Your First 48 Hours in China: The Arrival Checklist for Visa-Free Visitors

72 hours before you fly

• Confirm how you are entering: 

The Chinese Embassy in the UK, in the notice issued on 1 December 2025, states that citizens from its listed countries, who hold ordinary passports, may enter China visa-free and stay there for 30 days until 31 December 2026. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs added the UK and Canada to the policy from 17 February 2026. However, the United States is not on that list. US visitors have an option to use the 240-hour visa-free transit rule that requires an onward ticket to another country or region, as per the Shanghai government's transit notice of 20 August 2026.  

• File the arrival card online:

Now you can complete the entry declaration for China before your trip. This came into effect on 20 November 2025. China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) offers four free channels: the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app, and the NIA mini program in WeChat or Alipay. The NIA also warns that some websites charge money for this service. Never pay for it. 

• Install your eSIM, but keep your home SIM on:

Check whether your eSIM plan includes a phone number. If it is data only, it cannot receive text messages. Alipay and your bank send verification codes to the number you register with, so that number must stay reachable. So leave your home SIM on for calls and texts, and use the eSIM for data.

• Set up Alipay and link your card:

You can register with an international phone number and add a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Discover or Diners Club card. You do not need a Chinese bank account. The bank verifies the card, for example with a code sent to your phone. To use higher payment limits, upload your passport to verify your identity. Guidance from the People’s Bank of China sets the limit for foreign users at $5,000 per payment and $50,000 a year. 

• Save the hotel address in Chinese: 

Copy the Chinese address from your booking and keep a screenshot that works offline, so you can show it to a driver.

• Book the airport transfer if you land late: 

In Shanghai, the last Maglev train leaves Pudong Airport at 21:42. If you land later, you can book an airport transfer on Trip.com and pay with an international bank card.

Pre-flight checklist

Next step: buy a Trip.com eSIM before you fly and install it while you still have home Wi-Fi. 

Landing: the first two hours

1. Arrival card and immigration: Even if you haven't filed your card online, you still can do it at the port. You can scan a QR code with your phone, use the smart devices at the port, or fill in a paper card. At immigration, China collects fingerprints from foreigners aged 14 to 70.
2. Bag and customs: Retrieve your luggage and clear customs.
3. Get online: Turn on mobile data from your eSIM. If you cannot connect, use the airport Wi-Fi. At Shanghai Pudong, visitors without a Chinese SIM card can scan their passport photo page on the Wi-Fi log-in page. Pudong also has a service zone in the international baggage claim area where you can buy a SIM card, rent portable Wi-Fi and exchange money. In the public arrivals area, a one-stop service centre sells China Telecom SIM cards for 7, 15 or 30 days with your passport.
4. SIM counter hours differ by airport: At Beijing Capital Airport Terminal 3, the China Mobile hall is open from 9:00 to 20:00 and the China Unicom hall is open from 7:00 to 21:00. A delayed flight might find the counter closed, which is why having an eSIM installed at home is the better choice.
5. Cash: Keep a little as backup. You can withdraw RMB at ATMs that show your card’s logo, or exchange money at banks with a currency exchange sign or at self-service kiosks.
6. Into the city: A pre-booked car would be the easiest option after an exhausting flight. In Shanghai, the Maglev train travels from Pudong to Longyang Road Station in approximately 8 minutes. A one-way ticket costs about $7.50 (CNY 50), or $6 (CNY 40) with a same-day air ticket. The last train from Pudong departs at 21:42. After that, use a pre-booked car or the official taxi rank. 

Your 48-hour timeline

If your flight lands late in the evening, book a Trip.com airport transfer before you leave home. 

Day one: payments and getting around

• Methods of payment: There are two common ways to pay. You scan the shop’s QR code and enter the amount, or you show your own payment code for the cashier to scan. Before confirming the payment, check the store name, the amount of money, the credit card number, and any possible service fee. The Ministry of Commerce’s 2026 guide for foreign visitors sets out the Alipay fee for foreign cards. A payment of CNY 200 (about $30) or less has no fee. Above CNY 200, the 3% fee applies to the whole amount, not only to the part above CNY 200. So a $150 (CNY 1,000) payment costs $4.50 (CNY 30) in fees. Your own bank may add its own charge for currency conversion.
• When the first payment fails: Read the error message, check which card is selected, and ask the shop whether it takes another payment method. If you are not sure the payment went through, check your transaction record and ask the shop before you try again, so you do not pay twice.
• Metro: In Alipay, tap Transport, choose your city and complete identity verification to get a metro QR code. Show it at the gate when you enter and when you leave. You can also tap an overseas UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard or American Express card at the gates on urban metro lines in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. In Shanghai, Visa tap-to-ride has covered 21 lines and 517 stations since 28 June 2025. You can also buy single tickets at station ticket windows and machines.
• Taxis and DiDi: To book a ride in Alipay, tap Transport and then Taxi. You can also use the DiDi-Greater China app, which lets foreigners register with a foreign phone number and an international card, and WeChat has a ride-hailing service too.
• Cash backup: Carry some RMB and your physical card in case your battery, connection or payment method fails. If you pay for a bus in cash, you need the exact fare.

Next step: check transport tickets on Trip.com for the trips you plan to take in your first few days. 

Day one: hotel registration

• At the front desk: Keep your passport handy during check-in, as the hotel uses it to fill in the registration form. If the hotel cannot find your booking, show the confirmation and booking number, check that the name matches your passport, and contact the booking platform from the lobby.
• Homestays, rentals and friends' homes: This is where the rule varies. If you stay anywhere other than a hotel, you or your host must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. You no longer have to go in person. Online registration started as a pilot on 20 March 2026 and has covered all of China since 21 September 2026. You can register on the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app, or the NIA 12367 mini program in WeChat and Alipay. Registration online has the same legal effect as in-person registration. For a first registration, the host should help, because they know the address details. Under Article 76 of the same law, people who skip it get a warning and may be fined up to $300 (CNY 2,000).
• Changing hotels: Each hotel you check into handles the registration itself.

You can book your first night’s hotel on Trip.com, so the front desk handles your registration when you check in.

Day two: the first real day out

• Check your attraction bookings: Some major sights sell timed tickets tied to your passport. The most famous is the Palace Museum in Beijing. Tickets are sold online only. Sales open 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time, and there are no same-day tickets. The museum is closed on Mondays, except on public holidays, and staff check the passport you booked with at the gate. Book any big sight for the coming days now.
• Buy train tickets for the next city: Tickets on 12306, China Railway’s booking platform, normally go on sale 15 days before departure and close 30 minutes before the train leaves. You book with your passport. At the station, you go in and out through automatic or manual gates using the passport you booked with. If the automatic gate does not accept your passport, go to the manual lane and show it to staff.
• Use translation where it helps: Alipay offers 16 languages, and its translation works across in-app services such as taxi hailing, hotel and ticket bookings and public transport.
• Add a backup payment: Add a second card to Alipay, or open WeChat Pay with another card, so one failed payment does not stop your day.

Common mistakes and failure cases

One habit prevents most of these: keep a spare for anything that can stop you, such as a second card and a second way to get online. When one fails, you switch to the other and the day keeps moving.