phones Country calling codes · EN / 中文
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China +86

International code · Asia

How to dial

Calling from abroad +86 138 1234 5678

Dial +86, then the local number. Drop the leading trunk prefix 0. E.g. the landline 010 1234 5678 is dialled from abroad as +86 10 1234 5678. Generate the full number →

Calling a mobile locally 138 1234 5678

For domestic long distance dial 0 first, then the area code. Local calls: dial directly. Mobiles are dialled without the 0 — just the mobile number.

Mobile length
11 digits
Mobile prefixes
1XX XXXX XXXX
Landline format
0XXX XXXX XXXXe.g. 010 1234 5678
International format
+86 XXX XXXX XXXX
Domestic trunk
0

Sign-up availability

What to expect when signing up for these services with a physical SIM from this country:

ChatGPT Not supported
Claude Not supported
WhatsApp Not supported
Telegram Not supported
LINE Unverified
WeChat Works
X Not supported
TikTok Not supported
Gemini Not supported

Applies to every platform: VoIP / virtual numbers and heavily-reused number pools get rejected. Physical SIM only.

Checked 2026-09-12. Platform region policies and number-range allocations change — always confirm against each platform’s official supported-regions list and the carrier’s notices.
3 sources
help.openai.com/articles/7947663www.anthropic.com/supported-countriessupport.google.com/gemini?p=gemini_web_availability

How to read a number

+8613812345678

+86Country code
Mainland China. Not needed for domestic calls.
138Network code
Identifies the carrier — 138 is China Mobile. Numbers stay the same after porting, so it only shows the original carrier.
1234Area code (HLR)
Sets where the number is registered — the province and city it was issued in. “Number location” lookups use the first 7 digits.
5678Subscriber number
Assigned locally to the individual user.

Dial all 11 digits domestically (138 1234 5678); mobile numbers take no leading 0.

This section checked 2026-09-13.
2 sources
baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%89%8B%E6%9C%BA%E5%8F%B7%E7%A0%81/1417348blog.csdn.net/xjbclz/article/details/51758344

Number ranges & quality

RangeTypeNotes
13x / 15x / 166 / 17x / 18x / 19x Mobile carrier Physical ranges of the four network operators (China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom / Broadcast Network); see “Carriers & prefixes” for each carrier's exact ranges.
170 / 171 / 162 / 165 / 167 MVNO MVNO ranges — some websites and apps still refuse them for sign-up or account binding.
145 / 146 / 147 / 148 / 149 / 172 Data-only IoT / data-only ranges; whether SMS works varies by card.
Intl SMSStable
Virtual-number riskHigh
ID requiredReal-name registration is mandatory; foreigners apply in person with a passport. MIIT’s “Yi Zheng Tong Cha” service shows how many numbers are registered to you; signing up for overseas services is subject to each platform's regional policy.

Mainland China +86 is not on the supported-regions list of OpenAI, Anthropic or Google, so ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cannot be registered with a mainland number. X and TikTok are also restricted inside mainland China (TikTok is not offered there; Douyin is used instead). WhatsApp and Telegram are not accessible in mainland China. WeChat is the dominant local app.

Carriers & prefixes

Mobile prefixes by carrier.

Number portability applies — a prefix only shows the original carrier.

Porting rules in full

Nationwide since November 2019.

  • China Mobile Mobile carrier

    134(0-8), 135~139, 150~152, 157~159, 178, 182~184, 187, 188, 195, 197, 198

    1349 is a satellite range, not China Mobile.

  • China Unicom Mobile carrier

    130~132, 155, 156, 166, 175, 176, 185, 186, 196

  • China Telecom Mobile carrier

    133, 153, 173, 177, 180, 181, 189~191, 193, 199

  • China Broadcast Network Mobile carrier

    192

    Its first own range, issued late 2019.

Show 5 more
  • MVNOs on China Mobile MVNO Refused by some sites
    Host network: China Mobile

    165, 1703, 1705, 1706

  • MVNOs on China Unicom MVNO Refused by some sites
    Host network: China Unicom

    167, 171, 1704, 1707~1709

  • MVNOs on China Telecom MVNO Refused by some sites
    Host network: China Telecom

    162, 1700~1702

  • IoT / data-only Data-only

    145~149, 172, 1400x, 1410x, 1440x, 1441x

    Unicom 145/146/1400x, Mobile 147/148/172/1440x/1441x, Telecom 149/1410x (indicative).

  • Satellite phone Other

    1349, 174(00-05)

    174(00-05) is Tiantong-1.

This section checked 2026-09-13.
6 sources
m.jiemian.com/article/3810489.htmlwww.chinanews.com/cj/2019/11-27/9018766.shtmlwww.cac.gov.cn/2019-11/27/c_1576389972372088.htmwww.techweb.com.cn/tele/2018-07-27/2689932.shtmlapp.www.gov.cn/govdata/gov/201611/09/392878/article.htmlzh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/中国大陆移动终端通信号码

SIM cards & keeping a number

Keeping a mainland number usually means moving an unused line to the cheapest plan. China Mobile’s online store still lists ¥8 products such as the “Feixiang ¥8” and “Changxiang ¥8” plans. Agents sometimes claim these are discontinued, but a MIIT notice (August 2018) says operators must not force or restrict users from choosing or changing any available plan unless a contract says otherwise — so users can insist or complain.

Read more

All SIMs are real-name. MIIT’s “Yi Zheng Tong Cha” service shows how many numbers are registered to you. While abroad, incoming SMS on a China Mobile number is free when roaming (excluding MMS), so a kept number still receives domestic verification codes. Foreigners need a passport and must apply in person at a carrier store; mainland numbers can’t sign up for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini (see “Sign-up availability”).

¥8 entry-level plans (China Mobile as an example)

Number-keeping SIM
Network
China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom
Price
About ¥8/month. China Mobile’s online store lists products such as “Feixiang ¥8” and “Changxiang ¥8”; names and contents vary by province. Unicom and Telecom also have ¥5–8 tiers — check official pages
Keeping the number
Monthly charge — the number stays as long as it isn’t in arrears
ID check
Real-name; changing plans usually needs the owner’s ID or a face check
SMS & calls
China Mobile (official): incoming SMS is free while roaming internationally (excluding MMS); domestically a normal mobile number

Pros

  • One of the cheapest ways to keep a carrier number
  • Free incoming SMS while roaming abroad (China Mobile)

Watch out

  • Agents sometimes say the plan is discontinued — insist or complain
  • Very little data; overage is expensive

Where to buy: 10086.cn

5 sources
finance.sina.com.cn/chanjing/cyxw/2018-08-23/doc-ihicsiav6940698.shtmltech.cnr.cn/techgd/20171117/t20171117_524029117.shtmltouch.10086.cn/goods/571_571_1069427_1050043.htmlwww.10086.cn/roaming/zizhu/myznapp.www.gov.cn/govdata/gov/202109/15/475868/article.html

From user and blogger reports; platform risk rules change often — treat as a guide only. This section checked 2026-09-15.

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