Living in China

China Arrival Guide: Immigration, Fingerprints & Customs (2026)

By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated: 2026-09-16

Quick answer

Three things happen in order: the arrival card, border inspection, and customs. Fill in the foreigner arrival card - it is handed out on the plane or available at the port - and take it to the border officer with your passport and visa. Fill the address field properly: the hotel name and address must be written in detail, not left blank. Fingerprints are collected from foreign arrivals aged 14 to 70; exemptions apply to diplomatic passports, holders of Chinese diplomatic or courtesy visas, people covered by reciprocal exemption arrangements, and certain officials entering under facilitated arrangements. Then you collect your bags and pick a customs channel: green if you have nothing to declare, red if you do. Since 1 April 2025 the rules come from customs notice 43 of 2025 - declare in writing or electronically if you are carrying, among other things, more cash than the prescribed amount, goods above the duty-free allowance, animals, plants or their products, human tissue or biological products, or commercial samples.

The order of events, in the order they happen

Nothing here is mysterious once you know the sequence, and each step only needs one thing from you.

Step	What you need	Where it happens
Arrival card	A pen, and your hotel's name and address	On the plane, or at the port before the desks
Border inspection	Passport, visa or entry permit, the arrival card	Immigration hall
Baggage claim	Baggage tags if anything goes missing	After immigration
Fingerprint check	Nothing extra - it is part of the inspection	At the border desk, or a self-service kiosk depending on the port
Customs channel	Your declaration form or e-declaration if applicable	Before the exit doors

The arrival card

Foreigners entering China fill in an arrival card. It is distributed on board or available at the port, and it must be completed before you reach the border desk and signed by you.

The field that causes trouble is the address. You must give the name and full address of where you are staying - if it is a hotel, the hotel name and its address. Writing nothing, or writing a city name, invites questions. Save your hotel's address in Chinese on your phone before you fly; you will need it here and again at check-in.

Border inspection

At the desk you present your passport or other valid travel document together with your visa or other entry permit, and you hand over the arrival card. The officer may ask where you are going and how long you are staying; answer briefly and hold on to your documents.

Entry can be refused, and the grounds are set out rather than discretionary in the abstract: no valid documents or refusing to be inspected; a deportation or removal order still within its ban period; serious mental illness, infectious tuberculosis or another condition that could be a major public health hazard; circumstances suggesting a risk to national security, public order or involvement in illegal activity; and other situations arising in the visa process. In practice, a traveller with a valid visa and a straightforward answer walks through.

Fingerprints: who gives them, who is exempt

China collects fingerprints from foreign arrivals aged 14 to 70 inclusive. It is part of the entry check, not a separate appointment, and it takes seconds.

The published exemptions are narrow and specific: people travelling on diplomatic passports or holding Chinese diplomatic or courtesy visas (except nationals of countries with reciprocal arrangements); people covered by bilateral or mutual exemption arrangements; and foreign officials at vice-ministerial level or above, together with the delegations they lead, who are given facilitated entry. If none of those describes you, expect to give fingerprints.

Customs: green channel or red channel

After baggage claim you choose a channel, and the choice is legal rather than cosmetic. If you are carrying anything that must be declared, you fill in the customs declaration form and walk through the red channel. If you are carrying nothing that requires a declaration, no form is needed and you take the green channel.

Customs notice 43 of 2025, in force since 1 April 2025, lists the situations that put a traveller on the red-channel side on entry: prohibited items; restricted items beyond their limits or without the necessary permits; animals, plants and their products; human tissue, blood, pathogens and biological products; anything contaminated by or carrying a risk of transmitting a quarantinable disease; more cash than the prescribed amount; goods above the duty-free allowance or limits; goods, trade samples and advertising materials; baggage shipped separately; and anything else the rules require you to declare in writing.

You can pre-fill the declaration electronically through the customs traveller service mini-program inside WeChat or Alipay, then confirm it at the declaration desk when you arrive. That saves time at the desk, not the obligation to declare.

Cash: the two numbers worth knowing

Currency is the declaration trigger most travellers trip over, and it runs in both directions. Under the currency-carrying rules administered by the foreign exchange regulator and customs, carrying renminbi across the border is limited to RMB 20,000 per person per trip, and bringing in foreign currency equivalent to more than USD 5,000 must be declared to customs.

The practical version: if you are carrying anything near either figure, declare it. Declaring is a form; failing to declare is a problem. Travellers who arrive with large amounts of cash for a long stay should keep the customs declaration slip - it is also what allows you to take a comparable amount out again.

If something is unclear

For entry rules, visa conditions and anything about your status, 12367 is the immigration service line, and the policy requires it to answer around the clock in Chinese and English. For customs questions, ask at the declaration desk rather than guessing, and for a refused declaration or a fine you can ask the officer to explain which rule applies.

One habit worth adopting for the whole trip: photograph your passport page, visa and arrival documents, and keep the hotel address in Chinese on your phone. The first hour of a trip is mostly paperwork, and having it ready turns a queue into a walk-through.

Common questions

Do I have to fill in an arrival card?

Yes - foreigners entering China complete an arrival card, available on board or at the port, and sign it before reaching the border desk. The address field must be detailed.

Do I have to give fingerprints on arrival?

Fingerprints are collected from foreign arrivals aged 14 to 70 inclusive. Exemptions exist for diplomatic passports and Chinese diplomatic or courtesy visas, reciprocal arrangements and senior officials entering under facilitated arrangements.

What address do I write on the arrival card?

Your hotel's name and full address, or the full address of wherever you are staying. A city name alone is not enough, which is why it is worth saving the address in Chinese before you fly.

What must I declare at customs?

Under customs notice 43 of 2025: prohibited or restricted items, animals and plants and their products, human tissue and biological products, items with quarantine risks, cash above the prescribed amount, goods above the duty-free allowance, commercial samples and separately shipped baggage.

How much cash can I bring in?

Renminbi is limited to RMB 20,000 per person per trip, and foreign currency equivalent to more than USD 5,000 must be declared on entry. Declare if you are anywhere near those figures.

Who do I ask about entry rules?

12367, the national immigration service line, which policy requires to operate around the clock in Chinese and English.

Sources

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