WeChat wants a friend to verify my new account. What if I don't know anyone?
Use WeChat's own fallbacks: verify with a bank card or by activating WeChat Pay. Never pay a stranger to scan.
What it depends on
- IfYou planned to sign up with Google Voice or another virtual number→ thenUse a real mobile number instead. WeChat blocks accounts registered with virtual numbers, and they cannot be used to unblock either.
- IfA WeChat user you trust is with you→ thenLet them scan the QR code on your screen with their own WeChat.
- IfNobody can scan for you→ thenOn the same screen, tap Verify via Payment Card, or Verify and Activate WeChat Pay, and follow the steps.
- IfIt still fails or keeps asking→ thenTurn off any VPN, use the official app and retry; then send your number and screenshots through the help page link. WeChat says it replies within three working days.
- IfAn existing account is restricted and asks for a helper→ thenIf your account was registered outside mainland China, a helper in mainland China must already be your WeChat friend (anyone outside the mainland can help). The helper needs an account over six months old and must be within WeChat's assist limits (once a month, twice in six months, three times a year). If your account is under 14 days old, unblock with its linked number. The rules differ between WeChat's pages, so follow the screen.
WeChat's Help Center describes assistance registration as a check that can appear after you sign up with your phone number, or later when you use certain features. WeChat says it exists to stop people signing up with bots. You only go through it if WeChat prompts you, and WeChat says the conditions differ by country or region, so follow the prompt on your screen.
With a friend: the prompt shows a QR code, and another WeChat user scans it with their own WeChat. WeChat's sign-up help page says you can invite "a nearby friend or another WeChat user".
Without a friend, WeChat gives two other routes on the same screen. "Verify via Payment Card": enter your bank card details and complete any authentication your bank asks for. "Verify and Activate WeChat Pay": enter the required details, complete authentication and set a payment password. Which cards work is covered in binding a foreign card to Alipay and WeChat.
If it keeps failing, WeChat says to try again, use only the official app, check that your device and network are not compromised, and disconnect any VPN while you register. If it still asks for a security check, the help page has a link where you submit the phone number you are signing up with and screenshots of the failure; WeChat says it will follow up within three working days. Each mobile number can only create one WeChat account. Sign up with a real mobile number: WeChat lists registering with a virtual number such as Google Voice, Skype In or Nexmo as a reason accounts get blocked.
A different screen appears when an existing account is restricted and you are asked to have someone confirm your identity. WeChat's English help pages on unblocking set the helper rules by where your account was registered. If you registered outside mainland China, a helper outside the mainland can be any user, but a helper in mainland China must already be your WeChat friend. (For accounts registered in mainland China, only mainland users can help, and a helper from another province must be a friend.) The helper must have used WeChat for more than six months and have an active account. If your own account is 14 days old or less, only its linked phone number can unblock it, so use that number or wait until 14 days have passed. Virtual numbers such as Google Voice or Skype Out are not accepted for unblocking.
WeChat's Chinese security-centre page gives the helper conditions for mainland China users differently: their account has been registered for more than six months and is in normal use, it is linked to a bank card, they are within the limit of one assist a month, two in six months and three a year, and they have no violations or security risks. That page says the helper does not need to be your WeChat friend. The two official pages do not agree, so go by what your screen says when you ask for help.
WeChat Pay requires real-name authentication and prompts you for it when you first try to pay. For users without a mainland ID card, WeChat lists: passport (or a Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan travel permit), full name exactly as on the document, mobile number, address, occupation, a photo of the ID and a clear photo of your face.
Do not scan for strangers or pay someone to scan for you. In 2019 a Changsha newspaper documented people on shopping streets asking passers-by to scan codes, which turned out to be assisted registrations and account unblocks for accounts sold on to scam and gambling operations. WeChat's security centre, quoted in the same report, warned users not to buy bulk-registered accounts.
Useful apps
Sources
- WeChat Help Center — How do I sign up for WeChat and assistance registration?Official
Cloudflare page, read with a headless browser 2026-10-06; article dated 2025-02-07. 'Invite a nearby friend or another WeChat user to scan a QR Code…' 'If no WeChat users are available to assist, you can verify with bank card by tapping 「Verify via Payment Card」…' 'verify through WeChat Pay by tapping 「Verify and Activate WeChat Pay」… Set a payment password' 'Each mobile number is only eligible to create one WeChat account.' 'results may vary depending on the invited user's country or region' 'disconnect from any VPN during registration' 'We will follow up or contact you within three working days.'
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — How do I sign up WeChat if I need a friend to scan the QR code?Official
Static HTML. Same two routes ('Verify via Payment Card' / 'Verify and Activate Weixin Pay') and 'Users from different countries or regions may have different conditions for assistance registration. Please refer to the prompts on the screen during registration.' 'Please do not connect to VPN when you register a WeChat account.'
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — What do I do if I can't use Assistant Registration?Official
Headless browser 2026-10-06: 'Verification is required when signing up to prevent people from signing up using bots and to ensure the security of WeChat's sign-up process.'
Open source ↗ - 微信安全中心 — 激活微信账号（辅助验证条件，中文页） (WeChat security centre: helper conditions for verifying a restricted account)Official
JS page, headless browser 2026-10-06. Conditions for mainland China users; switching the helper's area code selector does not change the text (checked by 执行员 2). Conflicts with the English unblocking pages on whether a mainland helper must be a friend: '对方不需要是你的微信好友，只要是满足以下条件的微信用户: 微信号注册时间长于半年并正常使用 / 微信号已经绑定银行卡 / 近期没有超出辅助验证次数限制（1次/月、2次/6月、3次/年）/ 有辅助验证的资格（如无违规记录、无安全风险、在常用安全环境登录等）'.
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — What should I do if I'm unable to unblock my WeChat account?Official
Headless browser 2026-10-06. 'If you registered your account outside of mainland China… a. If asking a user outside of mainland China… they can be any user. b. If asking a mainland China user… they must be friends with you on WeChat.' 'the user helping you unblock your account must be a WeChat user registered for more than six months' 'If your account was registered in the past 14 days, use your account's linked phone number' 'phone numbers provided by virtual network operators such as Skype Out, Google Voice… cannot be used'.
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — What Should I Do if I'm Unable to Unblock My WeChat Account? (cs.help)Official
Cloudflare page, headless browser 2026-10-06; dated 2024-12-16. 'For accounts registered outside the mainland of China: - You can ask a user from the mainland of China or outside to assist. - If the helper is outside the mainland of China, they do not need to be your friend on WeChat. If the helper is from mainland China, they must be your WeChat friend.' 'For accounts registered in mainland China: - You can only ask mainland Chinese users to help. … If the helper is from a different province, they must be your WeChat friend.' 'Must have been a WeChat user for over six months. - Account must be active and not recently blocked.' 'If your account was created within the last 14 days, only the linked phone number can unblock it.'
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — Why Has My WeChat Account Been Blocked?Official
Cloudflare page, headless browser 2026-10-06; dated 2025-02-10. 'Registering your account with a virtual phone number (e.g., Skype In, Google Voice, Nexmo). It is recommended to switch to a fixed phone number service and re-register with a mobile number not provided by a virtual service.'
Open source ↗ - WeChat Help Center — How to Remove WeChat Pay Restrictions and Complete Real-Name AuthenticationOfficial
Headless browser 2026-10-06; dated 2025-02-18. 'WeChat Pay requires real-name authentication for all users.' List: identity document (passport, travel permits), full name, mobile phone number, address, occupation, photo of the ID, clear photo of your face.
Open source ↗ - 潇湘晨报 — 街头“求扫码”背后藏猫腻 (Xiaoxiang Morning Herald: street QR-scan requests linked to assisted registration)Press
2019-07-16. '可能涉及辅助注册、辅助解封、买卖微信账号等行为' and quoting 微信安全中心: '不要购买、使用批量注册的微信账号'.
Open source ↗