PRE-FLIGHT / DAY -30 TO DAY 0

The China pre-flight checklist

Turn a changing entry rule into a paper trail: passport, dates, accounts, data and a first-night plan.

Official ruleReviewed 30 August 20267 min read

THE SHORT VERSION

Write down the entry path that applies to your passport, purpose, route and dates before you book around it.
Finish account verification, save Chinese addresses and test one payment and one data path at home.
Carry the passport used for bookings, a second payment method and an offline first-night fallback.

Make an eligibility file

Keep the official policy page, the date checked, your passport details, the purpose of travel, the entry and exit points and any onward itinerary in one note. Visa-free entry, visa-free transit and geographically limited schemes answer different questions.

Finish the setup while you have time

Create the wallets and transport accounts the itinerary needs, complete issuer or identity prompts and save the Chinese and English names for the hotel, stations and booked experiences. A screenshot is useful when the account or connection is unavailable.

Pack the recovery layer

Keep the booking passport, confirmations, a physical card, modest RMB cash and a charged device together. Record who to contact if a payment, data plan or ride account fails instead of relying on memory at the border.

Recheck the volatile parts

Policy lists, provider terms, fees and operating hours are snapshots. Re-open the named authority or provider before departure and remove any recommendation whose conditions no longer match your trip.

SOURCE DESK

Check the underlying sources

Policies, provider terms and local operations change. Recheck the named authority before a consequential booking or travel decision.