Bottom line upfront: In 2026, Mainland Chinese residents can still successfully pass Binance KYC. The mainstream approach is to use a passport for verification (with an approval rate of around 92%) and select your actual primary residence as the country of residence (choose China if you are domestic, or your actual location if overseas). Binance hasn't blocked Mainland Chinese passports; what is blocked are "Mainland Chinese IP addresses." Therefore, the key to successful registration and KYC is maintaining a clean network environment. If you haven't registered yet, go to the Binance Official Website to create an account; for Android users, the Binance Official APP has a 20% higher pass rate than the browser version. iPhone users can refer to the iOS Installation Guide to switch Apple IDs and get the official APP. This article provides a comprehensive breakdown of the entire KYC path, document selection, and network configuration for Mainland residents in 2026.
1. The Current Status of Binance KYC for Mainland Residents in 2026
Many people's impressions are stuck in 2021, when "Binance phased out Mainland Chinese users." The reality is: In 2021, Binance removed service access portals for Mainland Chinese IPs, but it never prohibited individual Mainland Chinese residents from opening accounts. Both Mainland passports and Mainland ID cards can currently be used to successfully complete KYC.
From 2024 to 2026, Binance's policies toward Mainland residents went through these general phases:
| Time Period | Registration Support | KYC Support | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021.09 - 2022.06 | Tightened | Strict | Phase-out period; hard for new users to register |
| 2022.07 - 2023.12 | Partially Restored | Normal | Passports usable, required overseas IP |
| 2024.01 - 2025.06 | Normal | Normal | Mainland ID cards could also be used for KYC |
| 2025.07 - 2026.04 | Normal | Normal | Consistent with the previous phase |
In short, the environment in 2026 is much more relaxed than in 2021. But relaxed doesn't mean you can operate carelessly. A few crucial details still determine whether you'll pass smoothly.
2. Two Main Paths for Mainland Residents Doing KYC
There are two paths depending on your current location.
Path A: You are located within Mainland China
The first step is sorting out your network environment. The Binance official website (binance.com) is blocked by the firewall in Mainland China, so you must use a VPN to access it. Note: During registration and KYC, your IP address must remain consistently in the same country/region. If your IP bounces around—Hong Kong one minute, Japan the next, then the US—you will be flagged by risk control.
It is highly recommended to use professional commercial VPN nodes (do not use free nodes, as their IPs are tainted). Choose a fixed node, like Tokyo or Singapore, and use it throughout the entire registration and KYC process.
The second step is choosing your ID document. A Mainland Chinese passport is the preferred choice. Reasons:
The OCR recognition success rate for passports is high (the system is well-trained on international passports).
The English names on passports are standardized (Mainland IDs only have Chinese characters, and converting to Pinyin is prone to errors).
Binance's risk control system is friendlier towards passports than Mainland ID cards.
If you don't have a passport and only have an ID card, you can still do KYC, but the approval rate is 10-15 percentage points lower, and you might need to resubmit 1-2 times.
The third step is selecting "China" as your country of residence. Binance has not removed "China" from the country of residence options, so you can select it normally. Do not intentionally choose another country to "bypass risk controls". A severe mismatch between your country of residence, actual nationality, IP, and phone number will trigger even stricter risk control measures.
The fourth step is to follow standard KYC procedures. Register → Identity Verification → Photo of ID → Facial Recognition. The process is the same as for users from other countries, with no special steps.
Path B: You are located outside Mainland China
If you are already abroad (on a business trip, studying, or emigrated), the process is even simpler:
First, use the local real network (do not use a VPN).
Second, register an account and select your actual location as your country of residence (e.g., Singapore, Japan, UAE—but exclude the US).
Third, for KYC, use your Mainland passport or a local ID card (if you have already obtained local residency).
Fourth, follow the standard process.
Doing KYC from abroad typically yields a higher pass rate than from within the Mainland because there is no IP anomaly risk.
3. Detailed Comparison of Document Choices
| Document Type | Approval Rate | Avg. Time Taken | Recommended For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland China Passport (E-passport) | ~92% | 5-15 mins | First choice for all Mainland residents | Must have ≥ 6 months validity |
| Mainland China ID Card | ~78% | 10-30 mins | Those without a passport | Name must be entered in English Pinyin |
| Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong/Macau Residents | ~88% | 5-15 mins | HK/Macau compatriots | Check the validity period |
| Taiwan Compatriot Permit | ~85% | 5-15 mins | Taiwan compatriots | Often transfers to manual review |
| Foreign ID (Immigrated) | ~95% | 5-10 mins | Naturalized/Permanent residents | Country of residence must be the local one |
| Chinese Driver's License | ~60% | 15-40 mins | Not recommended, backup only | Often triggers manual review |
The highly recommended option is a Mainland passport. If you plan to engage in cryptocurrency trading long-term, it's advisable to apply for a passport in advance. It significantly boosts approval rates for various compliance operations.
If you only have an ID card for now, it's still doable. The key is that during registration, your English name must be entered according to the Pinyin rules of your ID card: Surname first, given name second, all caps, with a single space between the surname and given name. For example, "张三" (Zhang San) should be entered as "ZHANG SAN".
4. Crucial Details During the Registration Phase
You need to prepare for KYC during the registration phase. Pay attention to these details:
Email Selection
Use Gmail primarily. Reason: Gmail has strong anti-phishing capabilities and aligns best with Binance's email delivery channels. If you don't have Gmail, QQ Mail is acceptable (just make sure to configure your spam whitelist properly). Domestic emails like 163, 126, or 139 are not recommended, as they sometimes intercept Binance's verification emails.
Phone Number Selection
You can use a Mainland +86 phone number to register; Binance has not blocked them. If you have an overseas phone number (like Hong Kong +852 or Singapore +65), it's preferable to use that, as the KYC approval rate will be slightly higher.
Using virtual numbers, Google Voice, or numbers from online SMS receiving platforms is heavily discouraged. These numbers have already been blacklisted by Binance's risk control system, and KYC attempts post-registration will almost certainly be rejected.
Username
The name (First Name + Last Name) you enter during registration must perfectly match the ID document you will use for KYC later. If you enter it wrong during registration, you can't change it during KYC, and the account is ruined. Therefore, look at your ID document while filling it out.
Network Environment
As mentioned, keep your IP stable during registration and KYC. Recommended method: Choose a VPN node (e.g., Tokyo, Japan) before registering, and use this identical node on the day you register and the day you complete KYC. You can switch nodes for daily use after verification, but don't switch in the early stages.
5. What to Note When Doing Facial Recognition in the Mainland
Facial recognition itself isn't country-specific, but Mainland users often fall into a few unique traps:
First, network stability. If your VPN connection is unstable and drops halfway through uploading the facial recognition data, it will fail. Advice: Find the best Wi-Fi environment, close other bandwidth-heavy APPs on your phone, and select a low-latency VPN node.
Second, mobile phone beauty filters. Domestic Android phones often have AI beauty filters enabled by default, which causes liveness detection to fail. Go into your camera settings and turn off all beauty filters, skin smoothing, and color filters before opening the Binance APP to do the recognition.
Third, lighting. During winter in Mainland China, indoor lighting tends to be a warm yellow, which skews skin tones and affects recognition. Advice: Do it by a window with natural light during the day, or use a 5500K cool white desk lamp to supplement light at night.
Fourth, backup plans. If facial recognition fails multiple times, you can borrow a friend's flagship phone (preferably an iPhone X or newer) to complete the recognition, then log back into your own device for daily use.
6. What to Keep in Mind After Passing KYC
Passing KYC is just the beginning. As a Mainland user, you must keep the following in mind for daily use:
First, a Stable Network
You must use a VPN every time you log into Binance, and the VPN node should remain as stable as possible. Frequently changing IP countries will trigger risk controls, potentially requiring you to redo facial recognition or even temporarily freezing your account.
Second, Device Management
The device used for registration should ideally be used long-term. If you switch to a new phone, remember to complete the "Trust Device" verification (entering SMS + email codes) after logging into the new device. The system will then whitelist the new device.
Third, Deposit Methods
P2P is the most common deposit method for Mainland users, but Binance P2P blocked the CNY option in 2023. Workaround: Use P2P to buy USDT (trading privately with sellers via Alipay/WeChat/Bank Card), but be careful to select highly reputable merchants to avoid having your bank card frozen.
Fourth, Withdrawal Paths
Crypto → Fiat is what Mainland users care about most. A common approach is withdrawing crypto to OKX or other platforms that support CNY withdrawals and selling via P2P, or using compliant channels through a Hong Kong bank card. The compliance of specific paths varies by individual; consulting a professional tax advisor is recommended.
Fifth, Tax Compliance
Mainland China currently lacks explicit tax laws specifically targeting cryptocurrency. However, according to the "Individual Income Tax Law," income derived from buying and selling crypto by individuals falls under "income from the transfer of property" and is taxable. It is advisable to retain complete trading records and proactively declare income when it exceeds a certain threshold.
7. FAQ About Mainland KYC
Q: If I pass KYC with a Mainland ID card, could my account be shut down at any time?
No. Binance has not prohibited Mainland residents from personally holding accounts; what is prohibited is "providing financial services to Mainland residents within Mainland China." Using your account normally after completing KYC does not violate Binance's policies. However, relevant laws in Mainland China are unfriendly toward cryptocurrency trading, so you must assess the legal risks yourself.
Q: Will it be easier to pass KYC if I set my country of residence to an overseas location?
No, the risk is actually higher. A severe mismatch between your stated country of residence and your actual nationality/IP/phone number will trigger risk controls, requiring you to submit additional documents like Proof of Address, residence permits, or visas. The overall pass rate drops. It is recommended to fill it out truthfully.
Q: My Mainland passport expired; can I still do KYC?
No. Binance requires ID documents to have at least 6 months of validity remaining. If your passport is about to expire, go to the Entry-Exit Administration to renew it first (takes about 10 working days) and do KYC after the new passport is issued.
Q: Will failing KYC several times within Mainland China lead to a permanent ban?
It won't result in a permanent ban. However, if your facial recognition fails more than 5 times within 24 hours, you will be locked out for 24 hours. Just try again the next day. If OCR fails or there's an information mismatch, you can resubmit an unlimited number of times.
Q: Will canceling my Mainland phone number affect my Binance account?
It might. If the linked phone number is canceled, you won't receive SMS verification codes when logging in. You'll need to go through the "Recover Phone Number" process with customer service, which requires submitting your ID card + facial recognition. It is recommended that you keep a dedicated, long-term phone number linked to Binance.
Q: If policies become stricter in the future, will Binance phase out Mainland accounts?
Impossible to predict. It is always recommended that you control the private keys/seed phrases to your crypto yourself (using a hardware wallet or self-custody wallet) and avoid leaving all your funds on an exchange long-term. This is universal advice for users from any country, not just the Mainland.
8. Final Advice for Mainland Users
First, use authentic information. Borrowing someone else's ID, changing nationalities, or forging documents might have worked in 2021, but risk control systems in 2026 have blocked all these loopholes. Using your real identity for KYC is the only sustainable way.
Second, diversify your assets. Don't keep all your money on a single exchange. A trifecta of Binance + OKX + self-custody wallets is a much more robust setup.
Third, focus on compliance. Once your account is verified, remember to keep comprehensive records of deposits, withdrawals, and trades. Being able to present clear sources and destinations of funds if ever questioned by tax or judicial authorities is your most important shield.
Fourth, keep learning. Policies in the crypto industry change rapidly. Follow the Binance Official Website announcements, official Twitter, and professional news sites to stay updated on policy changes and protect your assets.
As long as you follow the rules, use authentic information, and remain patient, Mainland residents can completely and smoothly complete Binance KYC and participate normally in the global crypto market.