The traveller’s exact question
Do I have to complete China’s arrival card before I fly—and why is this website asking me to pay?
Run the seven-category exemption list first. If none fits, use a free official channel before travel or one of three official options after arrival.
Only these seven categories may be exempt
- 01
Holders of the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card of the People’s Republic of China
- 02
Holders of the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (non-Chinese nationals)
- 03
Holders of group visas or those eligible for visa-free group entry
- 04
Persons making direct transit within 24 hours without leaving the port-restricted area
- 05
Cruise passengers entering and exiting on the same vessel
- 06
Travellers entering through fast-track channels
- 07
Foreign employees of exit-entry transportation vehicles
Being visa-free does not exempt you from the arrival card. Ordinary visa holders, 30-day unilateral visa-free entrants and 240-hour transit travellers still file unless a listed category independently fits.
Read the narrow words: category 4 requires direct transit within 24 hours without leaving the port-restricted area; category 5 requires entering and exiting on the same vessel.
Use an official channel and pay nothing
| Channel | Official route |
|---|---|
| Official website | https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/ |
| Government service platform | Through the official National Immigration Administration website |
| Mobile app | NIA 12367 |
| Mini-programs | WeChat and Alipay |
| Official QR code | Scan the NIA arrival-card code on a mobile device |
| At the port | On-site QR code, smart terminal in the inspection area, or a paper Arrival Card |
The filing is free.
The official web address is on the s.nia.gov.cn domain. If a page asks for a payment, a “processing fee”, or an “expedited” option, it is not the official service described by NIA.
Open the official form →Get ready and start officially
Get ready. Keep your travel document, booked journey and accommodation details in China to hand. This is practical preparation, not a verified list of the online form’s fields.
Start officially. If none of the seven exemptions fits, use the official form above and follow its instructions. The service is free.
If completion is unclear. Opening the website or scanning its entry QR code does not show that your information was submitted. This guide has not verified the current confirmation screen. If you cannot confirm completion, ask border-inspection staff at the port; the official QR, terminal and paper-card options remain available.
Customs is separate. The NIA Arrival Card does not replace the Customs baggage declaration. If you carry something that needs declaring, or you are unsure, ask Customs and use the red channel. See the official Customs service guide.
Three official fallbacks remain at the port
Advance online filing is not the only official route. The official guideline preserves the on-site QR code, smart devices and a paper Arrival Card after arrival for travellers unable to file online in advance.
Scan the on-site QR code with your phone
Use it after arrival at the port.
Use a smart service terminal
Find one in the border-inspection area.
Complete a paper Arrival Card
Ask staff in the inspection area for the paper form.
Six worked cases
These cases apply the official categories and channels. If online filing fails, use the NIA port QR, terminal or paper card before inspection.
Case 1 — DEFAULT — tourist with a visa
- Conditions
- US passport · L visa · flying into Shanghai
- Result
- Not in any of the seven categories. File free through an official channel before travel or at the port.
- Boundary
- Holding a visa does not itself create an arrival-card exemption.
Case 2 — REVERSAL — visa-free does not mean exempt
- Conditions
- German ordinary passport · 30-day unilateral visa-free entry
- Result
- The seven exemptions do not include ordinary visa-free entrants. File like other non-exempt travellers. The same logic applies to a 240-hour transit traveller who is not in the narrow 24-hour airside category.
- Boundary
- Visa-free entry and arrival-card filing are separate decisions.
Case 3 — REVERSAL — cruise passenger
- Conditions
- Enters and exits China on the same cruise vessel
- Result
- Exempt under category 5. A passenger who arrives by cruise and later flies out does not meet the same-vessel wording.
- Boundary
- Cruise arrival alone is not enough.
Case 4 — FAILURE — the site that charges
- Conditions
- Search result · “processing fee” · payment requested
- Result
- The official service is free and NIA warns about sites impersonating the official service. Use a free official channel. A third-party fee alone does not establish fraud. If already paid, keep the order, offer and receipt, and ask the provider about cancellation or an undelivered service.
- Boundary
- This page does not classify every third-party service as legitimate or fraudulent. If a charge was unauthorised, the seller impersonated the official service or misrepresented an official mandatory fee, or the service was not delivered, explain those actual facts to the payment provider or bank.
Case 5 — EDGE — 24-hour transit who wants to leave the airport
- Conditions
- Direct transit under 24 hours · initially staying inside the port-restricted area
- Result
- The category-4 exemption applies only while the passenger does not leave the restricted area. Leaving raises a separate temporary-entry-permit decision.
- Boundary
- Arrival-card exemption is not permission to enter mainland China.
Case 6 — EDGE — no internet before departure
- Conditions
- Flight in six hours · official site will not load
- Result
- Do not pay a workaround or rebook solely for the card. Use the on-site QR code, a smart terminal or a paper card after arrival.
- Boundary
- The official guidance expressly preserves all three port fallbacks.
Failure recovery
R1 — A site asks you to pay.
- Trigger
- Any fee, service charge or expedited-processing request.
- First action
- Close the page. Official filing is free.
- Alternative
- Use the NIA URL, NIA 12367 app, official mini-program or port option.
- Escalation
- If already paid, keep the order, offer and receipt. Ask the provider about cancellation or an undelivered service. If the charge was unauthorised, the seller impersonated the official service or misrepresented an official mandatory fee, or the service was not delivered, explain those actual facts to the payment provider or bank. Do not report fraud solely because a fee was charged.
R2 — You cannot file before departure.
- Trigger
- The official site is unreachable, time is short or you have no internet.
- First action
- Do not use a paid workaround; keep the official port-filing fallback and separately confirm passport, visa or visa-free basis, and carrier requirements.
- Alternative
- At the port, scan the QR code or use a smart terminal.
- Escalation
- Ask border-inspection staff for a paper Arrival Card.
R3 — You are not sure whether you are exempt.
- Trigger
- Your facts look similar to an exemption but do not match its exact wording.
- First action
- Compare your facts with all seven categories, especially the restrictions in categories 4 and 5.
- Alternative
- Complete the free form if the official channel accepts your filing.
- Escalation
- Ask 12367 or border-inspection staff rather than relying on a third-party summary.
R4 — Your details change after filing.
- Trigger
- Flight, arrival port or accommodation changes after the earlier submission.
- First action
- Do not invent an amendment procedure: the reviewed guidance does not publish one.
- Alternative
- Use an official channel or the port options and tell inspection staff which details changed.
- Escalation
- Ask 12367 or the port officer whether a new filing is required; this page does not promise that duplicate refiling is correct.
What the official guidance does not settle
- The NIA notices do not show every online field or confirmation screen. Follow the official form that opens for your journey and save its confirmation.
- Whether an earlier submission can be formally amended or how an original record is replaced.
- How many hours before arrival a submission may be made; the guidance gives no 24–72-hour window.
- The NIA notices publish the PC-labelled address and QR code but do not list a reusable phone URL. Start from that official address or QR code. If online filing fails, use an official port device or paper card.
- Individual filing for children or other members beyond the group-visa category wording.
Your entry check
- Compare the exact facts with all seven exemption categories
- If not exempt, use only an official NIA channel
- Confirm the page requests no fee
- Prepare passport, route and accommodation details
- Use the port QR code, terminal or paper form if advance filing fails
- Do not invent an amendment procedure if details change
Common questions
Must I pay to submit the arrival card?
No. The NIA says official online arrival-card filing is free.
Does visa-free entry mean I am exempt from the arrival card?
No. Ordinary 30-day and 240-hour visa-free travellers are not exempt merely because they are visa-free. One of the seven specific exemption categories must independently fit.
What if the website does not work before departure?
Use the official on-site QR code, a smart terminal or a paper Arrival Card at the port. Advance online filing is not the only official route.
Can I amend a submitted arrival card?
The reviewed national guidance does not publish an amendment process. Use an official channel or the port options and ask 12367 or inspection staff what to do with changed details.
Last checked
We checked the claims displayed on this page against the linked official sources. Recheck sooner if a country list, threshold or filing channel changes.
Official sources
Sources checked 3 September 2026.
Guidelines for Online Completion of the Arrival Card — seven exemptions and port alternativesEmbassy of the People's Republic of China in Barbados / National Immigration Administration guidance ↗Fraud warning and official filing channelsNational Immigration Administration ↗Chinese fraud warning and official free-service addressNational Immigration Administration ↗Official online arrival-card formNational Immigration Administration ↗