Travelling to China

Entry requirements by nationality

Find your passport — tap it for documents, conditions and the source.

What you can bring

Tap an item for the limits, conditions and official source.

• Alcoholallowed, within limitsDuty-free allowance for alcoholic beverages (over 12% ABV) carried by inbound travelers to mainland China
• CannabisprohibitedChina maintains zero tolerance for marijuana with no recreational or medical exception.
• Cashallowed, declaration may be requiredUp to 20,000 yuan in cash per person; declare more. Declare foreign cash worth over USD 5,000.
• CBDdepends on specificsSince 1 September 2024, cannabidiol (CBD, CAS 13956-29-1) is managed as a Category II precursor chemical: its import and export follow China's rules for non-pharmaceutical precursor chemicals.
• Controlled medicationdepends on specificsNarcotic and Category I psychotropic medicines: up to one prescription's maximum, with a medical diagnosis certificate and ID.
• Dronesdepends on specificsAll civil drones must be registered under the owner's real name before flying, whatever their weight.
• Fresh produceprohibited"新鲜水果、蔬菜" (fresh fruit and vegetables) are listed as prohibited, quoted directly from Announcement No. 470's actual text — the same announcement that bars meat and dairy.
• Meat & dairyprohibited"(生或熟)肉类(含脏器类)及其制品" (meat, raw or cooked, including organ meat and products thereof) and "动物源性乳及乳制品，包括生乳、巴氏杀菌乳、灭菌乳、调制乳、发酵乳，奶油、黄油、奶酪、炼乳等乳制品" (animal-origin dairy and dairy products, including raw milk, pasteurized milk, sterilized milk, flavored milk, fermented milk, cream, butter, cheese and condensed milk) are both listed as prohibited, quoted directly from Announcement No. 470's actual text.
• Prescription medicationallowed, within limitsSmall, reasonable quantities for your own use are allowed, subject to customs checks. There's no fixed limit.
• Tobaccoallowed, within limitsDuty-free tobacco allowance for general inbound travelers to mainland China (choose one of the following categories, not cumulative)

Medicines named in China's rules

• Adderall
• Ritalin

From the blog

• Thailand just halved its visa-free stay. Four more rule changes to check before you book

Recent changes to China's rules

• 2026-10-19Replace or withdraw rows cited to news, firm and consultancy pages
• 2026-10-19Withdraw secondary-sourced overstay rows; re-source China CBD
• 2026-10-19Show per-visit caps inside rolling stay windows
• 2026-10-19Re-check August entry rows for China, Vietnam, Mexico-US and US-India
• 2026-10-19Re-check August entry-requirement rows; re-date 128 confirmed against current sources

Follow changes for China (RSS) →