Local Laws Tourists Should Know Before Visiting China

This is a practical compliance list, not a legal opinion. Most visitors never need it beyond a few habits: carry the right document, stay within the purpose and dates of entry, register the address where you sleep, and ask before doing anything unusual with a camera or drone.

Rules can be applied differently by place and situation. If an officer, immigration official, or police officer gives you an instruction, stay calm, be polite, and follow it. For a case-specific question, contact the National Immigration Administration (NIA), your hotel, your embassy or consulate, or a qualified local lawyer.

Keep your passport with you

Carry your original passport, not only a photograph of it. It is routinely needed for hotels, rail travel, some attractions, and identity checks. A paper or phone copy is still worth keeping separately as a backup, but it is not a replacement for the document itself.

If police ask to see your passport, show it, ask politely for clarification if you do not understand, and avoid arguing at the scene. If it has been lost or stolen, report the loss to the local police or Public Security Bureau promptly, then contact your embassy or consulate about a replacement. Keep the report, your entry record, and any replacement-document paperwork together.

For immigration questions, the NIA's 12367 service is the sensible official starting point. The NIA also explains that a foreigner who cannot present a valid passport because it was lost, damaged, destroyed, stolen, or robbed can apply to the local exit-entry administration authority for exit formalities after pursuing replacement documents through the appropriate authorities.

Do the activity your entry permission allows

Your visa, visa-free entry, or transit permission is not a general-purpose permission to work. Treat the purpose on which you entered as a real boundary.

• A visitor entering for tourism should travel, visit, and do ordinary tourist activities.
• A visa-free transit traveler must meet the route, time, port, and area conditions of that specific transit policy.
• Work, study, and news reporting need the relevant prior approval and entry documents. The NIA's current transit guidance is explicit on this point.

Do not assume a casual paid task, filming job, paid appearance, internship, or commercial assignment is harmless because it is short. If it is more than ordinary tourism or a private visit, check first. Do not overstay: an expired visa, stay permit, residence permit, or a stay outside a permitted area can create an immigration violation.

Register where you stay

Hotels normally make the accommodation registration when you check in. If you stay in an apartment, a private home, a homestay, or with friends or family, the guest or host must arrange registration within 24 hours after check-in.

Since 20 March 2026, the NIA has piloted online registration for non-hotel stays in Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing, and Sichuan. It has the same legal effect as an in-person filing, but it is a pilot, not a reason to assume every city offers it. If in doubt, ask the host to register with you or ask the local police station. Our separate guide explains the practical steps: Accommodation Registration in China.

Cameras, drones, borders, and restricted places

Normal holiday photographs are one thing; sensitive locations and aircraft are another. Do not photograph security personnel, military facilities, border infrastructure, protests, or restricted areas. Do not try to work out whether a place is sensitive by testing the boundary. Leave if asked.

Drones need more preparation than a camera. Rules are location- and aircraft-specific. Official local guidance in Shanghai, for example, requires real-name registration, use of the official airspace map, and an approval application where required; it also lists border areas, military airspace, airports, and restricted or prohibited airspace among the places that need particular care. Check the official system for the place where you intend to fly, not a generic drone forum.

Medicines and drugs: be conservative

Bring prescription medicines in their original packaging, with a prescription or doctor's letter where useful, and check import rules before departure. A medicine that is routine at home may be controlled or unavailable in China.

Do not carry, buy, use, or accept illegal drugs. This includes cannabis. Drug offences are serious, and official travel advice warns that foreign nationals can be tested, including on entry. A positive result can lead to severe consequences even where the claimed use happened elsewhere. Do not accept unidentified food, drinks, vapes, medication, or packages.

If something goes wrong

For an immediate danger, call police on 110. For a medical emergency, call 120. Keep your hotel name and address saved in Chinese, and keep your embassy or consulate's emergency contact saved offline before you arrive.

If you are detained, questioned in a serious matter, or involved in a legal dispute, ask to contact your embassy or consulate and ask for legal assistance. Consular staff cannot cancel local law or act as your lawyer, but they can normally explain their role, help you contact family, and provide lists of local lawyers where available. Tell a trusted person at home what has happened and preserve every document, receipt, chat, and case reference.

A small checklist worth saving

• Passport on you; encrypted copy stored separately.
• Correct entry purpose, valid dates, and onward plan.
• Hotel registration confirmed, or non-hotel registration completed within 24 hours.
• No drone flight until the local official rules and map have been checked.
• Prescription medicines documented; no drugs or unidentified products.
• Hotel address, 110, 120, 12367, insurer, and embassy details saved offline.

Sources and further reading

• National Immigration Administration, visa-free transit conditions and restricted activities: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html
• National Immigration Administration, foreigner entry, stay and residence rules: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147458/c155970/content.html
• National Immigration Administration, 2026 non-hotel online accommodation-registration pilot: https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1771556/content.html
• Shanghai Municipal Government, official drone registration, airspace-map and approval guidance: https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-FAQs-LivinginShanghai/20240801/ce99be6b52ff41a595613dca1761c5ce.html
• UK Government, China safety and security guidance: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/safety-and-security
• UK Government, China emergency contacts and lost-passport guidance: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/getting-help

Last reviewed: 24 July 2026.