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emilyfrank
Community Member

Registering from China (Issues with Location, Phone)

Hi there,

 

I'm trying to register for Upwork. My permanent address is in the United States, but I am living in China until July 2018. I don't have a US phone number, but I do have a Chinese one.  When I got to the address field, for some reason United States is auto-selected and greyed out - it will not let me change it to China.  I figured that was fine since my permanent address is there, but then when I got to the phone verification step it would not let me change the country code from +1 (US) to +86 (China). So I am stuck on this step.  I can't figure out how to change the country or the phone code, and can't seem to go any further without verifying my phone.  I've tried it with VPN off and with VPN on set to Hong Kong. Any help?

 

Thanks!

Emily

35 REPLIES 35
manola40
Community Member

i made it with my dominican phone...it s weird u can t

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Emily, 


I checked your account and it looks like when you registered your account, you were still in the United States which is why the address auto-populated US in the address field. 

If you are not permanently staying in China, there is no need to update your address. However, I would suggest that you inform your clients that you are currently travelling and you are in a different location for transparency's sake. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Hi Avery,

 

I was in China when I registered the account, but my VPN defaults to America so that is likely why it autopopulated that way.  The problem is, I do not have an American phone number anymore and with the address field set to America it will not let me change the country code to verify my phone number and move on to the next step.  Is there a way to change the country code (currently defaulting to +1) to China (+86) so that I can verify and continue the registration process?  As I said, I've tried continuing the process with the VPN off and with it on set to Hong Kong and neither have allowed me to change the country or the phone country code.  Alternatively, is there a way I can continue the registration process without verifying a phone number?

 

Thanks for your help!

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Thanks for sharing this, Emily. I'll check this with the team and I will get back to you with more information. 


~ Avery
Upwork
AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Emily, 


Could you send a screen grab where the country is greyed out and you're unable to change the country? Please make sure that all other personal information are blacked out. Thank you!


~ Avery
Upwork

I can select it, but not delete it.upworkscreenshot.png

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Thanks, Emily. I'll go ahead and share this with the team! 


~ Avery
Upwork

Sorry for the delay in response, I didn't realize that the team had changed my location to China. I tried finishing out my application today, but whenever I clicked "Review and Submit" it redirected me to the application page. I didn't see any red markers to indicate I had entered anything wrong. It would not allow me to enter my current town as my location (I imagine Google doesn't recognize it because in China small towns are called "counties") so I selected the nearest big city to me. Not sure why it keeps redirecting me. Would it expedite the process to simply delete the account and try again, or to try signing up with a different email? I've included a screenshot of the page it keeps redirecting me to.

Hello, 

 

I am facing the very same issues while trying to sign up and was wondering if you would be able to help. 

 

Thank you,

 

Josh

Hi Joshua,

 

Were you also using a VPN when signing up? 

~ Joanne
Upwork

Yes, I was using a VPN. So, what would be the best way to handle this situation? 

Yes, I was using a VPN. So, what would be the best way to handle this situation? 

Hi Joshua, 


It looks like you've typed-in your address already, and you are being requested to complete a phone verification. Once you've completed your phone verification, you should be able to continue using your account. 


~ Avery
Upwork

Hello, 
I understand. However, the problem is that I don't have a US phone number. I only have a Chinese one, and UpWork does not allow me to enter a +86 phone number (a Chinese number). Only a +1 phone number. What can I do in this situation?

Hi Joshua,

 

A member of our team will reach out to you via email to assist you directly. Thanks!

~ Joanne
Upwork
jessica_tamm
Community Member

I am having a similar problem. However, I am currently in the Unite States but will be located in China in a few months and wanted to create my account located in China. Is there any way that I can register an account in China while being in United States?

Hi Jessica,

 

If you are traveling and are away from your country of residence temporarily, you don’t need to update your location. If it does raise any flags on our end, the team will reach out to you directly.  If however, you are going to be away for an extended period, such as moving some place, then you should make updates to your account location. Please make sure you have an appropriate visa type or permit to work in a country you are situated in and pay taxes accordingly. You may need to consult with a legal advisor about it.

~ Bojan
Upwork

So, I do need a working visa if only working online outside of my home country? 



Hi Jessica,

 

Please consult yourself with a local specialist where you will be staying if you need any official documents in order to be able to work on Upwork. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork


Jessica T wrote:

So, I do need a working visa if only working online outside of my home country? 




 Even if you work online and perform services for a person or company in a different country or continent, you are still a natural person physically being in a specific country, and this is what counts when it comes to your visa, work permit, tax liabilities, etc.

As these are highly sensitive matters, upwork will never tell you what you are allowed to do, or prohibited from doing regarding these subjects. 

Hi, 

I'm having a similar problem. I can't finish my profile as I don't live in the USA and don't have a +1 number. Can anyone assist me?

Thanks in advance. 

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Itahisa,


Your location needs to represent where are you currently located. Feel free to share whit me where you`re located now and I will update your country, thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Hi Goran, 

 

Yes, I've been trying to find a way to change it. My current location is Barbados, can you please update it?

Many thanks!

g_vasilevski
Retired Team Member
Retired Team Member

Hi Itahisa,

I`ve updated your country, feel free to update the rest of your address. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Excellent!

Thanks so much!

I have the same problem as the OP.  I chose the United Kingdom when I registered thinking that this would show as part of my profile and reflect my nationality, however, I am currently based in China and stuck on Step 9 of the application process as I can't change the country location to match my address and phone number. I'm hoping that I too can be helped ... pretty please 🙂

Hi Andrea,

 

Your country is now updated, feel free to continue with your application when you`re ready. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

Fantastic! Thank you 🙂

Fantastic! Thanks for your super-speedy reply @Goran

Hi,

 

I'm having a similar issue.  I attempted to register from the United Kingdom but when I get to the location step "United States" is pre-selected and greyed out so I can't select my address or phone number.  I'm not using a VPN and I selected "United Kingdom" on the first step of the registration process so not sure what's happened?

 

Is it possible to correct the country on my account?

 

Thanks,

Don

Hi Don,

 

I checked your account and confirm that the United Kingdom is listed as your country. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

I've attached a screenshot of what I'm seeing.  I can't see how to change the country or select a UK address.  Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

 

Thanks

Hi Don, 

 

One of our team members will reach out to you via ticket as soon as possible and assist you further with your account. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

hi Goran,

I live in China as well. I'm trying to input my Shanghai address. But I can't move from United Kingdom. It's greyed out.

I see other people have had this problem and it was changed from your end. Is it possible to do it for me thanks.

Steven

Hi Steven, 


The team will reach out to you with more information about your account. 


~ Avery
Upwork
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