Pack an arrival plan, not just a suitcase
Before flying to China, aim to have six things ready: the right travel documents, a confirmed place to stay, insurance and assistance details, a way to get online, a payment fallback and hotel details you can read without the internet. Keep the first evening simple enough to survive a late flight.
This checklist covers short independent visits to mainland China. Source text was reviewed on 18 October 2026. The order below is editorial advice; your airline, entry arrangement and booked services determine their actual requirements.
Before making expensive commitments
First, complete the entry checks for your own trip. Make sure every traveller is considered separately, including children and anyone travelling on a different passport. If you change the route or travel document later, revisit the check.
Then sketch the accommodation nights and any intercity journey. A train ride also involves getting to the correct station, finding the boarding area and reaching the next hotel. Use the rail guide before treating a connection as a free sightseeing day.
For a must-see attraction, check its actual booking arrangements before building the day around it. Use the reservation guide to distinguish a planned visit from a confirmed booking.
Confirm insurance and keep its assistance route
Use the China travel-insurance guide while making your bookings. Check eligibility, the complete journey, medical and evacuation benefits, health disclosures and planned activities against the actual policy. Keep unresolved coverage questions with the insurer rather than assuming that buying a policy settles them.
Save the policy number, wording, any endorsements and the assistance contact you can use abroad. Add those details to your departure pack and keep a payment backup; direct hospital billing needs confirmation for your own arrangement.
Before leaving your usual internet connection
Install the apps you intend to use and sign in while you can resolve account problems comfortably. Prepare maps and booking access and choose your connection plan.
If using another carrier’s eSIM on an iPhone, check the device’s lock status and the plan’s compatibility. Apple’s international eSIM guide explains that changing carriers requires an unlocked device. Installation, activation and the start of paid validity can be different events; use your provider’s terms to decide when to complete each.
Set up one suitable payment method and arrange an alternative. Shanghai’s payment guide says Alipay registration can use an overseas number before arrival, while card linking depends on eligibility. Use the payment overview for the next checks, including account access and a physical backup.
Do a five-minute departure check
Ask each traveller to find their own document, first accommodation and next confirmed transport booking. Then check the shared arrival plan on the phone that will actually be used. If a confirmation is held by one person, agree how the others will retrieve it if you are separated.
Open the saved address without fetching a new page. Check access to the number and bank authentication needed for your payment plan. Look at the booking status rather than assuming a payment request has become a confirmed reservation.
For the arrival card, start from the NIA’s English notice or Chinese notice. Both identify the free official service and alternatives at the port. Keep that task distinct from entry eligibility. Do not pay a fee merely because a website presents itself as the mandatory arrival-card portal.
Make a compact arrival pack
| Save somewhere you can open offline | Check before saving |
|---|---|
| First hotel’s Chinese name, full address, entrance and contact method | The property supplied or confirmed the details |
| Hotel reservation and arrival instructions | Dates, guest name, late-arrival arrangements and payment/deposit |
| Airport-to-hotel plan | Correct airport and terminal, final connection, fallback |
| Confirmed transport and attraction orders | Correct traveller/document, date, location and actual order status |
| Insurance and assistance details | Correct travellers, dates, destination, policy reference and contact route |
| Useful support details | Your carrier, issuer, booking provider and accommodation’s official channels |
A screenshot of an order is useful for reference but may not replace the original document, live code or other admission method required by the provider. Keep sensitive document copies secure and separate from anything you might show publicly.
Use the address card for the destination and hotel preparation for the reception conversation. For power banks and other restricted items, check your airline and relevant departure/transfer airport rules rather than relying on a generic packing list.
Check arrival formalities through an official channel
The NIA’s arrival-card notice states that online filling is free and identifies the official channels, including its arrival-card service. The notice also describes port-based and paper alternatives for people unable to submit ahead of time. Read the current instructions applicable to you; filling a card does not establish visa eligibility.
Use the arrival-card conditions and exemptions to decide the task for your actual entry channel. For accommodation, confirm whether reception handles hotel registration or you need the non-hotel host-assisted filing plan. The arrival card and accommodation registration are separate tasks.
Before departure, confirm what is still unresolved: account verification, a late reception, a required ticket or a connection that depends on the last service of the day. Resolve those issues or choose a fallback you can carry out.
Track your own progress with the personal checklist, then keep the first-day guide easy to find.
Keep the practical help details available
Review getting help in China and save the official contacts relevant to your own nationality, location and arrangements. If dietary requirements affect your trip, use the ordering guide to prepare specific questions before choosing a meal.