Send money from Japan to China

Wise gives three ways of receiving yuan for transfers from an individual to an individual: UnionPay (銀聯), Alipay and Weixin (WeChat). Sending directly to a bank account in China is possible only from a business to a business. SBI Remit describes deposit to a UnionPay debit account (yuan), cash pickup at MoneyGram (US dollars) and WeChat Pay (yuan). Instarem says the money can be received in an Alipay wallet or by bank card. China is not in the lists published by DCOM and Smiles.

When sending from a Japanese bank, take care with the choice of currency. At Rakuten Bank, a transfer to an individual in mainland China has to be sent in "CNY" and cannot be sent in "CNH". From August 17, 2026, because of Chinese regulations, for CNY transfers to an individual in mainland China the POP code for the purpose of the transfer and the recipient category (Individual) have to be written in the "message to recipient" (受取人へのメッセージ) field (for the conditions of other combinations, such as transfers to a business in mainland China, see Rakuten Bank's guidance). Rakuten Bank's list of POP codes has no code that corresponds to sending money to family, so check with Rakuten Bank which code to use.

• Alipay (Wise): the recipient is a national of mainland China aged 18 or over, or a resident of Hong Kong or Macau. The name is in the same pinyin as on the ID, with a space between the family name and the given name. The transfer is cancelled if the recipient does not register a card with Alipay within 72 hours.
• Weixin (Wise): the recipient has to complete the procedure within 48 hours and register a bank card. The purpose is limited to salary, savings and family living expenses.
• UnionPay (SBI Remit): an account opened in mainland China with a Chinese resident identity card, with no transaction limit set on it, and a number of 15–19 digits that starts with 62. If the number or name is wrong, the money goes into another person's account or an error occurs.
• UnionPay (Wise): money sent to a wrong card number cannot be recovered, and the transfer cannot be cancelled after it is sent.

If the recipient does not complete the procedure within the time limit, Wise cancels the transfer and refunds it automatically within 3 business days. Before you send, tell the recipient that a procedure is needed.

China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) manages the amount of foreign currency an individual changes into yuan (结汇, settlement) with a quota equivalent to USD 50,000 per person per year (Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Measures for the Administration of Individual Foreign Exchange, Article 2). In a 2024 reply it also says that changing a remittance from family overseas into yuan is covered by this USD 50,000 quota, and that large amounts need documents showing that the transaction is real. When an individual in China changes money sent by family above the quota, proof of a direct family relationship or a notarized proof of a support relationship, and proof of the income of the person sending from overseas, are required (Article 10 of the same Detailed Rules).

Whether yuan received through a remittance company counts toward this quota is not published, as far as we checked. If you send a large amount, ask the recipient to check the guidance of the company or bank for the way of receiving.