Quick answer
Before departure, confirm your entry permission, a way to receive SMS, one payment method plus a backup, and your hotel’s Chinese address. After landing, prioritize reaching your accommodation safely. Extra delivery apps can wait.
Before you book
Confirm your entry route with the National Immigration Administration (NIA), the relevant visa authority and your airline. Nationality, travel purpose, route, ports and permitted stay all matter. A headline saying “visa-free” does not establish your own eligibility.
- Check your passport, any required visa and your onward travel documents.
- If relying on transit permission, read the 240-hour transit checklist before buying non-refundable tickets.
- Confirm the hotel branch, check-in requirements, cancellation terms and late-arrival arrangements. Use the hotel booking guide.
- Check current customs and medication requirements before packing. Do not carry items for someone else without knowing their contents. Use the declaration channel required by the current rules.
- Save travel insurance and your own embassy or consulate contacts privately.
One week before departure
Prepare the phone you will actually carry
Install essential apps and sign in while you can receive account verification messages. Choose apps by task; you do not need all eight on day one.
Data and SMS are separate. A data-only eSIM cannot receive verification texts itself. Keep the number registered with your bank and important accounts available. Compare roaming, eSIM and local SIM options, including activation, supported phones and charges. If a code fails, follow the SMS checks.
Prepare payment and a fallback
Set up a supported card in Alipay or WeChat Pay if your account allows it. Follow the identity and issuer verification prompts. Successful registration alone does not prove every transaction will work.
Carry an agreed backup such as RMB cash and another supported card. Save your issuer’s official support number. Read how to pay and the backup plan. Check the amount and recipient before confirming; if a transaction is pending, inspect it before paying again.
Save the destination in Chinese
Ask the hotel for its exact Chinese name, branch, complete address, phone and correct entrance. Make a Chinese address card and keep a paper copy if you need a backup for a dead phone. The tool formats your own text; it does not translate or validate an address.
The day before departure
- Check airport code, terminal and arrival time against your actual booking.
- Save confirmed bookings, hotel addresses and essential contacts offline. Open the saved files to check them. Do not treat screenshots of live wallet or metro codes as usable payment or ride codes.
- Prepare an offline travel kit. Keep sensitive identity records private and separate from the card you show a driver.
- Charge your phone and check current airline and airport rules for any power bank you carry.
- Keep your original travel documents accessible. An image of a passport is not a substitute for the original document when it is required.
- Confirm data activation and SMS availability with your operator. Do not depend entirely on obtaining airport Wi-Fi or buying a SIM after landing.
Save your actual booking confirmation, including the correct date and station names.
12306 order example showing Refund and Change Ticket controls.
Image source: MTR. Screenshot rights remain with the publisher. Reference example; screens can vary by device, account and app version. Dates and prices shown are not live.
After landing
Follow official arrival signs and complete immigration, baggage and customs procedures. Use the arrival-card channel applicable to your entry situation; do not give passport or payment details to an unofficial intermediary.
Once landside, check your connection, retrieve your Chinese address and choose an official transport route. Start with your first two hours, then use the guide matching your actual airport:
- Beijing Capital — PEK
- Beijing Daxing — PKX
- Shanghai Pudong — PVG
- Other arrivals and transport choices
Avoid unsolicited transport offers. Follow official taxi queues or the pickup instructions for your active app booking. Match the vehicle details before boarding. If rail services have ended, use the late-night arrival plan.
At the accommodation
Use the hotel check-in checklist. Hotels handle their guests’ accommodation registration. For non-hotel stays, you or your host must register within 24 hours of arrival. NIA’s 21 September 2026 update confirms nationwide online registration. Complete account registration and identity verification, get host assistance for an initial registration, and check the resulting registration record. If you need help, call 12367 or contact the local police or exit-entry service window about on-site registration. The registration guide explains the steps, limited exceptions and official sources.
Charge your phone, save tomorrow’s route and check a small ordinary purchase before relying on that payment method for a time-critical journey. For food delivery, confirm where the hotel allows collection. Only include a room number or staff contact when permitted; the hotel delivery guide explains the fields.
If something goes wrong
| Problem | Next step |
|---|---|
| A Chinese screen is unclear | Use screen translation and the app glossary; do not guess at a payment confirmation. |
| A card or wallet fails | Check the existing transaction, then agree on a backup with the merchant. |
| Your phone is lost | Follow the lost-phone plan, including account and SIM protection. |
| Your passport is lost | Contact local police and your own embassy or consulate; see the passport-loss guide. |
| Immediate danger | Call 110 (police), 120 (ambulance) or 119 (fire). State your location first. See emergency information. |
12367 is the immigration enquiry line; it is separate from emergency dispatch. Do not wait for this website’s feedback service in an emergency.
Sources and review
Overview sources reviewed on 2026-09-10; the accommodation-registration section was rechecked on 2026-09-30 against NIA’s 21 September nationwide update. This overview combines the site guides linked above; their sources and detailed conditions remain important. The sequence is editorial guidance, not a recorded field test.