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Before You Go

Everything worth settling while you are still at home, on your own Wi-Fi, with time to spare. Most China-trip anxiety comes from three things — payments, connectivity, and the visa question. Handle them here and the rest is easy.

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01 Confirm your visa route — before booking anything China has several entry routes and they changed recently. Some nationalities can enter visa-free for 30 days; many more can use the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit, which requires a confirmed onward ticket to a different country or region (Hong Kong and Macao count). Transit entry also requires an eligible entry port and staying within the permitted areas. What to do: check the official National Immigration Administration (NIA) list for your passport, and decide your route (A → China → B) before buying tickets. If stuck: call the NIA hotline 12367 (English service available) or ask your airline — airlines check documents before boarding.
02 Check your passport (validity + condition) Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity remaining and blank pages. Check the physical condition too: water damage, torn pages, or unofficial souvenir stamps can get you refused at the border. What to do: renew early if needed, and bring the exact same passport you used for all bookings — hotel and train tickets are tied to it. If stuck: border officers make the final decision; a damaged passport means you may be denied boarding, so fix it before the trip.
03 Set up mobile payment at home — not at the airport China is effectively cashless. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign Visa/Mastercard, but setup needs your passport and a face scan — far easier on your home Wi-Fi than jet-lagged in an arrivals hall. What to do: install Alipay (best English interface), link your card, complete passport verification, then make one small test payment. Add WeChat Pay as a backup. Note: payments over ¥200 carry about a 3% fee; Apple Pay with foreign cards mostly does NOT work at Chinese tills. If stuck: hotel front desks and large stores can help, and carrying ¥500–1000 in cash is a sensible backup.
04 Plan your internet before departure Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and many Western sites do not work in mainland China without special arrangements, and Google Maps drifts badly. What to do: the simplest reliable option is international roaming from your home carrier or a travel eSIM that covers China — it keeps your usual apps working. Alternatively, a local SIM at the airport is cheap and fast but only helps inside China. Install Apple Maps or Amap for navigation before you fly. If stuck: airport arrival halls all have SIM/eSIM counters; look for the official carrier booths (China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom).
05 Fill in the digital arrival card (CDAC) online Since November 2025, China replaced the paper arrival card with the China Digital Arrival Card (CDAC), which should be completed online within 72 hours before arrival. What to do: use only the official free channel — the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app, or airport kiosks. Save a screenshot of the confirmation. Fake copycat sites that charge a fee exist; the real service is free. If stuck: paper forms are still available at most ports as a fallback — just allow extra time.
06 Book hotels that accept foreign guests Not every Chinese hotel is licensed to register foreign guests, and some small guesthouses will turn you away at the door even with a confirmed booking. What to do: on Trip.com or Booking.com, filter for properties marked as accepting international guests, or stick to international chains (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Jin Jiang). Message the hotel to confirm they can register a foreign passport. Save the hotel name and address in Chinese characters as a screenshot. If stuck: front desks of international-chain hotels handle passport registration daily — calling their English line solves it in minutes.
07 Install the few apps you will actually need You need far fewer apps than blog lists suggest. The core four: Alipay (payments + transport codes), WeChat (backup payment + messaging), Trip.com (trains, hotels, flights in English), and Apple Maps or Amap (navigation). What to do: set them up at home, create accounts with your home phone number (make sure it can receive SMS abroad), and log in once before departure. If stuck: Alipay and WeChat mini-programs cover ride-hailing and most services — you rarely need standalone apps like DiDi.
08 Keep offline copies of every booking Immigration officers, airline desks, and hotel check-ins all may ask for proof — and airport Wi-Fi is never guaranteed at the exact moment you need it. What to do: screenshot your onward ticket, hotel confirmations (with Chinese addresses), insurance policy, and itinerary; keep them in your phone gallery and a cloud folder. If stuck: email delivery from Gmail/Outlook to Chinese mailboxes often fails silently — do not rely on email. Screenshots and WhatsApp/WeChat file transfer work.
09 Travel insurance & your medications Emergency care in China is fast and affordable, but hospitals may ask for a deposit; good travel insurance removes that friction. Bring enough of any prescription medication for the whole trip plus a few extra days, in original packaging, with the prescription or a doctor’s note in English. What to do: check that your policy covers mainland China; carry medication in hand luggage. If stuck: international clinics in major cities serve foreigners directly and bill insurers — see the Essentials page for numbers.