Travelling to China
Entry requirements by nationality
- Argentina: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Australia: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Brazil: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Canada: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Chile: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- France: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Germany: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- India: visa required
- Israel: visa required
- Italy: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Japan: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Malaysia: visa-free short stay
- Mexico: visa required
- Netherlands: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- New Zealand: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Singapore: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- South Korea: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Spain: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- Ukraine: visa required
- United Kingdom: visa-free short stay — up to 30 days per visit
- United States: visa required
What you can bring
- Alcohol: allowed, within limits — Duty-free allowance for alcoholic beverages (over 12% ABV) carried by inbound travelers to mainland ChinaDetailscompare everywhere →
- Cannabis: prohibitedDetailscompare everywhere →
- Cash: allowed, must be declared — Cash declaration thresholds for travelers entering mainland ChinaDetailscompare everywhere →
- CBD: prohibitedDetailscompare everywhere →
- Controlled medication: depends on specifics — "因治疗疾病需要，个人凭医疗机构出具的医疗诊断书、本人身份证明，可以携带单张处方最大用量以内的麻醉药品和第一类精神药品" ("For treatment of illness, an individual, upon presenting a medical diagnosis certificate issued by a medical institution and personal ID, may carry narcotic drugs and Category I psychotropic substances not exceeding the maximum quantity of a single prescription") — Art. 44, Regulations on the Administration of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (State Council Order No. 442). Without this documentation, expect much stricter scrutiny. Healthcare workers carrying such drugs for medical duty need a certificate from a provincial drug-supervision department instead.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Drones: depends on specifics — "民用无人驾驶航空器所有者应当依法进行实名登记" ("Owners of civil unmanned aircraft shall carry out real-name registration in accordance with the law") — Art. 10 of China's Interim Regulation on the Administration of Unmanned Aircraft Flights, in force since January 1, 2024. This real-name registration requirement applies to all civil drones regardless of weight.Detailscompare everywhere →
- E-cigarettes: allowed, within limits — General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 102 of 2022 (effective 1 November 2022) allows passengers to duty-free carry 2 e-cigarette devices plus 6 cartridges/liquid products totaling 12ml or less. Travelers on Hong Kong/Macao routes get a lower allowance (1 device, 3 cartridges, up to 6ml); frequent cross-border travelers get less still (1 device, 1 cartridge, up to 2ml, once per day). Travelers under 16 may not carry e-cigarettes at all.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Fresh produce: prohibitedDetailscompare everywhere →
- Meat & dairy: prohibitedDetailscompare everywhere →
- Prescription medication: allowed, within limits — "进出境人员随身携带的个人自用的少量药品，应当以自用、合理数量为限，并接受海关监管" ("Small quantities of medication for personal use carried by inbound/outbound persons shall be limited to self-use, reasonable quantities, and subject to customs supervision") — Art. 39, Measures for the Administration of Drug Import. There's no fixed numeric cap in the regulation itself; it's a "self-use, reasonable quantity" standard applied at customs' discretion. Multiple municipal-government FAQ pages commonly describe this as interpreted around a 3-month supply in practice, with a prescription, doctor's certificate, or purchase receipts as proof of legitimate personal use.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Tobacco: allowed, within limits — Duty-free tobacco allowance for general inbound travelers to mainland China (choose one of the following categories, not cumulative)Detailscompare everywhere →
From the blog
Checked against official sources on 2026-08-18. Official source