Here you’ll find answers to the most common questions about Chinese yuan (CNY) transfers.
You currently can’t send money from CNY via bank transfer or credit/debit card.
You can only send from CNY from your balance to private individuals (transfers to businesses are not supported).
Sending to CNY
Who can I send CNY to?
For your personal account, you can only send CNY to private individuals who have any of the following
UnionPay bank card,
an Alipay ID
Weixin ID.
They must have opened their bank account with a Chinese national ID card — we can’t send CNY to accounts opened with a passport, driver’s licence or military document. You cannot send CNY to businesses using your personal account.
If you have a Wise business account, you can send CNY to a business recipient with a business account denominated in CNY based in China.
We currently do not support business transfers to Alipay and Weixin recipients
You can use UnionPay to make a business transfer to a personal account in China.
Read on for information regarding the recipient, limits and restrictions for Sending to CNY.
What information do I need about my recipient?
For UnionPay recipients you’ll need their full name, in PinYin (A–Z) only, and their 16–19 digit UnionPay card number. In case you are sending money from USD to CNY, we need to ask for your UnionPay recipient's address.
For Alipay and Weixin recipients you’ll need their full name, in PinYin (A–Z) only, and their Alipay ID or Weixin ID.
For business recipients, you’ll need their full name (in Latin characters only), their bank account number, BIC/ SWIFT code, and their address in China. Their bank account must be a business account based in China and denominated in CNY.
How much can I send?
For UnionPay recipients:
You can send up to 31,000 CNY per transaction
You can send up to 10,000 USD per recipient, or equivalent in CNY, per day*
You can send up to 50,000 USD per recipient, or equivalent in CNY, per year*
For AliPay and Weixin recipients:
You can send up to 50,000 CNY per transaction
You can send up to 500,000 CNY per recipient, per year — each recipient can receive a maximum of 5 transfers per calendar month*
For business recipients:
You can send up to 850,000 CNY per transaction
*This limit is how much your recipient can receive in total, from all exchange platforms — it is not only limited to Wise.
How long does it usually take for the money to arrive?
For UnionPay recipients:
Once Wise receives and converts your money, it usually arrives in your recipient’s bank account on the same working day. Conversion can take up to 2 working days.
If your recipient has reached the daily receiving limit, the money will arrive on the next day.
For AliPay and Weixin recipients:
If your Alipay recipient has linked their bank card to their Alipay ID or Weixin ID: Once Wise receives and converts your money, it usually arrives in your recipient’s bank account in a few minutes. Conversion can take up to 2 working days.
If your Alipay recipient hasn't linked their bank card: They'll be given 48 hours to link a bank card so that they can receive your money. Please remind them to look out for the notification from Alipay or Weixin and complete the required setup.
For business recipients:
Once Wise receives and converts your money, it usually arrives in your recipient’s bank in 1 working day.
Your recipient’s bank will usually ask for a contract and invoice, to be provided by your recipient, before the money is deposited into their bank account.
We’ll always give you an estimate for how long your transfer will take when you set it up.
Learn more about how long transfers take
Are there any restrictions on sending to CNY?
You can only send to CNY personal recipients from the following currencies: USD, GBP, HKD, SGD, EUR, AUD, CAD, JPY, BGN, CZK, DKK, HUF, NOK, PLN, RON, SEK, HRK, AED, BRL, CHF, IDR, MYR, NZD, TRY.
You can send to CNY businesses from the following currencies: AUD, CAD, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, and USD.
You cannot fund a CNY transfer to businesses using your Wise balance. You will need to use other payment methods.
For Weixin transfers, please note that Wise customers registered in the European Economic Area (EEA, including the European Union countries), United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong and Korea will be unable to send to Weixin users until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.
Some banks in China don’t accept payments from abroad, so you can’t send money to the following banks:
China Merchants bank
China Minsheng bank
Industrial Bank Co
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
Bank of Nanjing
Is there any other information I need to know?
Not all countries can send money to China. But if you have an account in the following countries, you can send money to a UnionPay account:
United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden.
Alternatively, all but the following countries can send money to an Alipay account:
Cuba, Iran, Sudan, DPRK, Syria, Crimea region, China.
All but the following countries can send money to a Weixin account: Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bolivia, Botswana, Cambodia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Iceland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritius, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Qatar, Serbia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Zimbabwe.
Businesses registered in Europe cannot send CNY to businesses in China. However, you can send USD to pay businesses in China.