Arriving in China: Immigration & Customs

The China arrival process is more straightforward than most first-time visitors expect, but there are a few details worth knowing before you land — especially the new online arrival card, what triggers a customs declaration, and which items are flat-out banned. This guide walks you through the whole sequence at the airport, from the moment you step off the plane to the moment you clear the green channel and find your hotel. Most travelers get through in 30 to 60 minutes; rules and thresholds do change, so treat the specifics here as a baseline and confirm anything time-sensitive with official sources before you travel.

International travelers in the arrivals hall going through China immigration at a modern airport

Before you land: the arrival card

Every foreign visitor entering China fills out an arrival card (入境卡, rùjìng kǎ) unless they're exempt. The good news is you no longer have to scramble for a paper form on the plane. Since late 2025, China lets you complete the card online before you arrive.

You can pre-fill the arrival card through the National Immigration Administration website, the official government services platform, the "移民局12367" (NIA 12367) app, or its WeChat/Alipay mini-programs. There's also a QR code you can scan at the airport. If you don't fill it out in advance, you can still do it at the port — either by scanning a code with your phone, using a self-service kiosk, or filling out a paper card the old-fashioned way. According to the Chinese Embassy announcement on the online arrival card, the digital version carries the same legal weight as paper.

💡 Tip: Fill out the arrival card online the night before your flight, while you still have stable internet and your hotel address handy. It's one less thing to do in a crowded arrivals hall, and you avoid the queue at the kiosks.

Who doesn't need to fill out an arrival card

Seven categories of travelers are exempt:

Holders of a valid foreign permanent resident ID card for China
Non-Chinese holders of a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao residents
Travelers on a group visa or entering visa-free as part of a tour group
Those in 24-hour direct transit who stay within the port's restricted area
Cruise passengers who arrive and leave on the same ship
Anyone entering through an E-channel (automated gate)
Foreign crew members of inbound transport

If you're a typical tourist or business visitor on a regular visa or a visa-free entry, assume you do need the card.

The immigration process, step by step

The exact layout varies a little between airports, but the sequence is consistent across major ports like Shanghai Pudong, Beijing Capital, and Guangzhou Baiyun. Using Pudong's published procedure as the model, here's what happens.

Infographic of the three-step China airport arrival process: fingerprints, arrival card, border inspection

Step 1: Fingerprint collection

Most foreign travelers aged 14 to 70 have their fingerprints collected on entry. Terminals have self-service fingerprint kiosks before the immigration counters — you scan your passport, place your fingers on the reader, and it takes a few seconds. If you've entered China before and your prints are on file, this step is faster. Children under 14 and adults over 70 are generally exempt from collection.

💡 Tip: Don't confuse this with visa fingerprinting. Some short-term visa applicants are temporarily exempt from fingerprinting at the visa stage, but that's a separate process from the border-entry scan at the airport. When in doubt, just follow the signs and staff directions in the hall.

Step 2: Complete or confirm your arrival card

If you pre-filled online, you've effectively done this already. If not, there are filling stations with samples in multiple languages (Pudong provides samples in seven languages) where you complete the card before joining the queue.

Step 3: Border inspection at the foreigners' channel

Head to the channel marked for foreigners (the signage usually reads "Foreigners" in English). Hand over your passport and, if applicable, your completed card. The officer checks your visa or visa-free eligibility, may ask a couple of simple questions (where you're staying, how long, purpose of trip), takes your photo, and stamps you in. Have your hotel name and address ready — it's the most common question, and a screenshot of your booking is enough.

⚠️ Warning: If you're entering under a transit visa-free policy (24-hour or 240-hour), the officer will want to see your onward ticket to a third country. For the 240-hour transit, you need a confirmed, dated connecting ticket to a third country or region departing within 240 hours, and your travel document must be valid for at least three more months. No onward proof, no transit entry — so keep that ticket accessible.

After immigration: baggage claim and customs

Once you're stamped in, follow signs to baggage claim, collect your luggage, and head toward customs. China uses a dual-channel system, the same red/green setup you'll recognize from many other countries.

Red and green customs channels at a Chinese airport, marked Goods to Declare and Nothing to Declare

Channel	Who uses it
Green — "Nothing to Declare"	Travelers carrying nothing that needs to be declared
Red — "Goods to Declare"	Travelers carrying items that must be declared; you fill in a declaration form and go through here

Most tourists with normal luggage take the green channel and walk straight out. You only need the red channel — or an electronic declaration — if you're carrying something on the declarable list. According to China Customs' Customs Clearance Guide for International Passengers, the choice of channel is itself a declaration, so don't pick green if you're carrying something you should report.

Electronic declaration

Since April 2025, you can pre-fill your baggage declaration electronically through the customs "fingertip service" mini-program on WeChat or Alipay, or via the customs website, and simply confirm it at the declaration desk on arrival. Electronic declarations have the same legal effect as paper ones. There's also a health declaration done through a similar customs mini-program; you can complete it within 24 hours before entry at any Chinese port, then show the barcode and pass a temperature check.

What you need to declare

You must declare to customs if you're carrying any of the following:

Animals, plants, and their products; microorganisms, biological products, human tissue, blood and blood products
Gold, silver, and other precious metals (gold and gold products over 50 grams require a written declaration)
Personal-use items above the duty-free value limit
Tobacco and alcohol above the duty-free quantity
Currency above the cash thresholds (see below)
Separately shipped baggage, commercial goods, samples, and advertising materials

Currency limits

You must truthfully declare cash if you're carrying more than RMB 20,000, or foreign currency cash equivalent to more than USD 5,000. The per-person limit for carrying RMB cash in or out is RMB 20,000. These thresholds are about physical cash — money on your cards or in mobile wallets isn't counted here.

Duty-free value limits for personal items

Under the customs rules effective December 2024, the declaration thresholds for personal-use items are:

Traveler type	Declare if value exceeds
Resident traveler, arriving from Hong Kong/Macao	RMB 12,000
Resident traveler, arriving from other countries/regions	RMB 5,000
Non-resident traveler (items intended to stay in China)	RMB 2,000

As a foreign tourist, you'll usually fall into the non-resident category. The RMB 2,000 figure applies to items you intend to leave behind in China — your personal camera, laptop, and phone that go home with you aren't the target here.

Tobacco, alcohol, and e-cigarettes

Duty-free allowances apply only to travelers aged 18 and over. You need to declare if you exceed any of these (arriving from countries other than Hong Kong/Macao):

Alcoholic beverages (12% ABV and above) over 1,500 ml
Cigarettes (including heated tobacco) over 400 sticks
Cigars over 20
Pipe tobacco over 500 grams
E-cigarette devices over 2 units, pods/combination products over 6, or e-liquid over 12 ml

Allowances are roughly halved when arriving from Hong Kong or Macao (e.g., 750 ml of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, 10 cigars).

💡 Tip: For exact duty rates and the latest thresholds, the customs hotline 12360 (local offices have their own numbers, e.g., Shanghai 021-12360) can answer questions in advance. Check the latest figures before you travel, since allowances are periodically revised.

What you cannot bring into China

Some items are prohibited outright — not "declare and pay duty," but banned. Bringing them in can mean confiscation and penalties. According to the official customs list of prohibited articles, these include:

Weapons, imitation weapons, ammunition, and explosives
Counterfeit currency and securities
Printed matter, audio/video, and storage media harmful to China's politics, economy, culture, or morality
Potent poisons
Narcotics and psychotropic drugs — opium, morphine, heroin, cannabis, and the like
Fresh fruit, nightshade vegetables, live animals, animal products, animal/plant pathogens and pests, animal carcasses, soil, and genetically modified biological material
Foods and medicines from disease-affected areas

⚠️ Warning: China enforces the catalogue of animals and plants banned from being carried or mailed in. This catches travelers off guard — for example, succulent plants count as "other plants capable of propagation" and are prohibited, and ivory and other endangered-species products are banned from being carried in or out. If you're bringing meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce, seeds, or plants, assume there are restrictions and verify before packing.

Bringing a pet

You may bring at most one dog or one cat per person per entry. You'll need a valid quarantine and rabies vaccination certificate issued by the official animal quarantine authority of the country you're leaving, and the pet must have an implanted microchip. On arrival, the pet must be quarantined at a customs-designated facility for 30 days; under specific conditions (such as coming from a designated country/region, having a valid microchip, and passing on-site quarantine), it may be exempt from quarantine. If you're traveling with a pet, contact the relevant customs office well in advance — this is not something to improvise at the airport.

After you clear customs: connectivity and registration

Two things tend to trip up first-time arrivals once they're past customs: getting online, and the accommodation registration rule.

Getting online right away

You'll want internet from the moment you land — for maps, payment apps, translation, and showing your hotel address at immigration. Buying a local SIM at the airport is possible but can mean queues and ID paperwork. A more frictionless option for many travelers is an eSIM you set up before departure, so you're connected the second you switch off airplane mode. Providers like Airalo sell China-compatible eSIM data plans you can install in advance.

💡 Tip: Whatever you use, set up your maps, translation, and payment apps before you fly. Some apps and services behave differently in China, so test them while you still have your home connection. See our Internet & VPN Guide and China SIM Card & eSIM Guide for the full setup.

Accommodation registration

Foreigners in China must register their place of stay (住宿登记, zhùsù dēngjì) with the police. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel does this for you automatically at check-in — keep your passport handy and they'll handle the paperwork. If you stay somewhere else — a friend's home, a private apartment, some homestays — you (or your host) must register with the local police station within 24 hours of arrival. Failure to register can mean a warning or, in serious cases, a fine of RMB 1,000 to 5,000.

Online registration for non-hotel stays is being piloted in seven provinces and regions through the NIA's service platform and the "12367" app and mini-programs, with the same effect as registering in person. If you're staying outside a hotel, check whether your location supports online registration. More detail is in our Booking Hotels & Registration Rules guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to fill out a paper form on the plane anymore?

Not necessarily. You can complete the arrival card online before you travel, scan a QR code at the airport, use a kiosk, or still fill out a paper card if you prefer. The online option saves time in the arrivals hall.

How long does immigration take?

It depends on the airport and how many flights land at once. Plan for 30 to 60 minutes from gate to exit on a normal day, longer during peak arrival waves. Pre-filling your arrival card and having your hotel address ready speeds things up.

Can I just walk through the green customs channel?

Yes, if you have nothing to declare. Choosing the green channel is itself a declaration that you're not carrying anything on the declarable or restricted lists. If you're carrying excess cash, large quantities of tobacco/alcohol, gold over 50 grams, or restricted goods, use the red channel or file an electronic declaration.

Can I bring my prescription medication?

Reasonable quantities of personal-use medication are generally fine, but some substances controlled elsewhere are tightly restricted or banned in China. Carry medication in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription, and check the rules for any specific drug before you travel — narcotics and psychotropic substances are prohibited.

Who can I ask if I'm unsure?

The National Immigration Administration runs the 12367 service hotline, available 24 hours with multilingual support; from abroad you can call +86-10-12367. For customs questions, the nationwide customs hotline is 12360.

The short version

Arriving in China comes down to a clean sequence: fill out the arrival card (online is easiest), get your fingerprints scanned, clear the foreigners' channel at border inspection, collect your bags, and walk the green channel if you have nothing to declare. Declare cash over the thresholds, excess tobacco and alcohol, and gold over 50 grams — and never try to bring in fresh produce, meat, live plants like succulents, or anything on the prohibited list. Once you're out, get online and make sure your accommodation is registered with the police, automatically at a hotel or within 24 hours elsewhere. Sort out your visa or visa-free eligibility well before you fly, double-check current thresholds, and the rest is mostly following the signs.

Arriving in China: Immigration & Customs

Before you land: the arrival card

Who doesn't need to fill out an arrival card