The 10-minute arrival checklist

Verified 2026-09-21 · Print this page (Ctrl/Cmd+P) and keep it with your passport

Before you fly (10 minutes)

• Fill in the arrival card online (free, official) — Since Nov 20, 2025 the paper card is online: passport, inbound flight and your first night's address, submitted before boarding at s.nia.gov.cn. Paper cards still exist as a fallback. Arrival card guide →
• Activate your eSIM (or arrange roaming) — Do it at home on Wi-Fi. A mainland-data eSIM is cheapest; home-carrier roaming keeps Google/WhatsApp working at a price. eSIM guide →
• Link your foreign card to Alipay AND WeChat Pay — Ten minutes, done at home. Set both up — some counters and mini-programs only take one of them. Payments guide →
• Install: Alipay, WeChat, DiDi, Amap or Apple Maps — DiDi works inside Alipay too, but the standalone app is faster at airports. Amap has the best English transit directions.
• Register on 12306 or Trip.com for trains — Passport registration is verified once; do it before you need a ticket tonight. Trip.com takes international cards without the friction. Trains guide →
• Screenshot every confirmation — Hotel booking, train tickets, attraction reservations — screenshots work with zero connectivity, apps and emails sometimes do not.
• Download offline maps + a translate pack — Download the city you land in before you fly. Online maps work fine on eSIM data; offline is the backup.
• Check passport validity (6+ months) and book the sell-outs — The Forbidden City and Terracotta Army sell out days ahead in season. Book both now, not on arrival. First-trip guide →

On landing (first 30 minutes)

• Follow the arrival guide for your airport — Immigration, eSIM counters, payment backup, the ride into town — airport by airport. Airport guides →
• Confirm your entry route at passport control — Visa-free 30-day or 240-hour transit: officers check onward tickets at the booth. Our checker tells you which route your passport likely qualifies for. Entry check →
• Get to the city, then get cash-free — Skip airport exchange desks — your linked Alipay QR covers metro, taxi and convenience stores from minute one.

First evening

• Check in (hotels do the police registration for you) — Foreign passports: filter for foreigner-friendly hotels when booking. If a desk says no, our rescue card walks you through it. Staying in an apartment or with friends instead? Register online via the NIA 12367 app within 24 hours — nationwide since Sept 2026. Hotel rescue card →
• Eat — scan, pay, done — Street stalls to department-store food halls all take QR payment. Cash is a backup, not a requirement.
• Screenshot tomorrow's plan — Station name in Chinese, hotel address in Chinese, first ticket QR — one screenshot folder saves every morning.

This page prints clean — use your browser's print dialog to save it as a PDF for offline reference in the air.