China’s online arrival card is a free border-information form for foreign nationals. The official web address is s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/. It is not a visa application, a paid fast track or a promise that immigration will admit you.
You can submit the information online before travel. If the online route does not work, China’s National Immigration Administration says travelers who must file can still use a QR code or smart device at the arrival port, or complete a paper card. That backup matters more than fighting a weak airport Wi-Fi connection.
The safe route in one minute
- Open the form from the nia.gov.cn domain or an official embassy guide.
- Keep your passport, flight or vessel details, Chinese address and local contact information beside you.
- Enter names and document numbers exactly as they appear in the passport used for travel.
- Review the port, transport number and Chinese address before submitting.
- Save the result or reference offline as a screenshot and keep the passport available.
- If the form fails, use the official arrival-port fallback. Do not pay a look-alike website.
Use the exact official domain
The official system is:
https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/
The important part is the registered domain nia.gov.cn. A search ad, copied government logo or page title that says “official” does not make another domain official. The National Immigration Administration specifically warns that the service does not charge a filing fee.
Do not upload a passport to a third-party form merely because it ranks above the government page. An agency may sell a separate assistance service, but that is not the government arrival card and it cannot issue a visa or guarantee entry.
What to have ready
Prepare the facts before opening the form:
| Field group | What to copy | Common failure |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | surname, given names, sex, date of birth, nationality, passport number and expiry | dropping a middle name or mixing an old passport with the current booking |
| Arrival | date, flight/train/vessel number and entry port | entering the departure airport instead of the mainland arrival port |
| Stay | hotel or residential address in China and city | entering only a booking-platform brand or an English neighborhood name |
| Contact | reachable phone/email and, when requested, China contact | assuming an eSIM number will exist before activation |
| Recent travel or declarations | answer the form actually presented | copying an old screenshot whose questions have changed |
Use the same passport that is linked to the visa, exemption route and transport booking. If the document changed, do not guess whether an old visa remains usable; check the issuing mission and carrier before departure.
For a hotel, keep the property’s Chinese name, street address and telephone number from the confirmation. For multiple hotels, follow the current form wording; do not invent a permanent China address.
When should you file it?
The official notice allows advance online completion. The practical window is after the first lodging and inbound transport are stable, but before the travel day becomes hectic. Filing too early creates stale flight or address details; waiting until the immigration hall makes you dependent on battery, roaming and queue conditions.
Recheck the card if any of these change:
- passport used for travel;
- arrival date or transport number;
- mainland entry port;
- first address in China;
- purpose or permitted entry route.
This page does not set a universal number of hours because the form and port practice can change. Follow the live system’s own validity message.
Save proof without relying on one phone
After submission, save the confirmation or QR/reference in at least two useful places:
- a screenshot available without data;
- the phone’s local files or wallet, if supported;
- a second traveler’s device, when appropriate;
- a printed copy for a traveler who may not be able to unlock the phone independently.
The screenshot is a retrieval aid, not a substitute for the passport or an immigration decision. Keep the text large enough for an officer or kiosk scanner to read. A cropped QR image with no name or context is harder to recover if several documents are saved together.
If the website or QR code does not work
Do not create five new submissions while the signal is dropping. First check the passport number, date, transport number and whether the page is the official domain. Then try a stable connection and another current browser.
If you still cannot complete the online card, the NIA notice describes three arrival-port options:
- scan the official QR code displayed at the port;
- use a smart filing device at the port;
- complete a paper arrival card.
Ask uniformed immigration or airport staff where to file. Do not hand a passport to an unsolicited “helper.” Leave extra time before a connection because a fallback can add a queue.
Who may not need to file
The NIA notice lists exemptions, including several document holders and transport situations. The list includes foreign nationals who hold a People’s Republic of China permanent resident identity card; certain Mainland Travel Permit holders from Hong Kong and Macao; group-visa or group visa-free arrivals; some 24-hour direct-transit passengers who remain in the designated port area; same-vessel cruise passengers; fast-lane users; and foreign crew.
Each exemption has exact conditions. Do not self-exempt because you have a long layover, a residence permit, an APEC card or a visa-free itinerary. Those phrases are not interchangeable with the listed documents and routes. If the airline or port instructs you to file, follow the live official process or ask immigration staff.
Arrival card, visa and transit policy are different
| Item | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival card | gives immigration current traveler, route and stay information | grant a visa or determine final admission |
| Chinese visa | records an issued entry authorization with its own purpose, entries and validity | guarantee boarding or admission when other conditions fail |
| Visa-free transit | creates a conditional route for an eligible passport and itinerary | turn a return trip into third-country transit |
| Customs declaration | reports goods, currency or other customs matters when required | replace immigration’s arrival information |
For an ordinary U.S. tourist, begin with the 2026 China travel requirements checklist, then use the entry documents decision path. The digital card comes after you know which entry route you are using.
Questions readers ask next
Is the China arrival card app official?
Official access methods can include the NIA website, NIA 12367 app and official WeChat or Alipay mini-program routes named by the NIA. Verify the publisher and domain through an official government or embassy page. A similarly named app is not automatically official.
Does the digital arrival card cost money?
No government filing fee is stated for the official arrival card. The NIA warns about fraudulent sites that charge. A separate private assistance service is not the official form.
Can I fill it in at the airport?
Yes, the current notice keeps arrival-port QR, smart-device and paper fallbacks for travelers who cannot file online. Allow time and follow the live port instructions.
Does every family member need one?
Treat each foreign traveler as needing their own record unless the current official system explicitly provides and confirms a group function. Children still travel on individual identity documents even when an adult completes information for them.
Is it the same as the health declaration?
No. Border health measures and customs or immigration forms can change independently. Complete only the current official forms required for your route; do not reuse an old pandemic-era link.
Will a screenshot guarantee entry?
No. It helps retrieve a completed filing. Immigration still checks the passport, visa or exemption, route and other conditions and makes the admission decision.
Sources and scope
- National Immigration Administration: official online filing system — the filing route and official domain.
- National Immigration Administration: online filing, exemptions and fraud warning — methods effective from 20 November 2025, port fallbacks and the no-fee warning.
- Chinese Embassy: English online arrival card guide — English-language access and fallback explanation.
Checked 26 August 2026. This guide explains the current general filing route. It does not determine visa eligibility, transit eligibility, airline boarding or admission. Reopen the official system before travel because fields and operational instructions can change.