Living in China
China Travel: The Official Numbers (2026 Limits, Fees and Deadlines)
By the 17Talk teaching team - certified Mandarin teachers, 8+ years of classroom experience, 3,500+ students in 40 countries
Last updated:
Quick answer
The numbers most likely to affect a foreign visitor to China in 2026: mobile payments on a foreign card are capped at USD 5,000 per transaction and USD 50,000 per year; WeChat Pay charges no international-card fee at or below RMB 200 per transaction and 3% above it; foreign-card ATM withdrawals are capped at RMB 3,000 per transaction; you may carry RMB 20,000 across the border; 240-hour visa-free transit covers 57 countries; and the tax-refund minimum is RMB 200 per day per shop. Every figure below carries its source.
How to read this page
Most China guides give you a number and no way to check it. This page does the opposite: every figure is listed with the notice, regulation or company document that sets it, plus the date we last confirmed it.
Two rules apply throughout. First, where a Chinese government document sets a limit, the number is fixed until the notice changes. Second, where your own bank or card scheme sets it, the figure varies by issuer - we say so rather than pretend otherwise.
If you only take three numbers from this page, take these: the 200 RMB fee threshold, the USD 5,000 transaction limit, and the RMB 3,000 ATM cap.
The five limits that stop a foreign card
A foreign card in China usually fails for one of five reasons, and each one has a different owner. Knowing which limit you hit is what decides your next move.
| Limit | Figure | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile payment, per transaction | USD 5,000 | People's Bank of China (raised from USD 1,000 in March 2024) |
| Mobile payment, per year | USD 50,000 | People's Bank of China (raised from USD 10,000 in March 2024) |
| ATM withdrawal with a foreign card | RMB 3,000 per transaction | Bank of China, published ATM terms |
| Your own bank's daily limit | Varies - often RMB 5,000-20,000 | Your issuing bank; invisible inside Alipay or WeChat |
| Card acceptance at the merchant | Not a limit, a channel problem | Small merchants and mini-programs that never enabled foreign cards |
Fees: what you actually pay on top
The fee rule people get wrong most often is WeChat Pay's: there is no international-card fee at or below RMB 200 per transaction, and 3% of the whole amount above RMB 200. A RMB 201 payment costs 3% of 201, not 3% of the extra 1 yuan.
A RMB 201 payment therefore costs about RMB 6.03 in fee, while a RMB 200 payment costs nothing. Splitting a purchase into two payments below the threshold is the workaround most travellers settle on. The same threshold logic is explained step by step in WeChat Pay fees for foreign cards.
| Charge | Figure | Owner | Avoidable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| WeChat Pay international-card fee | 0% at or below RMB 200; 3% of the full amount above RMB 200 | Tenpay (WeChat Pay) official service notice | Yes - split the payment |
| Card-terminal rate (merchant side) | About 1.5% | Visa / Mastercard rates in mainland China since June 2024 | No - the merchant pays it |
| Foreign transaction fee | Typically 1-2% | Your own issuing bank | Partially - some cards waive it |
| ATM operator fee | Set by your issuing bank | Your bank | Partially - check before you fly |
Cash: the two declaration thresholds
Carrying cash is legal and, since the 2024 payment notice, merchants are required to keep accepting renminbi and holding change. What is not unlimited is how much you may carry across the border without declaring it.
Renminbi across the border is capped at RMB 20,000 per person per trip. Foreign currency equivalent to more than USD 5,000 brought in must be declared to customs. Both figures come from customs service documents, and the declaration rules are set out in what to declare at customs.
Entry: the 240-hour window and who gets it
240-hour visa-free transit means six full days without a visa, for travellers passing through China to a third country. It is not a tourist visa and it is not open to every passport.
As of 20 August 2026 the scheme covers 57 countries, with 60 entry ports across 24 provinces; the same announcement raised Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry to 61 countries. The country list changes, so treat ours as a snapshot and check the National Immigration Administration list before you book - the details, including the third-country rule, are in the 240-hour transit guide.
The practical version - the third-country rule, the ports and the mistakes that get people turned away - is in the 240-hour transit guide.
| Number | Figure | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Countries covered by 240-hour transit | 57 | 20 August 2026 extension |
| Entry ports | 60 | December 2024 expansion, plus 5 added in Guangdong |
| Provinces and regions covered | 24 | December 2024 expansion |
| Hainan 30-day visa-free entry | 61 countries | 20 August 2026 extension |
| Hours of visa-free transit | 240 (10 days) | Unified from 72 and 144 hours in December 2024 |
The 24 hours after you land
There are two separate things happening on day one: registering your stay, and knowing who to call. The first has a deadline measured in hours.
If you stay in a hotel, the hotel registers you and reports it to the police. If you stay anywhere that is not a hotel - a friend's flat, an apartment you rented - you must register with the local public security office within 24 hours. The penalty for not registering is a warning or a fine of up to RMB 2,000. The full day-one order of operations is in your first 24 hours in China.
Tax refund: the thresholds and the rates
The departure tax refund has a minimum spend, two rates and a cash ceiling. The minimum is RMB 200 per passenger per day per tax-refund shop. The refund rate is 11% for goods carrying the 13% VAT rate and 8% for goods carrying the 9% rate - and what you receive is that amount minus the refund agency's handling fee.
Cash refunds are capped at RMB 20,000, with anything above that paid by bank transfer. You must leave within 90 days of the purchase and within 183 days of your last entry, with the goods unused and the customs-verified form in hand. Worked examples are in the tax refund guide.
Trains: what cancelling costs
China Railway's refund scale is published and tiered by how close to departure you cancel. It is the number most travellers discover only when they need it.
| When you refund | Fee |
|---|---|
| More than 8 days before departure | No fee |
| 48 hours to 8 days before departure | 5% |
| 24 to 48 hours before departure | 10% |
| Less than 24 hours before departure | 20% |
| After departure | Not refundable |
Who to call: the official numbers
These are the published public numbers. Save the first three before you fly, because the moment you need them is the moment you have no data connection or your phone is flat.
The numbers on that list, and what actually happens when you dial them, are set out in China's emergency numbers.
| Number | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 110 | Police - emergencies and reporting a theft |
| 120 | Ambulance |
| 119 | Fire |
| 12367 | National Immigration Administration - entry, exit and stay questions, around the clock, Chinese and English |
| 12315 | Market regulation - prices, food safety, being overcharged |
| 12328 | Transport services - taxis, buses, metro |
| 12345 | City services hotline - everything else |
| 95017 | WeChat Pay support, daily 09:00-21:30 (TenPayGo uses +86 571 95017) |
The deadlines worth writing down
Four timelines decide most of the paperwork a visitor meets. Register your stay within 24 hours if you are not in a hotel. Claim a departure tax refund within 90 days of the purchase and 183 days of your last entry. Ask for a train refund before the printed departure time, or you lose the whole fare. And check the 240-hour transit window against both your entry and exit flights before you book - the count starts when you enter, not when you land.
Common questions
Are these numbers the same in every city in China?
The national ones are: mobile-payment limits, the RMB 200 fee threshold, the RMB 3,000 ATM cap, cash declaration limits, tax-refund rates and train-refund tiers are set nationally. What varies locally is which merchants accept foreign cards, ATM availability, and whether a particular taxi takes card or cash.
How often do these numbers change?
The payment limits were raised in March 2024 and the transit scheme was extended in August 2026. Government-set thresholds move every year or two; company fees change more often. We show the source and the date checked on each figure so you can see how current it is.
Why does a payment fail when I am under every limit?
Because the limit that stops you is often not the national one but your own bank's daily cap, which is invisible inside Alipay or WeChat. If a payment fails while you are well under USD 5,000, check your banking app first - [the limits guide](/guides/china-payment-limits-for-foreign-cards) walks through the order to try.
Is it worth carrying cash instead?
Carrying some is sensible: merchants are required to accept renminbi and hold change, and cash works when a card channel does not. Keep it under the RMB 20,000 border limit and treat it as a backup rather than your main method.
Read next
- China VAT Refund for Tourists: How to Claim It (2026 Rules)
- Your First 24 Hours in China: An Arrival Checklist (2026)
- How to Refund or Change a China Train Ticket (2026 Fee Rules)
- ATM in China: How to Withdraw Cash as a Foreigner (2026)
- WeChat Pay Fees for Foreign Cards (200 RMB Rule + Unsupported Card Fix, 2026)
- China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How to Use It (2026)
- China Payment Limits for Foreign Cards: 5 Caps
Sources
- State Council policy briefing and official interpretation, March 2024 (中国政府网) - mobile payment limits for foreign visitors raised from USD 1,000 to USD 5,000 per transaction and from USD 10,000 to USD 50,000 per year.
- 国务院办公厅《关于进一步优化支付服务 提升支付便利性的意见》(国办发〔2024〕10号, 7 March 2024), State Council policy library - the policy document behind ATM upgrades, cash acceptance and merchant card acceptance.
- Tenpay (WeChat Pay) official service notice (财付通) - international-card fee waived at or below RMB 200 per transaction, 3% of the full amount above RMB 200, fees refunded proportionally on refunds.
- Bank of China official English ATM service page - foreign-card ATM withdrawals inside China are capped at RMB 3,000 per transaction; other limits are set by the overseas issuing bank.
- 中华人民共和国海关 (customs service Q&A on carrying cash) - renminbi across the border is limited to RMB 20,000 per person per trip; foreign currency above the equivalent of USD 5,000 brought in must be declared (国家外汇管理局、海关总署, 汇发〔2003〕102号).
- 中国政府网《图表：中国240小时过境免签"朋友圈"扩展至57国》(2026-08-20, 来源新华社) - 国家移民管理局公告：240小时过境免签适用国家增至57国，海南30天入境免签增至61国。
- 国家移民管理局（NIA）官方网站 - 适用国家名单、口岸名单与政策原文的权威出处；名单会更新，出发前以此为准。
- 福建省公安厅 关于外国人申报住宿登记 - 引用《出境入境管理法》第39条（非酒店住宿须在24小时内向公安机关申报）与第76条（未申报可警告或处2000元以下罚款）。
- 国家税务总局公告 2025 年第 11 号《关于修改〈境外旅客购物离境退税管理办法（试行）〉的公告》(26 April 2025), 中国政府网 - 退税起点提高至每人每天每店 RMB 200，现金退税上限 RMB 20,000。
- 国家税务总局政策法规库 - 财政部 税务总局 海关总署公告 2019 年第 39 号第4条：适用13%税率的退税率为11%，适用9%税率的退税率为8%。
- 中国铁路12306 官方公告（铁客〔2021〕15号）－退票费阶梯：8天以上免收，48小时至8天收5%，24至48小时收10%，24小时以内收20%。
- 《巡游出租汽车经营服务管理规定》(交通运输部) - 第48条：不使用计价器、多收费、不开发票等行为可责令改正并处以 RMB 200-500 罚款。
- 17Talk teaching team - the failure patterns and workarounds described here come from issues learners reported while travelling in China during 2025-2026. Where a figure is ours rather than an official one, the text says so.
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