China’s arrival card is online now — fill it before you fly

For years, landing in China meant filling out a little paper arrival card with a borrowed pen on a shaking tray table. That era is ending: since November 20, 2025, foreigners can file the arrival card online — before the trip even starts. We now walk every China-bound customer through it in the store, because it pairs with the other before-you-fly steps (eSIM, WeChat, Alipay) into one tidy checklist. Here’s exactly how it works, and what the rest of your first hour on the ground looks like.

The online arrival card: what it is

Almost every foreign visitor entering mainland China needs an arrival card. What changed is how you file it: China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) now takes it online — through the official NIA website, the government service platform, the “NIA 12367” app, or WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. You can fill it in before you arrive, which is the whole point: do it at home with your passport and hotel booking in front of you.

The official web form is at s.nia.gov.cn (search “NIA arrival card” or use the address from your airline’s pre-arrival email — and be wary of lookalike sites that charge a fee; the official card is free). Expect to provide basic details: passport info, your stay, and where you’re staying in China.

Who doesn’t need one

The NIA lists seven exempt groups: holders of China’s Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card; non-Chinese-citizen holders of the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong/Macao residents; travelers on group visas or group visa-free entry; direct-transit passengers staying inside the port’s restricted area under 24 hours; cruise passengers entering and leaving on the same ship; e-channel users; and foreign crew members. Everyone else — including 10-day visa-free transit visitors — should plan on filing one.

Didn’t fill it in advance? Here’s the fallback

You can still do it at the port: scan the QR code posted at immigration with your phone, use the on-site smart kiosks, or ask for the classic paper card, which still exists. But notice the catch in option one — scanning a QR code and loading a government web form requires working internet, and if you landed without service you’re back to hunting airport Wi-Fi (which wants to text a code to a number you don’t have — see the airport Wi-Fi trap). This is why we bundle the advice: arrival card filed at home, eSIM installed at home, and your arrival becomes a walk instead of a scramble.

The full landing sequence, step by step

• 1. Follow the arrivals corridor. Signage at the big international airports is bilingual; you’re walking to immigration first, bags second.
• 2. Fingerprint kiosks. Most foreign visitors aged 14–70 scan their fingerprints at self-service kiosks before the immigration counters — passport in, prints scanned, slip printed. Quick and painless.
• 3. Immigration. Foreigner lanes, passport + arrival card (already filed online = nothing to juggle). Visa-free transit travelers: look for the dedicated visa-free / transit counters where available.
• 4. Baggage claim. Find your carousel on the flight boards; luggage carts at the big Chinese airports are free.
• 5. Customs. Nothing to declare? Walk the green channel.
• 6. The connectivity moment. This is where trips fork. With a China eSIM installed before you flew, you flip on data roaming and everything — Google Maps, WhatsApp, Didi — just works, no VPN. Without it, you’re at the back of the SIM counter queue, and if you’re on iPhone you can no longer install a travel eSIM at all once you’re inside mainland China.

The complete before-you-fly checklist

• Arrival card — file it online (free, official NIA channels).
• China eSIM — install at home on Wi-Fi; iPhones can’t install one after you land in the mainland. Screenshot the QR + manual codes.
• WeChat & Alipay — set up and link a foreign card; China pays by QR for everything.
• Bookings offline — screenshot your hotel name/address in Chinese characters and your onward tickets; Gmail is unreachable on local networks.
• Sights that sell out — the Forbidden City and friends need advance booking with your passport number.

Related: SIM card at China airports · Lost baggage in China · 10-day visa-free transit · Landing at Pudong (PVG) · China travel guide