How to send money to China: to a bank account, Alipay or WeChatWhich way to use, what the recipient needs, the CNY 50,000 per-transfer cap, the USD 50,000 yearly quota, and why transfers get sent back

By Zhou Lan · Updated 21 Oct 2026 · about 10 min

There are four practical ways to send money to China: a bank wire to the recipient's Chinese bank account, a transfer app such as Wise, Western Union or Remitly paying into their UnionPay card, a transfer straight into their Alipay, or one into their WeChat. Wallet transfers arrive in minutes but are capped at CNY 50,000 each, and the recipient has to confirm them. Bank wires take longer but suit larger amounts. Once the money lands, each person in mainland China can convert up to USD 50,000 worth of foreign currency into yuan a year without extra paperwork. Here is how to choose, what to fill in, and what to do when a transfer comes back.

Four ways to send money to China, and when each one fits

For regular support to parents, Alipay or WeChat is the quickest. For a house deposit, school fees or anything into a company account, use a bank wire. If the recipient doesn't use either wallet, a transfer app to their UnionPay card keeps it simple. Western Union also offers cash pickup in China, with photo ID, which helps older relatives who don't use phone payments. To compare what actually arrives once fees and the exchange-rate markup are counted, use the remittance take-home calculator.

Where you send from matters too. Wise lets individuals send CNY from most countries, but not from mainland China, Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Syria, Crimea or the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Hong Kong residents have a newer option: since June 2025, Cross-boundary Payment Services lets them send from a Hong Kong bank account to a mainland one in real time.

What details do you need to send money to a Chinese bank account?

For a bank wire, ask the recipient for these. ICBC's own instructions list them:

1. Their name in pinyin, exactly as on their ID or as the account is named.
2. The full account or card number.
3. The bank's full English name and SWIFT code, for example Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The recipient can get the exact routing details for their branch from the bank.
4. Their phone number and address in English.
5. A payment reference in pinyin or numbers only. Chinese banks ask for this.

Fill in your own name, account number and full address too. Since 1 January 2026, Chinese banks that receive a transfer with the sender's name, account or address missing must ask the sending bank to supply it, and report it if they can't get it. Until then the money sits.

With a transfer app, you choose Alipay, WeChat or bank card as the delivery method, enter the recipient's pinyin name and phone number or card number, and pick a purpose such as "money to family" or "salary".

Sending money to Alipay or WeChat from abroad: what the recipient needs

Alipay. Wise says the recipient must hold a mainland Chinese resident ID card, or be a Hong Kong or Macau resident with a Mainland Travel Permit, and be 18 or over. The name you enter has to match their ID in pinyin; the Alipay ID can be their phone number or email. They get a notice and have 72 hours to verify and link a card, or the transfer is cancelled and refunded. Remitly adds that they must be in China, have a real-name verified Alipay account and turn on Alipay's collection service ("Quick Collect"). The cap is CNY 50,000 per transfer.

WeChat. Wise says the recipient can use a mainland ID card, permanent residence card, Mainland Travel Permit or a foreign passport, and needs a phone that receives SMS codes. Within 48 hours they must link a card and, for money sent to family, confirm how they're related to you. Transfers go to individuals only. Western Union's China page gives CNY 50,000 per transfer and CNY 500,000 a year across the WeChat balance and linked cards.

Yearly caps vary: Wise's own pages give anything from CNY 300,000 to 800,000, counted across every service the recipient receives through. Check the cap your app shows when you set up the transfer.

The USD 50,000 yearly quota: what it means for the person receiving

China lets each individual convert foreign currency into yuan up to USD 50,000 worth a calendar year. The rule is in Article 2 of the implementing rules on individual foreign exchange, and the foreign exchange regulator (SAFE) still answers questions on that basis in 2026. What that means in practice:

• It applies to converting, not to receiving. The quota covers conversion into yuan. Money kept in dollars in a foreign-currency account hasn't been converted; that's our reading of the rule, so the recipient should check with their branch before relying on it. For yuan paid into a UnionPay card, Wise caps each recipient at USD 50,000 a year across all channels.
• Above the quota, the recipient takes documents to the bank. For family support that means proof of the relationship and proof of the sender's income abroad. Wages earned working abroad can be converted under a separate salary route that doesn't use the quota.
• Don't split it between relatives. SAFE bans splitting payments to get around the quota. Lending your quota earns a warning and then a place on a watch list; borrowing someone else's goes straight on it. The listing lasts for that year and the next two, and while it lasts every conversion needs documents and can't be done online.

If you're sending more than USD 50,000 in a year to one person, say for a property purchase, talk to the recipient's bank first about what it will need.

How long does it take to send money to China?

Bank of China says a wire generally takes 3 to 7 working days; China Merchants Bank says no more than 5 in normal cases. More intermediary banks, a typo or a public holiday makes it longer. Through Wise, a UnionPay card transfer usually reaches the bank the same working day after conversion, rolling to the next day if the daily limit is used up. Alipay and WeChat transfers arrive within minutes once the recipient completes the steps. Western Union's first payment to a bank account can take up to 5 days; later ones arrive in minutes.

The recipient may also hear from their bank. ICBC texts larger incoming payments to confirm the purpose before crediting them, and an unanswered text can mean the money goes back. Under SAFE's 2022 reporting rules, residents must file a balance-of-payments declaration for a single incoming payment over USD 10,000; their bank prompts them. SAFE opened a revision of those rules for consultation in September 2026, so the threshold may change.

Transfer to China returned or not arrived? Check these

1. The name doesn't match. One extra space or a missing letter in the pinyin can send it back. Ask the recipient for a photo of the name on their ID and send again.
2. The bank doesn't take that route. Wise says banks such as China Merchants Bank and SPD Bank don't accept its UnionPay transfers, and non-mainland recipients can only use cards from eight listed banks. Use a different card, or send a bank wire.
3. The recipient missed the deadline. Alipay transfers lapse after 72 hours with Wise and WeChat transfers after 48. Once the refund lands, send again and warn them to watch for the text.
4. Sender details are missing, or the bank's text went unanswered. Add your full address, and ask the recipient to reply to the bank.
5. A wire is stuck at an intermediary bank. Ask your bank for the transfer's UETR reference and give it to the recipient's bank. Our guide on tracing a bank wire walks through it.

Is money sent to China taxed?

Usually not, when it's support or a gift from family. In a 2019 Q&A, China's Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration said that gifts between relatives and friends, including online red envelopes, fall outside individual income tax, and family gifts of cash aren't among the nine kinds of taxable income in the Individual Income Tax Law. We didn't find a ruling aimed specifically at support sent from abroad; that conclusion comes from those two points.

Payment for work is different. If you're paying the recipient a salary or a fee, it's income, and Chinese tax residents are taxed on income from inside and outside China. Pick the purpose that matches what the money is for. On your side, large gifts may need reporting depending on your country; check with your tax office or accountant before a big transfer.

Can you send USDT to China instead of a bank transfer?

Don't. A February 2026 notice from the People's Bank of China and seven other agencies says overseas entities and individuals may not provide virtual-currency services to people in mainland China in any form, and that losses from such dealings are borne by the people involved. Paying a relative by having them swap USDT for yuan through a stranger falls squarely inside that, with no protection if it goes wrong. For amounts above the quota, the bank route with documents is the one that holds up.

Common questions

What is the best way to send money to China?
For everyday amounts to family, sending to the recipient's Alipay or WeChat through a transfer app is the fastest: it usually lands within minutes once they confirm. For larger sums, or money going to a company account, a bank wire to their Chinese bank account has no fixed cap but takes days. A transfer app to a UnionPay card sits in between.

How much money can I send to China?
Wise and Remitly cap Alipay transfers at CNY 50,000 each, and Wise and Western Union cap WeChat transfers the same, with yearly caps that differ by provider. Wise caps UnionPay card transfers at CNY 33,000 each. On the receiving side, each person in mainland China can convert up to USD 50,000 worth of foreign currency into yuan a year without paperwork.

How long does it take to send money to China?
A bank wire usually takes 3 to 7 working days, according to Bank of China. Wise says UnionPay card transfers normally reach the bank the same working day after conversion, and Alipay or WeChat transfers arrive within minutes once the recipient completes verification.

Can I send money to someone's Alipay from abroad?
Yes. Wise, Remitly and Western Union all send to Alipay. The recipient needs a mainland Chinese ID card (or a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau residents), must be 18 or over and real-name verified, and has to accept the transfer within the deadline. Wise gives them 72 hours.

Does the recipient in China have to pay tax on money I send?
A gift from family generally isn't taxed. China's Ministry of Finance and tax authority say gifts between relatives and friends, including red envelopes, are outside individual income tax. Payment for work done is different: it counts as income for a Chinese tax resident.

Why was my transfer to China returned?
The most common reasons are a name that doesn't exactly match the recipient's ID in pinyin, a bank that doesn't accept that route, the recipient missing the deadline to accept an Alipay or WeChat transfer, or missing sender details such as your address.

Can I split a large amount between several relatives?
Not to get around the yearly quota. China's foreign exchange regulator bans splitting to avoid the limit. Anyone lending their quota gets a warning and then a watch-list entry; anyone borrowing someone else's goes straight on it, for that year and the next two.

Information checked 21 October 2026, from China's implementing rules on individual foreign exchange (Articles 2 and 10), SAFE's 2025 and 2026 Q&As, SAFE's 2015 notice on split conversions, the customer due diligence rules in force from 1 January 2026, ICBC, Bank of China and China Merchants Bank's instructions for incoming remittances, Wise, Remitly and Western Union's help pages, the 2019 Ministry of Finance and State Taxation Administration Q&A, and the February 2026 notice on virtual-currency risks. Per-transfer and yearly caps are set by each provider and change; check the figure shown when you set up the transfer.
21 Oct 2026, first published: the four ways to send, the details to give, what Alipay and WeChat recipients need, the USD 50,000 quota and what's needed above it, how long it takes, why transfers come back, and whether the money is taxed.