Shenzhen Airport Wi-Fi: How Foreigners Log In

Shenzhen airport free Wi-Fi login

To use the free Wi-Fi at Shenzhen airport, join Airport-ShenZhen-Free, then log in with a text code or a password from a Wi-Fi kiosk. The airport’s website gives the network name and lists these two login methods: phone number verification (手机号码验证登录) and a Wi-Fi password kiosk (WiFi密码取号机). It says the service is available 24 hours.

1. In your phone’s Wi-Fi settings, join Airport-ShenZhen-Free.
2. Wait for the login page to open in your browser. If it doesn’t, open a plain http address such as http://example.com. NordVPN’s help center suggests this to bring the page up.
3. Log in with a text code or a kiosk password, as below.

Official page, in Chinese (archived copy, May 2026): Wi-Fi at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport.

Text code

To log in by text, enter your phone number on the login page, then enter the code you receive. CAAC News (中国民航网) reported in January 2019 that text codes went to numbers in nearly 200 countries and regions.

Whether codes reach foreign numbers now is not confirmed. A January 2026 airport guide from East China Trip, a tour operator, describes the text login as suited to travelers with a Chinese number, and the kiosk as suited to travelers without a mobile number. If no code arrives, use a kiosk.

WeChat and boarding pass

The 2019 CAAC News report and the 2026 East China Trip guide also list WeChat and boarding pass logins. The airport’s own page lists only the text code and the kiosk. How the boarding pass login works is not confirmed.

Shenzhen airport Wi-Fi kiosk

The Shenzhen airport Wi-Fi kiosk gives you an account and password for the free Wi-Fi. The airport’s website calls it a Wi-Fi password kiosk (WiFi密码取号机). CAAC News reported in January 2019 that international passengers could get an account and password from a kiosk with their ID, then log in on the Wi-Fi login page.

A September 2019 post from the airport’s official account, republished by Shenzhen Window (深圳之窗), said the kiosks accepted five documents, including passports.

1. Find a Wi-Fi kiosk in the terminal. If you can’t, ask staff for the WiFi密码取号机 (Wi-Fi password kiosk).
2. Use your passport at the kiosk to get an account and password.
3. On the Wi-Fi login page, enter the account and password.

Where the kiosks are, and how long a kiosk login lasts, is not confirmed.

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport Wi-Fi speed and time limit

In 2019 each user got up to 20 Mbps, and one login lasted six months, according to CAAC News. Current figures are not confirmed.

CAAC News reported in January 2019 that the airport had upgraded its free Wi-Fi with Huawei. After you logged in once, your device was logged in automatically for six months. First and business class lounges and the business VIP lounges had a faster zone, with up to 40 Mbps per user.

The airport’s September 2019 post said the Wi-Fi covered the terminals, the airfield, the transport center, the car parks and the business lounges.

What doesn’t work on Shenzhen airport Wi-Fi

Google, WhatsApp and other blocked apps don’t work on the airport Wi-Fi without a VPN. The airport Wi-Fi is a Chinese network, so the usual blocks apply. Airalo says Google (including Gmail and Maps), Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and WhatsApp are generally inaccessible on local networks in China.

A roaming eSIM doesn’t help while your phone is on the Wi-Fi. Airalo says its eSIM gives full access to blocked sites “as long as you are using your eSIM data (and not the hotel Wi-Fi)”. The same goes for airport Wi-Fi: turn Wi-Fi off to use the eSIM’s data.

More on whether WhatsApp works in China and on choosing between an eSIM and a VPN for China.

Other ways to get online when you land

If the airport Wi-Fi isn’t enough, use a roaming eSIM, a Chinese SIM card or a VPN.

A roaming eSIM

A roaming eSIM gives you mobile data without the airport login. Airalo says its eSIM data is routed through secure gateways outside mainland China, which is why blocked sites work on it. Each provider’s routing is in our China eSIM comparison.

A Chinese SIM card at the airport

You can apply for a Chinese SIM card at the airport’s service center for foreign visitors. EyeShenzhen, the city’s official multilingual portal, says the center is on the east side of the international arrivals exit in Terminal 3 and is open 24 hours. It lists on-site SIM card applications and telecom service consultation among the center’s services. Shenzhen Daily reported in November 2025 that the center is on Level 1.

Which operators’ SIM cards the center offers, and their prices, are not confirmed. The Foreigners’ Guide to Shenzhen, published on EyeShenzhen, says to bring your passport to get a SIM card.

A Chinese SIM uses a local network, so the same apps stay blocked on it.

A VPN

If you use a VPN, finish the Wi-Fi login with the VPN off, then connect it. NordVPN’s help center calls the login page on public Wi-Fi at hotels, airports and cafes a captive portal. It says auto-connect stops that page from loading, and a kill switch blocks all non-VPN traffic, so the page never appears.

1. Turn off your VPN’s auto-connect and kill switch, and disconnect the VPN.
2. Join Airport-ShenZhen-Free and complete the login.
3. If the login page doesn’t appear, open a plain http address such as http://example.com. NordVPN suggests this to bring the page up.
4. Connect the VPN, then turn the kill switch and auto-connect back on.

Provider-specific fixes are in our guide to using a VPN on hotel Wi-Fi in China.