China Arrival Process: Immigration, Arrival Card & Customs

Prepare for border inspection and Customs

Border inspection checks your identity and permission to enter; Customs checks the goods and cash you carry. The online Arrival Card is for border inspection. You need a separate Customs baggage declaration if you carry declarable items or are unsure which channel to use. Submitting the Arrival Card does not complete Customs requirements.

Before departure, save your arrival documents offline: the passport you will present, visa or evidence of the applicable waiver, first accommodation name and address in Chinese, return or onward booking, a local contact and a simple itinerary. Keep these details consistent with your Arrival Card and answers at inspection.

Do not pay a website to file the Arrival Card. The National Immigration Administration says the official online service is free and warns about counterfeit sites. Use the NIA government page or another channel named by NIA. If you cannot complete it in advance, smart devices and paper cards remain available at ports.

Fill the official Arrival Card accurately

The online Arrival Card service began on 20 November 2025. NIA lists its website, government service platform, the NIA 12367 app, WeChat and Alipay mini programs, and designated QR codes as official channels. The dedicated web address is s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC. Check the domain before entering passport information and never treat a sponsored search result as proof of authenticity.

Use the details on your travel documents for the passport name and number, transport, arrival and accommodation. State the main purpose accurately. Visiting, sightseeing, business, study and employment have different requirements. If you are unsure which option describes your trip, call 12367 or ask the border-inspection help desk.

NIA lists seven groups that may be exempt from the Arrival Card: holders of a Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card; holders of a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens); group-visa holders or travelers eligible for group visa-free entry; direct transit passengers staying no more than 24 hours without leaving the restricted port area; passengers entering and leaving on the same cruise ship; fast-lane users; and foreign employees of inbound or outbound transport vehicles. Check whether your own documents and route fit an exemption. A confirmation that information was submitted is not an entry approval, visa, health declaration or Customs clearance.

At border inspection

Follow the signs for foreign passports and present the travel document connected to the booking and entry basis. Remove covers if staff request it. Follow the officer's instructions during inspection. A visa or visa exemption does not itself establish admission: you must present the required documents, complete the procedures and be permitted to enter after inspection.

Your stated purpose must be genuine and lawful. Immigration authorities may ask questions and request relevant documents, information or electronic data to verify your identity and purpose; you must cooperate. Answer truthfully and provide the requested evidence. If your first hotel changed after you completed the form, explain and show the current booking. For transit, show the confirmed onward ticket to the third country or region. The port decides whether to grant temporary entry.

Follow posted signs and staff instructions about photography at border inspection. At Customs control areas, audio recording, video and photography require Customs permission. Do not hand an unlocked phone to a stranger offering to 'speed up' the line. If you do not understand a question, ask for slower English, translation assistance or the 12367 service rather than guessing. Keep any entry record or temporary-entry document safe after the inspection.

• Use the passport tied to the visa, waiver and travel bookings.
• Keep the first accommodation and onward plan available offline.
• Treat an online form confirmation as submitted information, not approval.
• Ask for clarification when a question or purpose label is unclear.

Declare goods when required or uncertain

After baggage collection, use the red Things-to-declare channel if you carry declarable items. China Customs says a passenger who does not understand the rule or does not know which channel to choose should use the declaration channel. Choosing green does not prevent Customs inspection. Baggage must meet the reasonable-personal-use requirement; quantities beyond that are handled as goods.

Customs Announcement No. 43 of 2025 lists items requiring declaration, including prohibited or restricted items, animals and plants and related quarantine items, biological materials, goods above applicable allowances, commercial goods and samples, unaccompanied baggage, and cash above the prescribed amount. This declaration procedure took effect on 1 April 2025 and replaced the 2007 notice. A declaration does not make a prohibited item admissible or replace a required permit.

Cash has two different rules. RMB cash is subject to a carriage cap of CNY 20,000 per person per trip; declaring cash does not itself establish permission to carry more. For an ordinary arrival, foreign-currency cash exceeding the equivalent of USD 5,000 must be declared in writing to Customs. This is a declaration threshold, not a USD 5,000 entry cap. For a second or later entry in the same day or within a short period (15 days), foreign-currency cash must be declared regardless of amount. Do not apply these arrival rules to your departure: separate outward-carriage rules apply. If you are near a threshold or unsure about the exchange-rate calculation or repeat-entry rule, check with Customs via 12360 before travel and use the declaration channel if uncertain.

Food, medicines, plant products, wildlife materials and specialist equipment may require permits or checks by other regulators. A product being legal at home or shop-packed does not establish that you can import it. Check medically or professionally important items before travel, bring the prescription, permit or explanatory paperwork, and declare them if uncertain.

Check your entry record and keep your passport safe

Before leaving the secure area, check that you have your passport, onward documents and all bags. Read the permitted stay and area on any entry record, visa-free permit or other document issued. Visa validity, entry count and duration of stay have different meanings, so do not assume a printed visa date is your departure deadline.

At the accommodation, use the same passport for check-in. Hotels register guests. If you stay in a private home or another non-hotel arrangement, you or the host must complete accommodation registration within 24 hours after arrival at that accommodation. NIA announced nationwide online registration for non-hotel stays on 21 September 2026; use its Government Service Platform or NIA 12367 app/mini program, with host assistance for an initial registration. You may register independently if the residence belongs to you or your spouse, or if you previously registered through the NIA platform and are registering again at the same residence. If the online route fails, ask the local police or exit-entry service window for on-site help. Keep a copy of the passport identity page and current entry evidence in secure storage, separate from the original.

Do not surrender the passport as an informal deposit. A hotel may need it for registration, but ask when it will be returned. If a driver, apartment host or unofficial helper wants to keep it, decline. If it is missing, act immediately: secure your accounts and travel, report the loss locally, contact your own embassy or consulate, and confirm the exit-entry follow-up.

If something goes wrong on arrival

If your phone dies, use a paper Arrival Card or port device, show printed travel records and ask a staffed desk for help. Use saved offline records if the phone works but has no data. If a form will not submit, ask official staff rather than paying an unofficial agent. Protect any screenshot you save and never post passport or form images publicly.

A request for more information is not automatically a refusal. Provide the specific document or explanation requested. If an airline said a visa-free route qualified but border inspection asks for different evidence, stay calm and show the official basis and complete itinerary. The border authority, not the airline, makes the entry decision.

If Customs questions an item, disclose it and ask which declaration, duty, quarantine, return or disposal procedure applies. Ask for translation or explanation before signing anything you do not understand. Record the office, time and document reference afterward, while respecting photography restrictions.