You can send money to a bank account or card, Alipay, or WeChat Pay in China. Chinese rules set the limits and the details your recipient needs.
What this means
Transfers to China follow Chinese government rules on international payments. These rules decide who can receive money, how much, and how often. They can change at any time, and we update our limits when they do.
Who can receive money
- Transfers must be from one person to another. Business accounts aren’t supported
- Your recipient must meet the ID and account requirements for the way they’re receiving the money
- If your recipient is a foreign national with a China green card, they can receive money through WeChat Pay only
Limits for bank accounts and cards
- Up to $10,000 USD a day and $50,000 USD a year for each recipient, including UnionPay card transfers
- Up to ¥31,000 CNY for each transfer
- For transfers marked as Family Support, up to $4,500 USD a month (about ¥31,000 CNY)
Limits for Alipay and WeChat Pay
- Alipay: up to ¥50,000 CNY for each transfer
- WeChat Pay: up to ¥30,000 CNY for each transfer
- Up to ¥800,000 CNY a year for each recipient, shared across both
- Up to ¥300,000 CNY of this can stay in their Alipay or WeChat Pay balance. The rest must go to an eligible bank account or card
- Up to 15 transfers a month for each recipient, across both
Which ID your recipient needs
| ID | UnionPay card | WeChat Pay | Alipay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese national ID card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents | No | Yes | Yes |
| Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card (China green card) | No | Yes | No |
| Passport | No | No | No |
What your recipient’s account needs
For WeChat Pay or Alipay, your recipient needs all of these:
- A Mainland China bank card linked to their account. Foreign bank cards aren’t accepted
- WeChat Pay or Alipay set up and activated
- An account linked to a mobile number from China or one of these places: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (China), Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, or the United States
For a UnionPay card, the account holder needs a Chinese national ID card.
Supported banks
Most major banks are supported, including ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and Bank of China. China Merchants Bank and Ping An Bank aren’t supported. If your recipient banks with one of these, check whether they can receive through Alipay or WeChat Pay instead.
What you should do
- Check your recipient’s bank or payment app is supported
- Ask your recipient which ID they hold, and use the table above to choose how they’ll receive the money
- Check their account meets the requirements above
- Check the amount is within the limits
- Send your transfer in the LemFi app
- If it’s their first time receiving money through Alipay or WeChat Pay, send them the steps below
What to expect
The first time your recipient receives money through Alipay or WeChat Pay, they need to accept it in the app. They have 48 hours on WeChat Pay and 72 hours on Alipay. If they don’t accept in time, the payment is cancelled and the money comes back to you.
WeChat Pay (within 48 hours)
- Download WeChat and sign up, if they haven’t already
- Tap the link in the message to open WeRemit
- Confirm their phone number
- Choose an eligible bank card to receive the money
Alipay (within 72 hours)
- Open Alipay
- Go to Transfer, then Global Remittance, then Receive Money, then Quick Money Collection
- Choose an eligible bank account
- Submit and confirm
If the app shows any more steps, they should follow those too.
If a transfer is over the limit or doesn’t meet the requirements, it may be blocked, cancelled, or returned to you.
Next steps
If you’re not sure which limit applies to your transfer, or your recipient can’t accept a payment, contact support in the app. Have your transaction reference number ready.