How to fill in China's Online Arrival Card for foreigners

What you need before you start

• Your passport, and a photo of its identity page.
• Your personal information.
• Your flight number.
• Your address in China.
• This list comes from the Luxembourg Consulate General in Shanghai. Chinese government notices only refer to "the required entry information", so check the form itself for the exact fields.

Step by step

1. 1Choose one official channel: the web form at s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/, the NIA official website or NIA Government Service Platform, the "NIA 12367" app (Chinese name "移民局12367"), the "NIA 12367" mini program in WeChat or Alipay, or the official arrival card QR code scanned with your phone.
2. 2Enter your entry information, including your passport details, flight number and address in China.
3. 3Submit the form before you travel.
4. 4According to the Luxembourg Consulate General in Shanghai, the system then generates a QR code to show at immigration control. The Chinese government pages we found do not mention this QR code.
5. 5An official video guide, "How to submit your arrival card online?", is linked from the Shanghai government's service page (see sources).

When to submit

Official notices say to fill it in before you travel to China. We found no official earliest date or validity period.

Not filled in before you travel? At the immigration inspection site at any Chinese port of entry, you can scan a QR code with your phone, use the on-site self-service devices, or fill in a paper arrival card.

Sources differ on whether paper cards will stay. A Beijing government notice of an NIA announcement says paper arrival cards remain available at ports, while the Luxembourg Consulate General in Shanghai says the paper version will remain available during the transition period.

The online arrival card applies at all ports of entry: air, land and sea.

Cost

The online arrival card is free. The NIA says that "completing the online arrival card is completely free of charge".

Visas, where needed, are separate from the arrival card and are applied for through Chinese embassies and visa centres.

Groups

• Holders of a group visa, and travellers eligible for group visa-free entry, do not need to fill in the arrival card.

Who doesn't need it

• Holders of a valid Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card of the PRC.
• Holders of a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (non-Chinese citizens).
• Holders of a group visa, or travellers eligible for group visa-free entry.
• Passengers in 24-hour direct transit who stay within the designated area of the port. Transit passengers who pass through immigration are not on this list.
• Cruise passengers entering and leaving on the same ship.
• Travellers entering through the E-channel (also called "fast lanes").
• Foreign crew members of exit-entry transport vehicles.

Fake websites: how to spot them

The NIA warns that overseas scammers have set up fake websites posing as the official arrival card platform and charging fees: "Recently, fraudulent websites have been detected impersonating the official system and attempting to charge users."

• The official web form is on s.nia.gov.cn, a Chinese government domain ending in .gov.cn.
• The official app and mini programs are called "NIA 12367" (Chinese name "移民局12367").
• The service is free. Any site that asks you to pay is not official.
• Scan only the official arrival card QR code.

Common mistakes

• Using a fake site that charges a fee. The official service is free.
• Scanning an unofficial QR code. Use only the official one.
• Leaving it until you land. The Luxembourg Consulate General in Shanghai strongly recommends filling it in before your trip.