Before You Go — Navi China printable checklist · navichina · generated for offline use
Everything worth settling while you are still at home, on your own Wi-Fi, with time to spare. Most China-trip anxiety comes from three things — payments, connectivity, and the visa question. Handle them here and the rest is easy.
China has several entry routes and they changed recently. Some nationalities can enter visa-free for 30 days; many more can use the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit, which requires a confirmed onward ticket to a different country or region (Hong Kong and Macao count). Transit entry also requires an eligible entry port and staying within the permitted areas. What to do: check the official National Immigration Administration (NIA) list for your passport, and decide your route (A → China → B) before buying tickets. If stuck: call the NIA hotline 12367 (English service available) or ask your airline — airlines check documents before boarding.
Your passport needs at least 6 months of validity remaining and blank pages. Check the physical condition too: water damage, torn pages, or unofficial souvenir stamps can get you refused at the border. What to do: renew early if needed, and bring the exact same passport you used for all bookings — hotel and train tickets are tied to it. If stuck: border officers make the final decision; a damaged passport means you may be denied boarding, so fix it before the trip.
China is effectively cashless. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign Visa/Mastercard, but setup needs your passport and a face scan — far easier on your home Wi-Fi than jet-lagged in an arrivals hall. What to do: install Alipay (best English interface), link your card, complete passport verification, then make one small test payment. Add WeChat Pay as a backup. Note: payments over ¥200 carry about a 3% fee; Apple Pay with foreign cards mostly does NOT work at Chinese tills. If stuck: hotel front desks and large stores can help, and carrying ¥500–1000 in cash is a sensible backup.
Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and many Western sites do not work in mainland China without special arrangements, and Google Maps drifts badly. What to do: the simplest reliable option is international roaming from your home carrier or a travel eSIM that covers China — it keeps your usual apps working. Alternatively, a local SIM at the airport is cheap and fast but only helps inside China. Install Apple Maps or Amap for navigation before you fly. If stuck: airport arrival halls all have SIM/eSIM counters; look for the official carrier booths (China Mobile / Unicom / Telecom).
Since November 2025, China replaced the paper arrival card with the China Digital Arrival Card (CDAC), which should be completed online within 72 hours before arrival. What to do: use only the official free channel — the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app, or airport kiosks. Save a screenshot of the confirmation. Fake copycat sites that charge a fee exist; the real service is free. If stuck: paper forms are still available at most ports as a fallback — just allow extra time.
Not every Chinese hotel is licensed to register foreign guests, and some small guesthouses will turn you away at the door even with a confirmed booking. What to do: on Trip.com or Booking.com, filter for properties marked as accepting international guests, or stick to international chains (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Jin Jiang). Message the hotel to confirm they can register a foreign passport. Save the hotel name and address in Chinese characters as a screenshot. If stuck: front desks of international-chain hotels handle passport registration daily — calling their English line solves it in minutes.
You need far fewer apps than blog lists suggest. The core four: Alipay (payments + transport codes), WeChat (backup payment + messaging), Trip.com (trains, hotels, flights in English), and Apple Maps or Amap (navigation). What to do: set them up at home, create accounts with your home phone number (make sure it can receive SMS abroad), and log in once before departure. If stuck: Alipay and WeChat mini-programs cover ride-hailing and most services — you rarely need standalone apps like DiDi.
Immigration officers, airline desks, and hotel check-ins all may ask for proof — and airport Wi-Fi is never guaranteed at the exact moment you need it. What to do: screenshot your onward ticket, hotel confirmations (with Chinese addresses), insurance policy, and itinerary; keep them in your phone gallery and a cloud folder. If stuck: email delivery from Gmail/Outlook to Chinese mailboxes often fails silently — do not rely on email. Screenshots and WhatsApp/WeChat file transfer work.
Emergency care in China is fast and affordable, but hospitals may ask for a deposit; good travel insurance removes that friction. Bring enough of any prescription medication for the whole trip plus a few extra days, in original packaging, with the prescription or a doctor’s note in English. What to do: check that your policy covers mainland China; carry medication in hand luggage. If stuck: international clinics in major cities serve foreigners directly and bill insurers — see the Essentials page for numbers.
Emergency numbers (work from any phone, free): 110 — Police. 120 — Medical emergency / ambulance. 119 — Fire. These three numbers work nationwide, from any phone, without a SIM, and operators can connect English speakers in major cities. Also save: 12367 (National Immigration Administration, visa & entry questions, English service) and 12345 (city government hotline, complaints including taxi overcharging, English in major cities).
Your embassy / consulate: If your passport is lost or stolen, contact your embassy FIRST — they can issue emergency travel documents. Registering your trip with your foreign ministry (e.g. STEP for US citizens, FCDO for UK) means they can find you in a crisis. What to do: before departure, save your embassy’s address and phone in Beijing plus the nearest consulate (Shanghai / Guangzhou / Chengdu / Hong Kong) in your phone. If stuck: a police report (from any 派出所) is required for a lost passport — get it before visiting the embassy.
Full essentials page: print “Essentials” from navichina before departure.