Check your entry permission first; keep the arrival steps separate. This checklist covers mainland China. Hong Kong and Macao have their own entry procedures.
China entry checklist: before you fly and after you land
PLANNING A TRIP?
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Plan your China tripBefore booking: check your passport and route
Use our China visa and visa-free guide to check your passport type, travel dates, purpose, and route. A return visit and a journey onward to another country can qualify under different rules. Confirm passport requirements with your airline too; its boarding checks may be stricter.
Before flying: save your documents offline
Keep your passport, visa if needed, onward booking, and first accommodation's Chinese name, full address, and phone number together. Check that booking details match your travel document. Save copies separately as backups; carry the original passport for identity checks.
Complete the free arrival card
When an arrival card is required, use the official NIA service reached through our visa guide. Save the completed result on your phone. If online filing fails, use the equipment or paper card at immigration; paying a third-party filing site is unnecessary.
At arrivals: clear customs as well as immigration
Your arrival card covers immigration information, not a baggage declaration. Use the red customs channel for items requiring declaration, or ask customs if unsure. Use green only when you have nothing to declare. Check restrictions before packing food, prescription medicines, or unusually large amounts of cash.
At your accommodation: complete registration
At a hotel, present your passport so staff can register your stay. At a friend's home or other non-hotel accommodation, you or your host must register with local police within 24 hours of arrival there. Use NIA's online registration service or the local police station, and keep the confirmation.
Before leaving the airport: prepare the first journey
Make sure your mobile data works, your payment backup is accessible, and your hotel's Chinese address is saved.
If a checked bag is missing, report it to the airline's baggage desk before leaving; the help guide explains what to keep.
Checked October 28, 2026. Detailed entry eligibility and official policy links belong in our visa guide.
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