what you can actually hold a platform to.
| What it means for you | What the regulation states | Article |
|---|---|---|
| The plate and the driver's photo have to be shown to you before the ride | The platform is required to give you the driver's name, photograph, mobile number and service rating, plus the vehicle's licence plate, when it provides the service. Checking the plate against the app before you get in is not a nervous tourist habit here — it is the thing the rule exists to let you do. | Article 19 |
| A compliant car and a compliant driver each hold a separate licence | The city transport authority issues a 《网络预约出租汽车运输证》 (Online Taxi Booking Transport Permit) to the vehicle, and a 《网络预约出租汽车驾驶员证》 (Online Taxi Booking Driver Permit) to the driver. Two permits, two holders — a legal ride-hail car is not just any private car with an app. | Articles 13 and 15 |
| The fare must be openly priced, and you can have a taxi invoice | The platform has to set the fare reasonably, price it openly, and provide you with the corresponding taxi invoice (发票). If you are going to dispute anything later — with the platform, with your insurer, with an employer — the invoice is the document the rule already entitles you to. | Article 20 |
| There is no national fare table to look up | Ride-hail fares run on market-adjusted pricing, except where a city government decides to impose government-guided pricing. That is why no honest page can quote you one price for a China ride-hail trip: the number depends on the city and the platform, not on a national tariff. | Article 3 |
| Detouring, dumping you mid-route and irregular charging are all prohibited | Platforms and drivers may not abandon a passenger mid-journey, deliberately take a longer route, or charge irregularly — and may not retaliate against a passenger who reports, complains about or rates the service badly. The retaliation clause matters most to a visitor: complaining is a protected act, not a risk you take. | Article 25 |
| A ride can be legally refused for being outside the licensed area | A ride-hail vehicle operates inside its licensed operating area, and for a trip that leaves it, one end of the journey still has to be inside. When a cross-city or far-out airport request will not complete, this is often the reason — not the app failing and not the driver being difficult. | Article 22 |
| The platform carries the carrier's liability and insures you | The platform company bears the carrier's liability and is required to buy carrier liability insurance for passengers. So the counterparty for an incident during the ride is the platform, not the individual driver you happened to be matched with. | Articles 16 and 23 |
| Your trip data stays in the mainland, and is kept for at least two years | Personal information collected and business data generated must be stored and used inside the Chinese mainland and kept for no less than two years, and may not be passed to third parties except to state organs exercising supervision or criminal investigation powers. Both halves are worth knowing before you travel: a dispute weeks later still has records behind it, and the records live where the trip happened. | Article 27 |
These are the national rules that apply to every licensed ride-hail platform in the Chinese mainland, read off the regulation's own text on the government portal. They say what the platform owes you. They say nothing about whether a foreign-issued card will register in a particular app, what a trip costs in your city, or how long a complaint takes to answer — no national page we could open publishes those, so this page does not state them.
Published as 《网络预约出租汽车经营服务管理暂行办法》 (Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Taxi Booking Business Operations and Services), as amended 2022 by Ministry of Transport and six other ministries, Order No. 42 of 2022, in the national policy library on the Central People's Government portal 中国政府网 (www.gov.cn).
Open source: the regulation's full textPage read
Operator listing · read July 25, 2026
What the operator publishes, and the backup for each step
The left column is the company describing its own product. The right column is what keeps the ride recoverable when the product and the curb disagree.
| Step | What the operator publishes | Your backup |
|---|---|---|
| Signing in | An English version of ride-hailing that inbound users can register for with their own mobile number. | Set the account up on hotel Wi-Fi before you need a ride, not in an arrivals hall. If the code never lands, the taxi queue still works. |
| Reading the app | The listing gives the app's languages as English, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. | Keep the hotel address in Chinese as a screenshot, outside the app, so a failed sign-in does not also cost you the address. |
| Talking to the driver | In-app messaging between rider and driver with English-Chinese translation. | Show the Chinese address, or call the hotel and hand the phone to the driver. Do not try to resolve a pickup by voice in a language neither of you shares. |
| Paying | Multiple payment options, which the operator states include international bank cards. | Whether a foreign-issued card registers is the one claim we could not confirm independently. Carry enough cash for a taxi before you rely on it. |
| When something goes wrong | 24/7 in-app customer service in English. | For a first arrival, hotel reception is faster than any in-app channel, because they can call the driver in Chinese. |
The listing describes rides in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and requires iOS 13.4 or later on iPhone.
The listing is published as DiDi China: Ride Hailing by Didi Chuxing (Beijing) Network Platform Technology Co., Ltd.
Open source: the operator's app listingPage read
Whether a foreign-issued card registers inside the app today is the claim we could not check. The operator states international bank card support; the source pass got no independent confirmation, so this site will not tell you the card will work. Keep a taxi and cash fallback for the first ride.