Your first 24 hours in China

Most "China guides" tell you what to do before you fly. This one starts where the hard part actually begins — the moment you land. Six steps, in order, so you are never guessing what comes next.

Since 2025-11-20 the arrival card is filled online — free, about 5 minutes. Have it done before you board so border control is quick.

• Who is exempt (7 categories): permanent resident ID holders; non-Chinese HK/Macau residents' travel permit; group-visa travellers; 24h direct transit staying in the port area; cruise passengers on the same vessel; e-channel users; transport crew.
• Before filling, have ready: passport; flight/train/ship number; visa number OR visa-free policy name (e.g. 30-day visa-free, 240h transit); first city & port; first-night China address; purpose of visit.
• Official channels only: NIA website s.nia.gov.cn, the NIA 12367 app, or the "NIA 12367" mini-program in WeChat / Alipay.

• At the border, three fallbacks if the network fails: scan the hall QR, use a smart terminal, or fill the paper card.
• The arrival card (NIA, online) is NOT the customs baggage declaration (green/red channel) — two different forms.
• Children are not exempt; the main applicant submits the whole family at the last step ("Accompanying Person(s)") — no separate form per child.

China has opened up fast. As of 2025, about 75 countries can enter visa-free or under a mutual exemption (NIA, July 2025); unilateral visa-free alone covers 47 countries (growing). If you do not qualify, you need a tourist visa (L) in advance.

• 240h transit: a confirmed onward ticket to a THIRD country/region (HK/Macau/Taiwan count as third); the 240h clock starts at 00:00 the day AFTER you arrive, not on arrival.
• Six areas are city-restricted: Shanxi (Taiyuan/Datong), Jiangxi (Nanchang/Jingdezhen), Guangxi (12 cities), Heilongjiang (Harbin), Sichuan (11 cities), Yunnan (9 cities).
• Not sure which one you are? We do not run a live checker — use the official lookup (s.nia.gov.cn) or your embassy. We only summarise the static list above.

You need data the moment you land — to open the arrival card, call a ride, read the map. Sort it before you fly. International roaming (or a travel data plan from your home carrier) usually gives you data without a Chinese number, local calls or SMS — that is fine, you keep your home number for those. Most roaming plans allow tethering (hotspot). Turn roaming on and test it while you are still on your home network, so you know it works before you need it.

A quick map of which app does what. Most open fine on international roaming — install them before you fly so they are ready on landing. For getting around inside China, use Amap or Baidu; Google Maps works for you but its China routing is patchy.