7 ms·

> If you're a foreigner, getting a functioning WeChat account is near to impossible these days. You are confusing Wechat with Wechat Pay which is a feature of

> If you're a foreigner, getting a functioning WeChat account is near to impossible these days. You are confusing Wechat with Wechat Pay which is a feature of the former. You only need a mobile phone # (foreign or domestic) to sign up for WeChat. As for Wechat Pay, getting a bank account should be fairly easy if you live in China.

kweks 8y ago
Unfortunately no longer the case. All account validations for foreigners require the above hoops to be jumped through - at least as of yesterday when we were jumping through them to activate the account of two EU clients - chat only, not payments. I may be incorrect (and I hope for any other foreigners wanting to use WeChat this is the case) - but I witnessed two data points to the contrary yesterday.
- thetechlead 8y ago
  The validation procedure is not required when signing up. Validation happens only when your account changes login device or you try password too many times. It works as a security feature and has nothing to do with whether your account's phone number is foreign or not. The procedure requires you identify people from your wechat contact or ask friends sending message to your account. It's fairly easy and your friends don't have to be local at all.
  - pishpash 8y ago
    You're not talking about the same thing at all.
- ivalm 8y ago
  I signed up for wechat about a month ago in the US without any issues.
  - grandmczeb 8y ago
    Same, although I had a friend who signed up around the same time who needed to go through some verification after using it for a few months.
  - quicklime 8y ago
    I signed up for WeChat a few months ago, and later found out that WeChat was warning my Chinese friends that my account was unverified and to be careful. I had no idea it was telling them this until one of them told me. I was also unable to log into the web/desktop client. The error message just said that for security reasons, only verified accounts were allowed to use WeChat through the web, but didn't give any instructions on how to get the account verified.
    - yorwba 8y ago
      That's essentially a spam protection feature. Because WeChat has so few non-Chinese users, most "foreign" accounts are actually made by spammers. So you're graylisted until they become confident you're an actual human. I've only seen that warning message about an unverified account once among the 100+ foreign WeChat contacts I have (most of them Pakistanis), but I seem to recall that the warning also included an option to verify the contact. Obviously they don't want to give spammers a way to directly verify themselves.
    - ivalm 8y ago
      Interesting. I connected to my wife (who is originally from mainland China) and her family and I do not think they saw any warnings when chatting with me.
    - rahimnathwani 8y ago
      "The error message just said that for security reasons, only verified accounts were allowed to use WeChat through the web" If non-verified accounts were to have access to WeChat web, it would be significantly easier for people to operate bots on WeChat personal accounts, by spoofing the client as per this framework: https://github.com/Chatie/wechaty https://github.com/Chatie/wechaty
    - 8y ago
- dwighttk 8y ago
  I signed up for wechat after reading this article... no hoops for me (in the USA)
  - jpatokal 8y ago
    There are two versions of WeChat, one for China and one for the rest of the world. The latter is trivial to join, but it's completely firewalled off from the Chinese one.
    - TaylorGood 8y ago
      I was in a wedding in China, so naturally WeChat was how the groomsman communicated. Afterwards, I was looking forward to staying in touch with whom I met there. While in transit back to California my account was marked suspicious. I was never able to gain access again. I created a new WeChat account that works, but would've enjoyed having my original.
    - ngokevin 8y ago
      I don't think this is true. I've been using Wechat from US. I can see all the people's moments in China and in some groups fine. All the services I've tried so far have worked okay.
      - JCharante 8y ago
        I also don't think this is true. I've been using a US based version of WeChat for a couple years now, and I have had no problems adding and chatting with people in and outside of China. I do want to add that while I didn't have to jump through any hoops to activate my account, I've had westener friends get stuck on having to be verified. I can't remember if I was able to vouch for them or not.
      - graeme 8y ago
        I looked into this for my business. I think you can talk to Chinese users, but there are restrictions on how your own content is seen and broadcast. Can't remember the specifics though.
- Jommi 8y ago
  Not true
- cheapsteak 8y ago
  I can corroborate that we were unable to activate a wechat account for my (western) friend. Not payments, just a normal chat account. Upon registration, Wechat asked him to get someone to confirm/sponsor his account. I tried to, and was told that my account couldn't verify other accounts because my account was suspicious. I then solicited my spouse's help. She managed to go through the process of verifying his account, but when I told my friend to try logging in again, he said he was still marked as "suspicious" and wasn't able to log in Edit: this was recent (last week)
  - naner 8y ago
    Of course he was marked as suspicious: he previously tried to get a suspicious person to sponsor him. :)
  - joe_super0 8y ago
    By suspicious do you mean, identity fraud related issue or your social credit score was not high enough?
- woolvalley 8y ago
  So what should tourists do now?
- LeifCarrotson 8y ago
  10 months ago, I arrived in Shanghai for a week-long business trip and was able to create a WeChat account, but unable to add funds to Wechat Pay by any mechanisms available to me...I had cash from the airport but it took giving some cash to my local sponsor and having them send me some funds to do something as simple as ride a rental bike.
  - samstave 8y ago
    Sounds like you just found a business opportunity for people in china.
    - lnanek2 8y ago
      There actually are businesses that will validate your account for you (if you are really willing to give them your username and password), and others that will send you money through the app that you can then spend to some degree (1000CNY max balance, 200CNY max sent at a time) without having a Chinese bank account of your own. They do charge way more than the exchange rate for this service.
sambroner 8y ago
I have to second this. I recently lived in China for a few months. As long as you have an address, visa, and passport(and are willing to hand the Chinese government your social) it’s easy to get a bank account. that was scary
- outworlder 8y ago
  You need to give the Chinese government your US SSN? Please tell me I have misunderstood.
  - United857 8y ago
    When I was in China, they accepted my US passport number for things like opening bank accounts. Things may have changed, but I doubt it.
  - turtlecloud 8y ago
    I believe almost international banks require SSN for US citizens. It’s a US thing and why Swiss banks are less popular. US IRS doesn’t want its citizens to hide money in other countries and pressures foreign countries to comply
  - Cyph0n 8y ago
    Heh, then I guess you do not know the lengths the IRS goes to track the income of US persons wherever they are. Double taxation of US citizens has even pushed some dual citizens to renounce their US citizenship...
    - outworlder 8y ago
      Then IRS should have information about foreign accounts. And guess what, they already ask for that. It's fine. The other way around is what I find concerning.
      - Cyph0n 8y ago
        The IRS requires that local banks take the personal data of US citizens simply because it does not trust Americans to cooperate willingly. And I think that's a fair assessment, because no one would willingly pay taxes to two countries at once.

kweks 8y ago

Unfortunately no longer the case. All account validations for foreigners require the above hoops to be jumped through - at least as of yesterday when we were jumping through them to activate the account of two EU clients - chat only, not payments. I may be incorrect (and I hope for any other foreigners wanting to use WeChat this is the case) - but I witnessed two data points to the contrary yesterday.

thetechlead 8y ago
The validation procedure is not required when signing up. Validation happens only when your account changes login device or you try password too many times. It works as a security feature and has nothing to do with whether your account's phone number is foreign or not. The procedure requires you identify people from your wechat contact or ask friends sending message to your account. It's fairly easy and your friends don't have to be local at all.
- pishpash 8y ago
  You're not talking about the same thing at all.
ivalm 8y ago
I signed up for wechat about a month ago in the US without any issues.
- grandmczeb 8y ago
  Same, although I had a friend who signed up around the same time who needed to go through some verification after using it for a few months.
- quicklime 8y ago
  I signed up for WeChat a few months ago, and later found out that WeChat was warning my Chinese friends that my account was unverified and to be careful. I had no idea it was telling them this until one of them told me. I was also unable to log into the web/desktop client. The error message just said that for security reasons, only verified accounts were allowed to use WeChat through the web, but didn't give any instructions on how to get the account verified.
  - yorwba 8y ago
    That's essentially a spam protection feature. Because WeChat has so few non-Chinese users, most "foreign" accounts are actually made by spammers. So you're graylisted until they become confident you're an actual human. I've only seen that warning message about an unverified account once among the 100+ foreign WeChat contacts I have (most of them Pakistanis), but I seem to recall that the warning also included an option to verify the contact. Obviously they don't want to give spammers a way to directly verify themselves.
  - ivalm 8y ago
    Interesting. I connected to my wife (who is originally from mainland China) and her family and I do not think they saw any warnings when chatting with me.
  - rahimnathwani 8y ago
    "The error message just said that for security reasons, only verified accounts were allowed to use WeChat through the web" If non-verified accounts were to have access to WeChat web, it would be significantly easier for people to operate bots on WeChat personal accounts, by spoofing the client as per this framework: https://github.com/Chatie/wechaty https://github.com/Chatie/wechaty
  - 8y ago
dwighttk 8y ago
I signed up for wechat after reading this article... no hoops for me (in the USA)
- jpatokal 8y ago
  There are two versions of WeChat, one for China and one for the rest of the world. The latter is trivial to join, but it's completely firewalled off from the Chinese one.
  - TaylorGood 8y ago
    I was in a wedding in China, so naturally WeChat was how the groomsman communicated. Afterwards, I was looking forward to staying in touch with whom I met there. While in transit back to California my account was marked suspicious. I was never able to gain access again. I created a new WeChat account that works, but would've enjoyed having my original.
  - ngokevin 8y ago
    I don't think this is true. I've been using Wechat from US. I can see all the people's moments in China and in some groups fine. All the services I've tried so far have worked okay.
    - JCharante 8y ago
      I also don't think this is true. I've been using a US based version of WeChat for a couple years now, and I have had no problems adding and chatting with people in and outside of China. I do want to add that while I didn't have to jump through any hoops to activate my account, I've had westener friends get stuck on having to be verified. I can't remember if I was able to vouch for them or not.
    - graeme 8y ago
      I looked into this for my business. I think you can talk to Chinese users, but there are restrictions on how your own content is seen and broadcast. Can't remember the specifics though.
Jommi 8y ago
Not true
cheapsteak 8y ago
I can corroborate that we were unable to activate a wechat account for my (western) friend. Not payments, just a normal chat account. Upon registration, Wechat asked him to get someone to confirm/sponsor his account. I tried to, and was told that my account couldn't verify other accounts because my account was suspicious. I then solicited my spouse's help. She managed to go through the process of verifying his account, but when I told my friend to try logging in again, he said he was still marked as "suspicious" and wasn't able to log in Edit: this was recent (last week)
- naner 8y ago
  Of course he was marked as suspicious: he previously tried to get a suspicious person to sponsor him. :)
- joe_super0 8y ago
  By suspicious do you mean, identity fraud related issue or your social credit score was not high enough?
woolvalley 8y ago
So what should tourists do now?
LeifCarrotson 8y ago
10 months ago, I arrived in Shanghai for a week-long business trip and was able to create a WeChat account, but unable to add funds to Wechat Pay by any mechanisms available to me...I had cash from the airport but it took giving some cash to my local sponsor and having them send me some funds to do something as simple as ride a rental bike.
- samstave 8y ago
  Sounds like you just found a business opportunity for people in china.
  - lnanek2 8y ago
    There actually are businesses that will validate your account for you (if you are really willing to give them your username and password), and others that will send you money through the app that you can then spend to some degree (1000CNY max balance, 200CNY max sent at a time) without having a Chinese bank account of your own. They do charge way more than the exchange rate for this service.

sambroner 8y ago

I have to second this. I recently lived in China for a few months. As long as you have an address, visa, and passport(and are willing to hand the Chinese government your social) it’s easy to get a bank account. that was scary

outworlder 8y ago
You need to give the Chinese government your US SSN? Please tell me I have misunderstood.
- United857 8y ago
  When I was in China, they accepted my US passport number for things like opening bank accounts. Things may have changed, but I doubt it.
- turtlecloud 8y ago
  I believe almost international banks require SSN for US citizens. It’s a US thing and why Swiss banks are less popular. US IRS doesn’t want its citizens to hide money in other countries and pressures foreign countries to comply
- Cyph0n 8y ago
  Heh, then I guess you do not know the lengths the IRS goes to track the income of US persons wherever they are. Double taxation of US citizens has even pushed some dual citizens to renounce their US citizenship...
  - outworlder 8y ago
    Then IRS should have information about foreign accounts. And guess what, they already ask for that. It's fine. The other way around is what I find concerning.
    - Cyph0n 8y ago
      The IRS requires that local banks take the personal data of US citizens simply because it does not trust Americans to cooperate willingly. And I think that's a fair assessment, because no one would willingly pay taxes to two countries at once.