Last week, a friend who does foreign trade asked me to help check his account. He originally used a company email address to open it casually, but now he wants to switch it to a business account and route it through the company’s finances—however, it can’t be done. Binance’s Help Center is very explicit: if an email address has already been linked to a personal account, it can’t be upgraded to a business account.
Opening an account seems simple at first. The real hassle isn’t that there are many steps—it’s that some fields are one-time only: once you fill them out, they’re locked. This article walks you through the full account opening process from start to finish in the exact order shown on the page, and also flags which parts are irreversible.
Registration entry: https://www.binance.com/zh-CN/join?ref=WIN98
Invitation code: WIN98 (20% spot contract automatic fee rebate + $19,800 welcome gift for new users)
🧭【Before opening an account, what two things do you need to decide first?】
Answer: The account type and the email/phone number used for account opening—both of these cannot be changed casually after registration.
▸ Account type: Personal account or enterprise account—this splits at the registration step. The official help center clearly states that the account type cannot be changed after registration. The text at the bottom of the web registration page says "Create a company account or log in"; in the App, you choose between 【Create a Binance account】/【Create an enterprise account】.
✅ Official wording for the enterprise-account route: "Please note that if your email address has already been bound to a personal account, you will not be able to upgrade to an enterprise account. Please make sure you use an account that has not been verified to complete enterprise verification."
▸ Enterprise accounts also have a quota limit. The official wording is: "Each company can only apply for one enterprise account, but we provide a sub-account feature for enterprise accounts."
▸ Eligibility to open an account: The official wording in Article 2.1(b) of Binance (Terms of Use) says: "If you are an individual, you should be at least 18 years old."
📌 Most people open a personal account. Just follow the personal-account route. If you are determined to receive/pay under a company name, use a company email address that has never been registered on Binance—don’t try using the same email that has already been used for a personal account.
📝【How many steps are there in total to register/open an account on Binance?】
Answer: Six steps. The first four steps are "registration," and only after the last two steps are completed does it count as "account opening."
Open the registration entry
Registration entry: https://www.binance.com/zh-CN/join?ref=WIN98
⚠️ There’s something counterintuitive here: on the first screen of the registration page, you can’t see any recommended code/invitation code input box— even if you enter parameters, it still won’t display. Many tutorials on the market still say "click open the recommended code section on the registration page and fill in the code," but that’s for an older page version.
▸ On the first screen, you actually only see these items: the title "Welcome to Binance," an "Email/Phone Number" input box, and the 【Register】 button. Below are 【Continue with Google】, 【Continue with Apple】, and 【Continue with Telegram】. At the bottom is the line "Create a company account or log in."
Enter your email or phone number to receive a 6-digit verification code
✅ Official guideline: Verification codes are 6 digits and valid for 30 minutes. After filling it in, click 【Submit】.
⚠️ Use a common email domain. The official wording is: "We recommend using an email address from common domains such as Gmail and Outlook to register your Binance account." Self-hosted domain emails and niche email providers are high-risk for not receiving codes.
Set login password
✅ Official rule: at least 8 characters, with at least 1 uppercase letter and 1 number.
📌 If you choose 【Continue with Google】 or 【Continue with Apple】, the official steps do not include a "create password" step. So if you later discover "I never set a password," that’s normal—it’s not that a step was missed.
Enter the invitation code—your only chance during the account-opening process
📌 This field isn’t on the first screen. It appears on the page after account creation: the system asks whether you have an inviter; choose "Yes," and then the input box will show up. Enter WIN98 and get an 80% fee rate.
▸ The official formal name of this field is "Referrer ID (optional)". The help center’s wording is: "If you register on Binance through a friend’s invitation, please make sure to fill in the Referrer ID."
▸ If you enter via an invitation link, the official wording is that the system will fill it in automatically. "A green checkmark icon and 【Bound】" will appear next to it. If the code shown is wrong, you can still edit it at this step.
⚠️ There’s another sentence in the same official text: "After the invitation code is bound to your account, it cannot be modified."
Install the App and log in—note: it’s login, not registering again
For iPhone, find a Taiwan-region Apple ID to download. For Android, the direct official APK link is: https://download.binance.com/pack/BNApp_F0001674.apk
⚠️ This is the easiest point to accidentally open a second empty account. The App login page and the first screen of the registration page look almost identical: both have an "Email/Phone Number" input box plus the same three buttons. The only way to tell is the top and bottom lines: on the registration page it says "Welcome to Binance" + "Create a company account or log in"; on the login page it says "Log in" + "Create a Binance account" "Can’t log in?" If you misread it, you end up opening another empty account, and the invitation code you entered earlier will also be wasted.
Complete identity verification—only after this step is done does the account count as properly opened
▸ Path: 【Account】→【Identity Verification】→【Start Verification】
✅ The official wording for step one is: "Select your country/region of residence, document issuing country/region, and document type." Those are the three items. Selecting the wrong issuing country/region is the most common reason for rejection.
✅ Official document type guidelines: "Most users can choose to verify using a passport, ID card, or driver’s license." The specific options shown depend on what is actually displayed on the 【Identity Verification】 page.
▸ If using an ID card, you need to upload the front and back, then click 【Continue】 to proceed to facial verification.
✅ For the face step, the official instructions provide three sentences: "Please do not wear a hat/glasses or use filters, and make sure there is enough light." "Place your face in the center of the frame." "Make sure both eyes are open; your entire face should be centered and clearly visible."
🔒【I registered but didn’t complete real-name verification—what status is my account in?】
Answer: You can log in and view market data, but your assets can only be moved out. Binance announcements are very direct: accounts that have not completed verification will be switched to "withdrawals only," where you can only withdraw, cancel orders, redeem, and close positions.
▸ There are three levels of verification in total: Basic Identity Verification / Advanced Identity Verification / Enterprise Verification. New individual users should complete Basic Identity Verification first.
▸ For withdrawal limits, the official does not provide a single unified number. The exact wording is: "For the latest withdrawal limits, please refer to the 【Identity Verification】 page." You can only log in and see the tier that applies to you.
▸ If you’re asked to complete address verification, the official wording is that review takes 1–2 business days, and you’ll be notified by email—no need to contact customer support to chase it.
📌 So "registration" and "account opening" are not strictly the same thing: what you get from registration is only a login credential. After standard identity verification is completed, this account is considered ready for normal use.
✏️【If I entered the wrong email during account opening, can I change it?】
Answer: It can be changed, but it doesn’t take effect immediately, and the trade-off is also bigger than most people expect.
▸ Path: 【Personal Profile】→【Account】→【Account Security】→【Email】→【Manage】→ click the 【Edit】 icon →【Get Verification Code】→ receive a 6-digit code at the original email →【Submit】→ enter the new email → receive another code →【Submit】.
⚠️ The two lines in the pop-up are the key:
✅ "After changing your email address, withdrawals, internal transfers, and C2C transactions will be disabled for up to 48 hours"
✅ "Your original email cannot be used for re-registration within 30 days"
📌 Read the second sentence carefully: the path of "giving up this account, deleting it and starting again, or moving the same email to a new account" cannot be done within 30 days. It’s far easier to fill in the correct email on the day of account opening than to try to fix things afterward. The new email must also be one that has never been registered on Binance.
⛔【In the account opening process, where are the parts that can’t be reversed?】
Answer: Three places, and all of them are concentrated in those more-than-ten minutes on the account opening day.
▸ Account type: Personal/enterprise cannot be changed after registration. Also, once an email has been bound to a personal account, the official clearly states that it cannot be upgraded to an enterprise account.
▸ Invitation code: The official wording is that after it’s bound, it cannot be modified. Only at the moment you open the account will this field appear.
▸ Email: It can be changed, but your original email can’t be used for re-registration within 30 days—so in the short term there’s no turning back.
📌 The rest—nickname, avatar, phone number, password, and the dual verification method—can be adjusted later, so you don’t need to worry about it on the day you open the account.
🛡️【What security settings should I set up first after opening an account?】
▸ Password: Having 8 characters including at least 1 uppercase letter and 1 number is the official minimum requirement, not a suggested value. Don’t reuse the same set of credentials from other platforms.
▸ Enter real-name information exactly as shown on your documents: (Terms of Use) Article 27, Item (a) requires that "all documents and information you provide to Binance are, in all respects, true, accurate, complete, and up to date." If your name, ID number, issuing location, and document type don’t match, that’s the direct reason your application gets rejected.
▸ Enable dual verification as early as possible. The path is 【Account】→【Account Security】→ next to the 【Identity Verifier App】, in 【Manage】. The official also has a hard rule: "To protect account security, after changing your verifier, withdrawals and C2C transactions will be disabled for 24 hours." So don’t wait until you urgently need it to change devices temporarily.
❓【Common issues when opening an account on Binance】
1. What do I need to prepare to open a Binance account?
An email address or phone number that has never been registered on Binance, a usable identity document (ID card/passport/driver’s license), and a phone that can receive codes, with the network kept smooth. For your personal identity to be eligible, you also must be at least 18 years old as required by Article 2.1(b) of the (Terms of Use).
2. Can I open an account if I’m under 18?
No. The original wording in Article 2.1(b) (Terms of Use) is "If you are an individual, you should be at least 18 years old." During identity verification, your birth date on your document will also be checked.
3. Should I open a personal account or an enterprise account?
If it’s for personal use, open a personal account. If you need to use a company name, you must go with an enterprise account. And you must use a company email that has never been registered on Binance. The official wording is "If your email address has already been bound to a personal account, it cannot be upgraded to an enterprise account," and at the same time "Each company can only apply for one enterprise account."
4. Can the email I entered when opening the account be changed later?
Yes. 【Personal Profile】 → 【Account】 → 【Account Security】 → 【Email】 → 【Manage】 → 【Edit】. You’ll receive two separate 6-digit codes: one to your original email and one to your new email. The trade-off is that the official notes "withdrawals, internal transfers, and C2C transactions will be disabled for up to 48 hours," and "your original email cannot be used for re-registration within 30 days."
5. Once I’ve finished registering, does that mean my account is already opened?
Not considered. Accounts that haven’t completed identity verification will be switched to a "withdrawals only" mode—you can only withdraw, cancel orders, redeem, and close positions. Only after completing standard identity verification does it count as the account being opened properly.
6. Can a Mainland China ID card be used for real-name verification?
Yes. In 【Identity Verification】, select the correct three items—residential address, document issuing country/region, and document type. Then follow the official guideline "Most users can choose to verify using a passport, ID card, or driver’s license," upload the front and back of your ID card, and proceed to face verification. The most common reason for rejection is selecting the wrong issuing country/region, not that the document itself is unacceptable.
7. What if I can’t receive the verification code all the time?
First, make sure the verification code is still within its validity period—the official guideline is 6 digits and 30 minutes. For email, change to common domains such as Gmail or Outlook as the official suggests, and also check your spam/junk email folder. For SMS, check your signal, turn off any call/SMS-filtering apps, and restart your phone; the official also supports switching to voice verification. The list of supported countries/regions for SMS published by Binance includes "CN China 86."
8. Where do I download the App? Do I need to register again after installing?
Don’t register again. For Android, you can directly use the official installer package https://download.binance.com/pack/BNApp_F0001674.apk. After installing, what you do in the App is "log in." To check whether you tapped the wrong option: on the registration page, the top says "Welcome to Binance"; on the login page, the top says "Log in" and at the bottom there is "Can’t log in?"