China Packing List: Documents, Power, Medicine and Seasonal Essentials
Pack the documents and first-day backups that are hard to replace, then adapt clothing to your route and forecast. This checklist covers entry records, payments, connectivity, prescriptions, adapters, power banks, baggage and Customs checks.
Pack the things that are difficult to replace first: your original travel document, entry and accommodation records, prescribed medicine documentation, payment backups and the first hotel's address in Chinese. Clothing and toiletries are easy to adjust locally; a missing passport, incompatible charger or inaccessible booking is not.
Use this as a final checklist, then adapt it to your route, season and current weather forecast. China spans very different climates, so no single clothing list works for every city and month.
The short checklist
Documents and records
- Original passport or other travel document used for the trip
- Visa or evidence supporting the intended entry route, where applicable
- Onward and accommodation confirmations
- Travel insurance details and emergency contacts
- Copies stored securely and separately from the originals
- First hotel's name, address and phone number in Chinese
- Prescriptions and supporting medical documents for medicines you carry
Money and connectivity
- At least two payment methods stored separately
- Some renminbi cash for the first journey and a meal
- Home SIM kept available for account verification, if needed
- Roaming, travel eSIM or local-SIM plan chosen before arrival
- Offline maps, translation files and booking screenshots
Power and electronics
- Charger with an input label compatible with 220V, 50Hz
- Plug adapter suitable for the sockets you expect to use
- Charging cables and one compact multi-port charger
- Power bank that complies with every airline on the itinerary
- Headphones and any device-specific adapters
Health and daily use
- Prescribed medicine in identifiable packaging
- Prescription or clinician letter containing generic drug names
- Small first-aid basics appropriate to your own needs
- Sun, rain and air-quality protection suited to the route
- Comfortable shoes already tested before the trip
Travel documents and offline copies
Carry the original passport or travel document used for bookings. Keep the flight, train and accommodation details accessible without an internet connection. A secure digital copy can help with reporting a loss, but it does not replace the original document where the original is required.
Save the first accommodation's Chinese address and phone number as both a screenshot and a small printed card. If you will stay in a private home or apartment, read the 24-hour accommodation registration guide before arrival.
Do not store every copy, bank card and recovery code in one bag or on one phone. Separate backups so that one loss does not remove every way to identify yourself, pay or contact the hotel.
Payments, phone service and apps
The State Council's guide for visitors and expatriates covers mobile service, cards, mobile payments, cash, transport and accommodation. Prepare more than one payment route: a mobile wallet or card can fail because of verification, merchant acceptance, network access or issuer controls.
Before departure:
- tell the card issuer about the trip if required;
- set up a supported mobile payment option without making it the only option;
- carry a physical card and some RMB cash;
- install only the apps needed for the actual itinerary;
- save the first-day route and addresses offline.
Continue with the payment guide, internet guide and essential apps guide.
Plugs, voltage and chargers
Mainland China uses 220V, 50Hz electricity. Beijing's official pre-departure travel tips advises visitors to prepare appropriate adapters or transformers.
Read each charger's input label. A label such as 100–240V, 50/60Hz normally means the device can accept the local supply and needs only the correct plug adapter. A device marked only for a lower voltage needs an appropriate converter or should stay home.
Our China power plug and voltage guide explains the distinction. Do not assume an adapter changes voltage; most plug adapters change only the physical connection.
Power banks and domestic flights
Airlines apply lithium-battery rules, and a rule on one international flight may differ from a later domestic flight. Check every operating carrier before travel.
For domestic flights in China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China states that power banks without a CCC mark, with an unclear CCC mark, or belonging to recalled models or batches have been prohibited since 28 June 2025. Read the current CAAC notice and check for later airline or airport instructions before packing a power bank.
Do not buy an unmarked power bank immediately before a domestic flight. Keep terminals protected and follow the airline's placement and capacity rules.
Prescription medicine
Medicine rules depend on the substance, quantity and how it is controlled. Keep prescribed medicine in original or clearly identifiable packaging, bring only a reasonable amount for the trip, and carry a prescription or clinician letter showing the generic name and intended use.
Check with a Chinese embassy or consulate and the responsible airline before travel if the medicine is controlled, injectable, requires refrigeration or contains an ingredient that may be restricted. Do not rely only on a brand name: formulations can differ between countries.
China Customs requires truthful declarations and limits passenger baggage to reasonable quantities for personal use. If you are uncertain whether medicine or another item should be declared, ask Customs or use the channel for goods to declare.
Customs and food items
China Customs' passenger baggage guidance says inward and outward baggage must be declared truthfully and limited to reasonable quantities for personal use. It also says travelers who do not understand the rules or do not know which channel to use should choose the goods-to-declare channel.
Food, plant, animal and biological products can create quarantine issues even when the quantity looks small. Check the current official rule for the exact item rather than assuming that sealed retail packaging makes it acceptable. Use the China Customs guide and the site's Customs Item Checker as planning aids; neither replaces a Customs decision.
Clothing by route and forecast
Use the current forecast for every stop, not a national average. A multi-city trip can combine heat, heavy rain, strong indoor air-conditioning and a much cooler mountain or plateau day.
A flexible base kit is more useful than an oversized seasonal wardrobe:
- breathable layers that dry overnight;
- one warmer layer for air-conditioned transport or cool evenings;
- compact rain protection when the forecast justifies it;
- shoes suitable for the actual walking surface;
- sun protection;
- a small laundry plan for longer trips.
For high-altitude, winter, tropical, trekking or specialist itineraries, use destination-specific advice and bring appropriate equipment. Do not treat a city packing list as technical outdoor guidance.
Carry-on arrival kit
Keep enough in the cabin bag to manage a delayed checked bag:
- travel document and entry evidence;
- medicine and supporting documents;
- payment and connectivity backups;
- first accommodation details;
- one change of essential clothing;
- charging cable and compliant power bank;
- valuables you should not check.
Follow the airline's rules for liquids, batteries, tools and sharp items. When an international flight connects to a domestic flight, plan for the stricter applicable requirement.
Final check before leaving home
Recheck official entry, Customs, airline and weather information close to departure. Confirm that the phone is unlocked if the connectivity plan requires it, every charger accepts the local voltage, the power bank complies with the domestic-flight rule, and the first hotel address is available offline.
China Travel Pulse is an independent planning resource. Customs, airlines, health authorities and other officials make the applicable decisions.
Official sources
- China Customs: inward and outward passenger baggage
- CAAC: domestic-flight restrictions for certain power banks
- Beijing government: pre-departure travel tips
- State Council guide to daily services for foreign visitors
Last reviewed: 13 August 2026.