China’s online arrival-card service is free and uses official National Immigration Administration channels. Complete it in advance if it applies to your trip, but do not mistake it for a visa or entry approval. Paper forms and port facilities remain alternatives when advance online submission is not possible.
The service began on November 20, 2025. Use the current prompts for your port and journey rather than an old screenshot or a paid site that looks official.
Use the official channel first
The NIA announcement lists its government-service website, the NIA 12367 app, official WeChat and Alipay mini programs and designated QR codes. The official web form is a direct starting point. Enter it from the NIA site if you are unsure about a link.
A search advertisement or a processing fee does not make a site official. You should not have to buy an itinerary, visa service or membership to use the NIA arrival-information service. Keep passport information out of unverified third-party forms.
Prepare accurate information before opening the form
| Keep accessible | Why it helps | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Original passport | Names and document details should match | Typing from memory or a different passport |
| Actual inbound journey | Flight, port and date information must describe the real arrival | Copying an example itinerary |
| First-night accommodation and contact information | Provides the real mainland address when requested | An invented hotel reservation |
| Onward or return details | Supports the actual entry basis where relevant | Treating the form as a substitute for a required confirmed ticket |
Submit through the live prompts and save the result
- Choose the applicable language and process on the official service.
- Enter the information the current form requests, checking names, dates and passport numbers.
- Use genuine travel and accommodation details. Follow the official correction route if something changes.
- Save the confirmation presented by the system and make it accessible offline.
- Follow airline and port instructions on arrival; officers still examine the applicable entry documents.
This guide does not invent a fixed list of health declarations or claim that every visitor sees an identical form. Arrival information, customs declarations and immigration eligibility are separate processes. Answer the prompts actually applicable to your journey.
If the online route fails, use the port alternative
The NIA states that travelers unable to complete the information in advance can use port facilities or paper forms. A failed page, dead phone or missing data connection should be handled through the official counter, not by paying an unfamiliar website.
Have the passport, accommodation address and journey details on paper or in offline storage. Ask staff which current route to use. Do not assume that a saved screenshot lets you bypass immigration queues or guarantees a particular processing time.
What the card does not do
- It does not grant a tourist visa or confirm visa-free transit eligibility.
- It does not replace the original passport or onward ticket required for the entry basis.
- It does not complete hotel or private-address accommodation registration.
- It does not eliminate customs requirements or guarantee admission.
Connect the form to the real arrival day
Check the entry-options guide or transit conditions before travel. Then use the airport arrival sequence for immigration, baggage and customs, and accommodation registration for the stay itself.
Plan how you will reach the first hotel after those steps, including a payment and connectivity fallback. Submitting a form quickly is useful; arriving without an address or a usable transport option can still derail the first evening.
Turn this decision into a workable route
The useful arrival plan combines documents, the correct hotel night, baggage, payment and a realistic transfer. LOCLYX is a China-based local team. We tailor a written plan to your dates, budget, interests, pace and constraints. Planning costs $19.9 per travel day; travel purchases are separate and we do not make reservations or provide ground services.
Use the airport-to-hotel guide before deciding which parts you want help organizing. Compare the sample itinerary and pricing and scope before using Plan My Trip. Delivery and revision conditions are in the published policy.
Sources and scope
Editorial review: October 12, 2026. Practical checklists are planning guidance, not a guarantee of eligibility, availability or a particular outcome.
- NIA: online arrival-card service — start date, free official channels and port alternatives
- Official arrival-information web form — live submission prompts