China Arrival Process: Immigration, Arrival Card & Customs

Before you land: separate immigration from customs

China arrival has two different decision points. Border inspection checks you and your permission to enter; Customs checks the goods and cash you carry. The online Arrival Card belongs to border inspection. A Customs baggage declaration is a separate document used only when your belongings fall into a declaration category or when you are unsure which channel to use. Completing one does not complete the other.

Prepare a small arrival folder before departure: the passport you will present, visa or evidence of the visa-free rule you rely on, the first accommodation name and address in Chinese, a return or onward booking, a local contact, and a plain-language itinerary. Save it offline. The files should explain the same trip as the Arrival Card and any answers you give an officer.

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.

Enter facts from the documents you will actually use: passport name and number, transport, arrival details, accommodation and the real main purpose. Do not choose a purpose because it sounds easier. A visit, sightseeing trip, business trip, study activity and employment are not interchangeable. If an option is genuinely unclear, use 12367 or ask the border-inspection help desk instead of copying a social-media answer.

Seven groups are exempt under the NIA notice, including permanent-resident ID holders, eligible group-visa travelers, certain direct transit passengers who remain in the restricted port area, same-cruise return passengers, fast-lane users and foreign transport crew. Most ordinary tourists are not exempt. A confirmation that information was submitted is not an entry approval, visa, health declaration or Customs clearance.

At border inspection: answer the trip you actually planned

Follow the signs for foreign passports and present the travel document connected to the booking and entry basis. Remove covers if staff request it. The officer may review the document, collect biometrics where applicable and ask about purpose, duration, accommodation or onward travel. A visa permits travel to the checkpoint; it does not guarantee admission. A visa-free policy likewise remains subject to inspection.

Answer briefly and truthfully. Show the offline folder when a question needs evidence. If the first hotel changed after the form was prepared, explain the change and show the current booking instead of defending an obsolete address. For transit, show the confirmed ticket to the third country or region and understand that the temporary-entry decision is made at the port.

Do not photograph counters, officers, documents or security areas unless signage and staff clearly allow it. 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.

Choose the Customs channel without guessing

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, and splitting items between companions does not make a restricted or commercial shipment personal baggage.

The official passenger guide lists categories including animals, plants and related products; microbes, biological products, human tissues and blood products; goods for commercial use, samples and advertising material; unaccompanied baggage; restricted communications equipment; cash at or above RMB 20,000 or foreign currency equivalent to USD 5,000; and personal items that will remain in China above the stated non-resident threshold. Alcohol and tobacco limits also appear in the current Customs guidance.

Rules for food, medicines, plant products, wildlife materials and specialist equipment can involve other regulators or permits. A product being legal at home or packed by a shop is not an import authorization. When the item matters medically or professionally, verify it before travel and carry the prescription, permit or explanatory paperwork. Declare uncertainty instead of hiding it.

After clearance: verify the entry record and protect the passport

Before leaving the secure area, confirm that you still have the passport, onward documents and every bag. If an entry record, visa-free permit or other document was issued, read the permitted stay and area rather than calculating from memory. Visa validity, number of entries and duration of stay are different concepts; a date printed on a visa is not always the last permitted day after entry.

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 and the host should complete local accommodation registration within the required period using the local process. 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.

What common arrival failures mean

A dead phone is inconvenient, not fatal. Use the paper Arrival Card or port device, present printed or offline travel records, and ask the staffed desk. A form that will not submit does not justify paying an unofficial agent. Save a screenshot only if it contains no more personal information than you can protect, and do not 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, stop using the green-channel logic and disclose it. Ask what declaration, duty, quarantine, return or disposal process applies. Never sign a statement you do not understand without asking for translation or explanation. Record the office, time and document reference after the interaction, but respect photography restrictions inside the controlled area.