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How Do You Fill In China's Arrival Card?

Published 2026-10-15 · Updated 2026-10-15 · Entry

Written by China On Arrival Editorial Desk · Research basis: Editor research, fact-checked

TL;DR

A: Since November 20, 2025 China's arrival card can be filled online before you board — free, through NIA's official portal (s.nia.gov.cn), the NIA 12367 app, or the WeChat/Alipay mini programs. You need your passport, inbound flight number and your first night's address. Paper cards still exist at the border as a fallback.

What’s the short answer?

China replaced the paper arrival card with an online form on November 20, 2025 — you can now fill it in at home, before you even check in for your flight, through the National Immigration Administration’s official channels. It is free, it takes about five minutes per passport, and the paper card still exists at every port if you skip it or something goes wrong.

What changed in November 2025?

The little paper card you used to fill out on the plane moved online. Effective November 20, 2025, foreigners may submit their entry information in advance through NIA’s official website and Government Service Platform, the NIA 12367 app, or the WeChat and Alipay mini programs. Immigration still stamps you in person — the online form only removes the elbow-space-on-a-moving-plane part of the arrival.

How do you fill in the arrival card before you fly?

Open the official portal, enter three things, submit, screenshot. Have ready:

  • Passport details — number, exactly as printed, for each traveler (children need their own submissions too)
  • Inbound flight number and port of entry
  • The address of your first night — your hotel name and street address works; write it down before you start

The official entry point is the NIA Government Service Portal at s.nia.gov.cn — the same form is inside the NIA 12367 app and the WeChat/Alipay mini programs. The form is free; only use these official channels, because third-party sites that charge to “pre-clear your arrival card” are doing nothing you can’t do yourself in five minutes.

Lock in the first night’s address early and everything else falls into place:

Book your inbound flight on Trip.com →

Then pair it with the 10-minute arrival checklist — eSIM, payments and train accounts, set up before you fly.

Who doesn’t need to fill one in?

Seven groups are exempt — for most tourists, nobody. You can skip the card if you are: a foreign permanent resident of China; a holder of the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao residents; entering on a group visa or group visa-free arrangement; in direct 24-hour transit staying airside; a cruise passenger who exits on the same ship; entering through e-channels; or a foreign crew member of an international transport vehicle. Everyone else — visa-free entrants and 240-hour transit travelers included — fills one in.

Does the online arrival card change anything at immigration?

No: you still see an officer, still get stamped, and still need your documents. The card is a data shortcut, not a new permission. Using the 240-hour visa-free transit? Keep your printed onward ticket to the third country ready — the officer checks it at the booth. Still deciding which route your passport qualifies for? Run it through the entry checker before you book.

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Common questions

Do you still fill in a paper arrival card when entering China?

Since November 20, 2025 you can submit China's arrival card online before you fly, through the NIA official portal (s.nia.gov.cn), the NIA 12367 app, or the WeChat/Alipay mini programs — free, official channels only. Paper arrival cards still exist at ports of entry as a fallback, so nothing is lost if you skip the online step. Source: National Immigration Administration, en.nia.gov.cn.

Who is exempt from filling in China's arrival card?

Seven groups skip it: foreign permanent residents of China, holders of the Mainland Travel Permit for HK/Macao residents, group visa or group visa-free entrants, passengers in direct 24-hour transit who stay airside, cruise passengers who exit on the same ship, travelers entering through e-channels, and foreign crew of international transport vehicles. Everyone else fills one in — online before boarding or on paper at the border. Source: NIA announcement, Nov 20 2025.

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