Arrival, Customs and Luggage Rules for China

Prepare the first hour of your trip before boarding the flight. International visitors most often lose time because they cannot retrieve an address, onward ticket or arrival-card confirmation without internet—not because the airport process is unusually complicated.

Complete the Official Arrival Card for Free

Foreign travelers can submit entry information through the National Immigration Administration's official online Arrival Card service before traveling. The service is free.

Avoid websites that charge a processing fee or imitate the government page. If you cannot complete the card in advance, official QR codes, smart devices and paper cards remain available at ports of entry. Some traveler categories are exempt, so follow the current NIA instructions rather than a social-media screenshot.

Save the completed confirmation offline and keep these details ready:

• passport and visa or visa-free entry basis;
• arriving flight, train or vessel;
• first accommodation's name, Chinese address and phone number;
• departure or onward journey details;
• a reachable contact where requested.

Carry an Offline Entry Folder

Keep the following together in your hand luggage:

• original passport and any required visa;
• onward or return booking;
• first hotel confirmation;
• travel insurance and emergency-assistance details;
• prescriptions or medical letters for important medicines;
• offline copies stored separately from the originals.

These documents do not guarantee entry, but they let you answer routine questions without depending on airport Wi-Fi or a blocked email account.

Customs: Declare Rather Than Guess

Passengers must make a truthful customs declaration. Use the red channel when you carry goods that require declaration, including restricted articles or cash and goods above current declaration thresholds.

Food, plants, animal products, medicines, commercial samples and high-value goods can be controlled differently. Do not treat a packaged snack, herbal product or souvenir as automatically permitted. Check the General Administration of Customs passenger guide shortly before departure, particularly if you carry meat, fresh produce, seeds, soil, large amounts of cash or goods intended for sale.

Medicines for Personal Use

Bring only a reasonable personal-use quantity. Keep medicine in its original packaging and carry a prescription, medical record or diagnosis letter showing the generic name and your need for it.

Narcotic and psychotropic medicines have stricter controls. Contact the Chinese embassy or customs authority before travel when a prescription contains a controlled substance; a prescription from home does not automatically override import restrictions.

Power Banks and Domestic Flights

The CCC rule is specifically important when you take a mainland China domestic flight. Since June 28, 2025, domestic-flight passengers may not carry a power bank with no CCC mark, an unclear CCC mark, or a recalled model or batch.

Before packing a power bank for a domestic sector:

• find a clear CCC mark on the product itself;
• check that the casing is intact and not swollen;
• verify that the model has not been recalled;
• check the airline's current capacity and carriage rules;
• keep it in hand luggage as instructed, not checked baggage.

A power bank accepted on an international flight into China may still fail screening for a later domestic flight.

A Simple Arrival Sequence

1. Connect using roaming, eSIM or airport Wi-Fi.
2. Present the passport and complete immigration formalities.
3. Collect baggage.
4. Use the appropriate customs channel.
5. Connect to the airport's official transport or ride-hailing pickup area.
6. At the accommodation, complete hotel check-in or confirm private-address registration.

Set up internet access, payments and navigation before departure so the sequence still works after a long flight.