Whether you have mountains of student loans and credit card debt looming or you're just looking to dump some red notes into your hometown bank, it's important to find the cheapest way to transfer your hard-earned RMBs to your overseas bank accounts. Having personally done this numerous times, I had to learn the hard way (i.e., lost a lot of money) how to transfer money overseas. There are three main methods for taking care of this problem, but finding the cheapest, least-nerve-racking way to do this can be difficult for a first-timer.

A quick note about changing RMBs into foreign currencies: if you are a foreign national living in China you are only allowed to change a little over 3,000 RMB (500 USD) per day into the foreign currency of your choice. Conversely, if you are Chinese, you're able to exchange up to 50,000 RMB into foreign currency per year.

Also, prepare for a decent amount of stress. Just like dealing with any other "official" process in China, you will have to spend at least a couple hours ensuring all the necessary documents and translations are correct. So, go in there with all your important documents and some good humor and hopefully you'll be able get out a couple hours later without a huge headache.

1) Banks (account transfers)
Banks are the most obvious solution to transferring money to your overseas bank accounts. Regardless of the bank you use, you are going to need to bring a few documents. First, obviously, is your passport; they won't even deal with you without it. Most banks require you to have an account with them before they allow you to transfer funds. When I've transferred funds in the past, this was the case at both Bank of China and ICBC. You'll also need to bring all the account information (branch number, account number, institute number, and branch's address in your country) for your overseas bank. It's important that you don't forget to include your bank's SWIFT code and routing number. You can find your bank's SWIFT code on a number of specialized websites, such as: http://www.theswiftcodes.com. It should look something like this: CHASUS33 or MRMDUS33 IPB. Or you can always just call your hometown bank branch up and ask.

So, here is where it gets a bit tricky. Depending on the bank, you may have to change your RMB into foreign currency FIRST. At the Bank of China, they made me fill out a separate form to convert the RMB into dollars, and then when I physically had the American currency, I had to turn around and deposit it into the Bank of China account, and ONLY THEN I could transfer to my American bank account. (They probably do this so they can make more money off the currency exchange fees.) However, at ICBC, they will convert the RMB into foreign currency in-bank so you don't have to go through the stress of personally exchanging the currency. Just make sure to check this with your bank before they start unnecessarily charging you for things.

Speaking of fees, depending on the bank you can expect to drop at least a couple hundred 100 RMB notes. Usually they have a flat fee for the transfer and then a fee for a certain intervals over that amount. Make sure to get both the flat fee and the interval fee first as to avoid a frustrating surprise later on. Lastly, make sure to check with your hometown bank as to whether they have transfer fees as well, because you may end up getting hit with two transactions fees, one outgoing (the Chinese bank) and one incoming (the foreign bank).

After the dust has settled, you can expect the money to be in your foreign bank account anywhere from 5 to 10 days depending on the banks.

2) Western Union
A wire transfer through Western Union (西部联盟) is the main alternative to account transfers between banks. Note that Western Union is only used in some Chinese banks: Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Banks, and Postal Savings Bank to name a few (full list at their website here http://www.westernunion.cn/en). Western Union is generally faster than account transfers and they provide tracking codes to follow your money. The thing you will have to remember when using Western Union, as opposed to an account transfer, is that you will need someone back in your home country to pick up the transfer for you. So, not only are you going to need your personal information, you're also going to need all of the receiver's information (name, address, city, state, country, gender). Also, if you are sending more than 1,000 USD, the receiver will need an ID and answer the security question that you provide when you first start the transfer.

In terms of fees you're looking at a similar situation with the account transfers, 20 USD for transfer amounts up to 1000 USD and increasing intervals for amounts over 1000 USD. Also note that Western Union makes money off the exchange rates as well, so like the Bank of China above, you'll have to change the RMB into the currencies of your choice first, and then proceed to wire the money over. Depending on whom you bank with in China and your home country, Western Union can be cheaper, easier choice.

3) The old fashioned way: bring it with you
This way doesn't technically cost you anything, but it is perhaps the most nerve-racking method you have at your disposal. You strap cash to your body like an international drug smuggler and make your way back to your home country by hook or crook. According the government regulations, which you can conveniently find on the China entry-exit documents, the most money you can bring with you in cash is 10,000 RMB or the equivalent of 5,000 USD in other foreign currencies. If you are bringing more than those amounts on the plane, you are supposed to declare amounts between 5,000 USD to 10,000 USD with customs. Taking out more than 10,000 USD will require you to get a special permit used by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. If you take out more than 5,000 USD without declaring, you run the risk of having trouble with the authorities or worse, having your money confiscated.