# How do you fill out China's online arrival card for foreigners?

> China's arrival card for foreigners can be filed free online at s.nia.gov.cn or the NIA 12367 app before you fly. Who is exempt, the QR code and fake sites.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/china-online-arrival-card-how-to-fill-out-guide
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-10-29

**Most foreigners entering mainland China still have to complete a Foreigner Arrival Card, but since 20 November 2025 you can fill it in online before you travel instead of on paper at the airport. It is free on the National Immigration Administration's site at s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC, in the NIA 12367 app, or through the official WeChat and Alipay mini programs, and it gives you a QR code for the border officer to scan.** Filing online is optional: paper cards and QR-code kiosks are still at the ports. Visa-free visitors and 240-hour transit passengers are not exempt, while group visa holders, airside 24-hour transit passengers and a few others are. NIA has warned about counterfeit sites charging fees for it. We checked all of this against NIA and Chinese embassy notices on 4 November 2026. We have not travelled to China ourselves, so this page is built from the official sources.

## Do you have to fill in a China arrival card?

Yes, unless you fall into one of seven exempt groups. The arrival card itself is required; what changed in November 2025 is that you can now complete it online before the trip. NIA lists three ways to do it at the border if you have not filed in advance: scan a QR code with your phone, use a self-service kiosk, or fill in the paper card.

The seven groups who **do not** need an arrival card, per the NIA notice and the Chinese Embassy in the US:

• Holders of a **Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card**.

• Non-Chinese holders of the **Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents**.

• **Group visa** holders, and travellers entering under group visa-free schemes.

• **24-hour direct transit** passengers who stay in the port's restricted area.

• **Cruise passengers** who leave on the same ship.

• Travellers who use the **fast-track (e-channel) lanes**.

• Foreign **crew** of the plane, ship or train.

Tourists entering **visa-free** for up to 30 days, or on the **240-hour visa-free transit**, are not on that list, so they fill in a card. So does anyone with a regular tourist visa.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Required?** | The arrival card is required unless exempt; filing it online is optional |
| **Online since** | 20 November 2025 |
| **Cost** | Free |
| **Where** | s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC, NIA 12367 app, WeChat or Alipay mini program |
| **What you get** | A QR code that the border officer scans |
| **Still on paper?** | Yes, paper cards remain available at the ports |

_China's online arrival card at a glance (checked 4 November 2026)_

## Where to fill it in (and the official addresses)

NIA's English notice lists these official channels:

• **The NIA website**, with the filing page at **s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC**.

• The **NIA 12367** app (移民局12367 in Chinese).

• The NIA **mini programs inside WeChat and Alipay**.

• The **arrival card QR code** displayed at ports, which you scan with your phone.

All of them are free. If you do not use WeChat or Alipay yet, the website works in an ordinary phone or laptop browser. Every official NIA address ends in **nia.gov.cn**.

## How to fill it out, step by step

NIA does not publish a field-by-field list, but its own description of the system explains the flow. Have your passport, flight number and first hotel address ready.

• **1. Open an official channel** from the list above.

• **2. Photograph your passport data page.** NIA says the system reads your personal details from the photo and fills them in for you. Check every letter against the passport afterwards.

• **3. Choose your entry type.** The form asks you to pick the option that matches your entry policy: a visa, the 30-day visa-free entry, the 240-hour transit and so on.

• **4. Add trip details.** Expect to give your purpose of visit, flight number, arrival date, and where you will stay in China. Use your hotel's name and full address.

• **5. Add travel companions** if you are filing for a family or group. NIA says one person can add the others.

• **6. Submit and save the QR code.** The system generates a unique QR code that border officers scan to pull up your details. Take a screenshot before you fly, so you are not relying on mobile data in the arrivals hall.

NIA's notices say to file "before coming to China" but do not give an official number of days. Some travel sites quote a 72-hour rule that we could not find in any NIA document, so the safe approach is to file in the few days before departure, once your flight and first hotel are fixed.

## Fake China arrival card sites

In December 2025, NIA warned that overseas fraudsters had set up counterfeit websites and were charging travellers fees for the arrival card. NIA did not name the sites. China Daily put the test simply: a site that asks for card details or a "processing fee" for the arrival card is a scam.

• The real filing page is on **s.nia.gov.cn**. Type it yourself rather than clicking an ad.

• NIA says the service is **free of charge**. Any payment screen means you are on the wrong site.

• You never need to file through an agency. If you are unsure, fill in the paper card at the airport, which is still offered.

## Customs at the airport: red and green channels

The arrival card is immigration only. Customs is separate, and since **1 April 2025** it works under General Administration of Customs Announcement 2025 No. 43.

• **Nothing to declare:** walk through the **green channel**. No form.

• **Something to declare:** fill in a declaration and use the **red channel**. Items that must be declared include restricted or prohibited goods, animals, plants and their products, cash above the limits, goods over the duty-free allowance, commercial goods and samples, and unaccompanied baggage.

You can pre-fill a customs declaration online in the 海关进出境人员指尖服务 mini program in WeChat or Alipay, then confirm it at the customs desk.

The separate customs health declaration card was dropped on 1 November 2023, although travellers with symptoms of an infectious disease still have to report them to customs.

## Visa-free entry in late 2026: what to check

The arrival card is not a visa. Whether you need one depends on your passport, and some of the rules have end dates.

• **30-day visa-free entry:** Australia and the EU countries on China's unilateral list can enter without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or transit. The UK and Canada were added from 17 February 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notices set the current scheme to run until **31 December 2026**. As of 4 November 2026 we found no announcement extending it into 2027, so check the MFA or your Chinese embassy before booking a January trip.

• **United States:** US citizens are not on the unilateral visa-free list. They need a visa, unless they use the transit scheme below.

• **240-hour visa-free transit:** citizens of 57 countries, including the US, UK, Australia and every EU member state, can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) when travelling between two other countries through one of 65 designated ports, with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country. You still fill in the arrival card.

Many apps and sites outside China, including Google services and WhatsApp, are blocked on Chinese networks. Sort out data before you fly: our [eSIM or local SIM](https://clevertourists.com/resources/esim-or-local-sim-for-international-travel) guide covers the trade-offs, and the card below compares China plans.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the China online arrival card mandatory?

Filing online is optional. The arrival card itself is required for most foreigners, but you can still complete it at the port by scanning a QR code, using a kiosk or filling in the paper card.

### Is the China arrival card free?

Yes. NIA says online arrival card filing is free of charge. Sites asking for a processing fee are counterfeit, as NIA warned in December 2025.

### What is the official website for China's arrival card?

s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC, run by the National Immigration Administration. You can also use the NIA 12367 app or the NIA mini programs in WeChat and Alipay.

### Do visa-free travellers need a China arrival card?

Yes. Visa-free visitors and 240-hour transit passengers are not exempt. Exemptions cover group visa holders, airside 24-hour transit passengers, permanent residents, cruise passengers leaving on the same ship, fast-track lane users, crew and holders of the Hong Kong and Macao Mainland Travel Permit.

### How early can I fill out the China arrival card online?

NIA only says to file before coming to China and gives no official number of days. File in the few days before departure, once your flight and hotel are fixed.

### Can I still fill out a paper arrival card in China?

Yes. NIA says paper arrival cards remain available at the ports.

## Official sources

- [NIA: online arrival card filling for foreigners (English)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c191530/content.html)
- [NIA arrival card filing page (submit here)](https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/)
- [Chinese Embassy in the US: arrival card exemptions](https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/notice/202512/t20251203_11765346.htm)
- [NIA: 240-hour visa-free transit](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html)
- [NIA warning on counterfeit arrival card sites (Chinese)](https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1755806/content.html)