China Entry Checklist: Arrival Card, Immigration and Customs

Arrival sequence: prepare your documents, complete the free official arrival card, pass immigration inspection, collect baggage, choose the correct Customs channel and complete accommodation registration.

The arrival card, immigration decision, Customs declaration and any health-quarantine instruction are separate procedures. Completing one does not replace the others.

Before departure

Keep these items available offline:

• passport and any visa, residence document or other entry permission you plan to use;
• first accommodation name, address and phone number;
• return or onward booking when relevant to your trip;
• a basic itinerary and China contact, if applicable;
• official arrival-card confirmation if completed online;
• documents for medication or goods that may need to be declared.

Entry options depend on facts such as passport, document type, purpose, dates and itinerary. Use the China entry checker only as an independent pre-check, then confirm against the relevant Chinese authority or embassy.

Step 1: Complete the official arrival card

China's National Immigration Administration introduced online arrival-card filling for foreign travelers in November 2025. The official service is free.

NIA says travelers can use its website and designated government, WeChat and Alipay channels. Travelers who do not complete it in advance can use available devices at the port, and paper arrival cards remain available.

Official service: https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/

Do not pay a website that imitates the official service. An arrival card is not a visa application and does not guarantee admission.

Step 2: Pass immigration inspection

Present the original passport or travel document and the entry permission applicable to your trip. Be ready to explain:

• why you are visiting;
• how long you plan to stay;
• where you will stay first;
• where you arrived from and where you will go next, when relevant.

Travelers relying on a transit arrangement should keep their confirmed onward booking available and verify the relevant port, route and permitted-area conditions before travel.

The final decision is made by the relevant Chinese authorities. Airlines and other carriers may also check documents before boarding.

Step 3: Collect baggage and choose a Customs channel

Customs is separate from immigration.

• Use the green channel only when you have nothing that must be declared.
• Use the red channel when carrying declarable or uncertain items.

Official Customs guidance identifies categories such as commercial goods, unaccompanied baggage, regulated animals or plants, biological products, restricted articles and specified cash or goods thresholds. Exact rules and thresholds can change, so check current Customs material for what you are carrying.

If you are unsure, declare the item and ask Customs rather than hiding it. The China Customs guide provides a planning overview, and the Customs item checker can help identify questions to verify; neither is a clearance decision.

Step 4: Follow current health-quarantine instructions

Do not reuse an old pandemic screenshot as current evidence. A general health or quarantine instruction is not the same as the immigration arrival card.

Follow current port and carrier instructions. If an officer asks for a declaration, or you have symptoms or an exposure that must be reported under the current procedure, answer truthfully and follow the health-quarantine officer's directions.

Step 5: Complete accommodation registration

Official State Council guidance says hotels can handle residence registration when a foreign guest presents a valid passport or other international travel document. For a stay outside a hotel, the same guide instructs foreigners to register at the local police station within 24 hours of arrival and lists the passport plus accommodation evidence among the documents used.

Check the local process with the host or accommodation, especially when staying in a private home or apartment. Continue with the accommodation registration guide.

Common mistakes

• Paying an unofficial arrival-card website.
• Treating the arrival card as entry permission.
• Keeping the hotel address only in an app that has no connection.
• Assuming the green Customs channel covers an uncertain item.
• Using outdated health screenshots.
• Forgetting accommodation registration after a private stay.

Final check before landing

1. Passport and applicable entry document are reachable.
2. Arrival-card information is complete or ready to complete at the port.
3. Hotel address and onward booking are saved offline.
4. Medication and declarable-item documents are together.
5. You know whether to use the red or green Customs channel.
6. Your host or hotel has explained accommodation registration.

This checklist is independent planning guidance, not an official immigration, Customs or health-clearance decision.

Official sources

• NIA warning and official arrival-card instructions: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c191530/content.html
• Official NIA arrival-card service: https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/
• Shanghai government Customs guide, sourced from the General Administration of Customs: https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-EssentialItemstoPrepare/20231212/9a3c7f512d464e0798be3fc76c8dd6f2.html
• State Council guide covering accommodation registration: https://english.www.gov.cn/2025special/bizexpatsinchina2025

Last reviewed: 12 August 2026.