China Arrival Card 2026: Fill It Online Before You Fly
Content reviewed 2026-07-21
Do it before you fly — here's why
China replaced the paper arrival form with a digital arrival card. You can technically fill it at the border by scanning a QR stand, but travelers keep reporting the same trap: airport Wi-Fi fails exactly when you need it, and staff won't let you join the immigration queue until the card is done. Filling it at home a day or two before departure removes the whole problem.
- After submitting, screenshot the confirmation QR and keep it available offline.
- Visa-free and 240-hour transit travelers fill the same card — the form detects which entry policy applies to your passport.
- Connecting inside China? Fill it for your first port of entry (where you clear immigration), not your final destination.
The four official channels (all free)
All four channels belong to the National Immigration Administration and lead to the same form. Beware of lookalike third-party sites that charge a fee — the real thing is free.
- NIA "12367" app → Arrival Card module (works in English).
- Phone browser: s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPhone — the easiest option for most travelers.
- PC browser: s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC — same form on a bigger screen.
- Blue QR stands at airports and border ports — the on-site fallback, also handy for adding a forgotten travel companion.
The 8-step form, decoded
The flow is identical whether you pre-fill or scan on site: agree to the notice, upload a photo of your passport data page (the system reads it automatically — shoot it on a dark matte surface to avoid glare), check the extracted details, then work through personal info, visa info, trip info, companions, and submit.
- Fields marked * are mandatory: port of entry, flight/train number, cities you'll stay in.
- Entering by land or train and your crossing point isn't in the city list? Pick the nearest listed city on your route — border staff are used to it.
- The address field accepts your hotel name; have the Chinese name and address ready in your notes to paste.
- Use "Add" (top right) to file for family or friends on the same trip in one go.
Channels and form fields current as of 2026-07-21; the NIA adjusts the system periodically. If anything looks different, follow the on-screen instructions — the passport-photo + QR logic stays the same.
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