Arrival in China

Upon your arrival in China from abroad, you have to go through the following procedures, just as in other countries. To save time, you will be given some forms to fill in on board before landing. They include the Entry Registration Card, Health Card and Custom Luggage Declaration Form.

- Health check
On arrival, the first check you have to pass is the Quarantine Check. At the check point, you show your passport and the form you filled in on board. Anyone with listed diseases such as yellow fever, cholera, VD, leprosy, infectious pulmonary tuberculosis or AIDS will be forbidden to enter or be sent to the airport clinic for further checking. Those who are from areas with epidemics must show their valid certificates of inoculation against this disease. Those with symptoms of fever, diarrhea, vomiting or rashes must declare this information accurately.

For those who are going to stay longer in China, they have to show their quarantine certificate issued by an authorized health department abroad.

- Border entry
After passing through the Health Check, you come to the border control area (equivalent to the immigration control in the West) where you show the officer your passport and the Entry Registration Card. Your passport should be valid with a visa to China. Without a valid visa, you will find it difficult to enter the country. China does not issue visas at the border upon your arrival from abroad.

- Customs
After collecting your luggage, you will pass through the Customs. There are two channels, red and green. If you have nothing to declare, go through the green channel, otherwise take the red channel.

If you take things listed on the Customs Luggage Declaration Form in the red box such as computers, cameras, video cameras, gold and silver, printed or recorded materials, or anything more than you need during your travel in China, or something that you will not take out of China when you leave, you have to fill in the Customs Luggage Declaration Form which you are given, and then take the red channel where the Customs officer will check it to see whether you have to pay duty or you have to deposit the things at the Customs, or whether you can take them into China but have to take them out on your departure.

Please keep the stamped form with you and do not lose it, because you will be asked to give it back to the Customs officer for checking on your departure. If you do not take out all the things that you have brought in but you filled in the form, you will probably be asked to pay duty.