Before starting your cloud journey, the first step is to have your own Alibaba Cloud account. This article guides you through the registration process.
Registration overview
The Alibaba Cloud account registration process has three stages: create an account, complete registration, and identity verification.
You can choose to complete different stages based on your business needs. This topic describes the steps for creating an account and completing registration. For identity verification steps, see Identity verification overview.
In the table below, "Supported" indicates the use case is available at that stage, and "Not supported" indicates it is not.
Use case | Create an account | Complete registration | Verify identity (individual account) | Verify identity (enterprise account) |
Browse the official website | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
Activate a free trial | Not supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
Purchase cloud products (outside the Chinese mainland) | Not supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
Purchase cloud products in the Chinese mainland | Not supported | Not supported | Supported | Supported |
Purchase specific cloud products (such as CEN and SMS) | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Supported |
The information required and estimated time for each stage:
Stage | Required information | Estimated time |
Create an account | Email address, phone number (optional) | 5 minutes |
Complete registration | Phone number, payment method, bill-to address, tax information (optional) | 10 minutes |
Verify your identity | Individual account: passport or driver's license. Enterprise account: valid business certificate from your country of registration | ~3 business days after submission |
Create an account
On the Alibaba Cloud official website, click Free Trial in the upper-right corner to open the Account Registration page. Select an Account Type. You can change the account type during the complete registration step or in the Basic Information section of Account Center.
Individual: For solo developers, students, or personal projects, learning, and testing.
Enterprise: For any company or organization that requires multi-user collaboration for cloud resource management. Enterprise accounts can use features designed for enterprise scenarios, such as Resource Management and finance trusteeship.
Enter your email address and set a password. This email address serves as your logon credential and the destination for important account notifications. Keep it secure. Password requirements:
Length: 8 to 20 characters
Allowed characters: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks (no spaces)
Must include at least three of the four character types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks
Select your Account Type and Country/Region, and verify your identity using a phone number or email address.
ImportantThe Country/Region field determines your billing currency and applicable tax rates. It cannot be changed after registration. Select it carefully.
If the system incorrectly identifies your country/region during registration and you cannot manually correct it, or if you discover that you selected the wrong country/region after registration is complete, we recommend that you delete the current account and register a new one.
Verify with a phone number
This phone number is a key credential for security operations such as password recovery and enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Enter your phone number. The country code must match the Country/Region you selected. A mismatch prevents the verification code from being delivered.
Click Send verification code and enter the 6-digit code you receive.
Verify with an email address
This is the email address you entered in Step 2.
Click Send. A verification code is sent to that address.
Check your inbox (including the spam folder). Either click the verification link in the email, or enter the 6-digit verification code.
Read and accept the Alibaba Cloud Terms of Service, then click Register. Your Alibaba Cloud account is now created.
Complete registration
After creating your account, you must complete security verification and add payment information before you can purchase paid cloud products in regions outside the Chinese mainland or activate free trials for most paid products. If you skip this step and try to place an order directly, the system displays an "Account information is incomplete" error and blocks the purchase.
1. Security verification
Secure your account by verifying a backup contact method.
Phone number
If you registered with an email address, verify a secure phone number. This number is used for password recovery and MFA.
Enter your phone number. The country code must match the Country/Region selected during registration.
Click Send verification code and enter the 6-digit code.
Email address
If you registered with a phone number, verify a security email address. This address is used for password recovery.
Click Get Code. A 6-digit verification code is sent to your registration email address.
Enter the verification code and click Next.
2. Add payment information
For Account Type, confirm Individual or Enterprise. This selection can differ from what you chose at registration, and you can update it in the Basic Information section of Account Center before completing identity verification.
Fill in your Payment Information and Billing Information following the on-screen instructions.
Payment methods vary by country and region. For a full list, see Alibaba Cloud payment methods. You can also update your payment method later in Expenses and Costs.
Your payment method is not charged during setup. The system may place a temporary authorization hold on your bank card for verification purposes only — no funds are deducted.
NoteIf your PayPal account is not verified, it may not be accepted as a payment method.
PayPal accounts from the Chinese mainland are not currently supported.
For account and payment security reasons, virtual credit cards are not supported for verification or binding. If a security risk is detected during the process, you must bind a physical bank card and submit the required materials for review. You will be notified of the review result via email within 3 business days.
Click Next to save your payment information.
3. Add tax information (optional)
Enterprise accounts in certain countries (such as the United Kingdom and Malaysia) must submit tax information for local tax filing and invoicing. If you want to skip this step, click Skip. Add or manage your tax ID later at Expenses and Costs > Tax ID Management.
Fill in your tax details and upload any required tax qualification documents following the on-screen instructions.
Click Submit and wait for the review to complete.
After completing registration, you can activate free trials for most cloud products and purchase cloud products in regions outside the Chinese mainland.
To purchase cloud products in the Chinese mainland, sign online contracts with Alibaba Cloud, apply for a credit limit, or join the Alibaba Cloud Partner Network (ACPN), complete identity verification for your account. See Identity verification overview.
FAQ
What to do when the "Account information is incomplete" error appears
If you receive an "Account information is incomplete" error when purchasing a cloud product, your account is missing required information. The system validates the following four categories before placing an order. Check each category and complete any missing items:
Category | Checked items | How to fix |
Account basic information | Security phone number, security email | Log on to Account Center, go to Security Settings, and bind or update your phone number and email. |
Payment information | Payment method (credit card, PayPal, etc.) | Log on to Expenses and Costs, go to Payment Method Management, and add a valid payment method. |
Tax information | Tax ID, tax documents (required in some countries/regions) | Log on to Expenses and Costs, go to Tax ID Management, fill in your tax information, and upload any required documents. This is required in certain countries/regions (such as the United Kingdom and Malaysia). |
Billing address | Billing address | Log on to Expenses and Costs, go to Payment Method Management, and check and complete the billing address. |
To purchase cloud products in the Chinese mainland, you must also complete identity verification. For more information, see Identity verification overview.
Required items vary by country or region. For example, enterprise accounts registered in the United Kingdom or Malaysia must provide tax information.
Is an overseas mobile phone number required to register an Alibaba Cloud International account?
Yes. The country/region of the mobile phone number bound to your Alibaba Cloud International account must match the region selected during account registration.
What should I do if mainland China is not available as a registration region?
Alibaba Cloud International does not support mainland China as a registration region, nor does it support binding mainland China mobile phone numbers. To use services in mainland China, please register an account on the Alibaba Cloud China site.
Why can't I change the registered region of my account?
Once an Alibaba Cloud International account is registered, the registered country/region cannot be modified. If you need to use services associated with a different region, please delete your current account first, and then register a new account with your target region. For instructions on how to delete your account, please refer to Close an Alibaba Cloud account. Additionally, the country/region of the identification document used for real-name verification must match the account's registration country/region.
Why is Alibaba Cloud International no longer accepting new customer registrations from India?
Due to adjustments in infrastructure strategy, Alibaba Cloud has ceased operations at data centers in India and is no longer accepting new customer registrations from India. For cloud services, contact a designated Alibaba Cloud Partner.
Can I register for Alibaba Cloud International using a China mainland entity?
Alibaba Cloud International does not support registration with China mainland entities (for individuals or businesses). You must register using a non-mainland China entity and a phone number that matches your selected registration country/region. If you register with a China mainland phone number without providing valid non-mainland information, your orders will be blocked at checkout.
For cloud services in mainland China, register an account at Alibaba Cloud (China).
What are the limitations of a special or temporary Alibaba Cloud International account?
Accounts created through domain name transfer (for example, .org domain name transfers) or authorization management workflows are special accounts with restricted permissions. These accounts support only renewing or transferring out existing domain names — purchasing new cloud products (such as ECS or Simple Application Server) or registering new domain names is not supported. To purchase cloud products, register a standard Alibaba Cloud International account.
Can I use the same email address to register a new Alibaba Cloud account?
No. Each Alibaba Cloud account requires a unique email address. If an email address is already associated with an existing account, use a different email address to register.
Does Alibaba Cloud International support ICP filing?
No. Alibaba Cloud International accounts do not support ICP (Internet Content Provider) filing operations. ICP filing records from Alibaba Cloud (China) accounts cannot be transferred to an Alibaba Cloud International account.
If you have ICP filing records associated with an Alibaba Cloud International account and need to cancel or modify them, transfer the ICP filing to an Alibaba Cloud (China) account first.
Why can't I see my resources or orders after logging into Alibaba Cloud International? Why am I unable to log in to Alibaba Cloud International from mainland China?
Alibaba Cloud (China) (aliyun.com) and Alibaba Cloud International (alibabacloud.com) are completely separate platforms — account data, resources, orders, and support tickets are not shared between them.
If you cannot find your expected resources or orders:
Confirm that you are logged in to the correct site. Resources purchased on Alibaba Cloud (China) are only visible at aliyun.com. Resources purchased on Alibaba Cloud International are only visible at alibabacloud.com.
The two platforms are independent — cross-site login and data synchronization are not supported.