Two people take the same flight to Shanghai and have completely different first weeks, and the difference isn't money or luck. It's what they did in the four weeks before boarding. One lands with a phone that works, a payment app that already accepts her card, and a booking she can show at the hotel desk. The other spends day one in an airport queue trying to buy a SIM card with a card that isn't accepted anywhere yet.

this guide is those four weeks, in order. Everything below was checked against the Chinese government's own announcements (the National Immigration Administration, the foreign ministry, the tax authorities, the foreign exchange regulator) in September 2026. Where a policy has an end date, the date is printed next to it, because several of the most important ones land on December 31, 2026.

A traveller's desk with a passport, a paper map of China, a notebook and a calendar with dates circled
If you do only three things

Confirm your entry route by passport (visa-free, transit, or a real visa). File the arrival card online before you fly. And bind your card to a payment app before you land — not in the taxi queue.

The five decisions that shape everything else

Four weeks is enough time to plan a good trip and not quite enough to fix a bad entry route. Get these settled first, because everything else depends on them.

  • 1. Where you're entering from, and on what document

    Your passport's nationality decides whether you walk in visa-free (30 days, 50 countries), fly in on a 240-hour transit stay, or apply for a tourist visa weeks ahead. This is the decision with real deadlines attached.

  • 2. How you'll be online

    Local networks don't reach every service you're used to. An international roaming plan or a travel eSIM usually keeps you on your home carrier's routing, which is why most visitors can keep using their usual apps. Decide this before you fly — it's the one thing you can't quietly fix at 2 a.m.

  • 3. How you'll pay

    Cards work in hotels and big stores. For everything else (street food, taxis, temples, convenience stores) you want Alipay or WeChat Pay with your own card attached, and a little cash as backup.

  • 4. Which cities, and how many days

    High-speed rail makes two cities in a week realistic and four cities in a week miserable. Build the itinerary around rail lines, not around a map's sense of distance.

  • 5. When exactly you go

    China's inbound travel is running hot: 22.914 million foreign arrivals in the first half of 2026, up 20.4% year on year, with 77.7% of them entering visa-free, according to the National Immigration Administration. Good news for the country, bad news for hotel prices in the obvious places on public holidays. Book early, and check the Chinese holiday calendar before you pick dates.

Visa and entry rules: where the deadlines are

Three routes exist, and the right one depends entirely on your passport. We've written the long version separately (including the full 50-country list, the December 2026 expiry dates, and the step-by-step tourist visa application), so here's just the shape of it.

  • Visa-free, 30 days. Ordinary passport holders from 50 countries can enter for business, tourism, family visits, exchange or transit, for up to 30 days per entry, with no cap on entries. The vast majority of these arrangements expire on December 31, 2026; Russia's runs to December 31, 2027, and Brunei's has no end date. Beijing has extended the programme repeatedly since 2023 — but an extension is a decision, not an assumption.
  • 240-hour transit, 10 days. Nationals of 57 countries (the US, UK, Canada, Australia, most of Europe, Japan, Korea and others) can stay up to 10 days without a visa if they hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region. Your passport needs at least three months of remaining validity, and you can enter through any of 65 ports across 24 provinces.
  • A real visa. Everyone else applies in advance: the US, India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines, for example, aren't on either list. If you're American, the tourist visa is currently US$140 flat and is normally issued as a 10-year multiple-entry — a one-time errand that covers a decade.

The arrival card you can file before you fly

This is the item most pre-trip checklists still miss, because it only started in late 2025. Since November 20, 2025, foreign visitors can submit their arrival card online before travelling, through the National Immigration Administration's website, the 12367 app, the WeChat or Alipay mini program, or by scanning the filling-in QR code. There's a desktop address for it as well, and the QR codes are also posted at the port if you'd rather do it on landing.

Filing early matters for a boring reason: the arrival card is one more queue after a long flight, and doing it from your sofa costs three minutes. Seven categories of traveller are exempt, including holders of permanent residence cards, people entering on group visas or group visa-free arrangements, 24-hour direct transit passengers who stay inside the port area, cruise passengers returning on the same ship, and foreign crew of transport vehicles.

A traveller's hands holding a phone while filling in an arrival form at an airport gate, suitcase beside the seat

Money: cards, two wallets, and the RMB¥200 line

China is close to cashless, and the system has been rebuilt for visitors over the past few years. Here's what the rules actually say, according to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange's guidance for foreign business people in China:

  • Your card, inside Alipay or WeChat Pay. Both apps accept international cards: Mastercard, Visa, JCB, Diners Club, Discover. But there's a line worth memorising: payments of RMB¥200 or less carry no extra service fee; above RMB¥200, a 3% service fee applies to the transaction. The same guidance sets the caps at US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 per year.
  • Some cash, for the edges. Street stalls, small temples and the occasional taxi still take notes, and a dead phone battery shouldn't end your evening. Note the hard limit: RMB¥20,000 per person is the maximum you can carry across the border.
  • A local account only if you're staying. Short trips don't need one. If you're here for months rather than weeks, a Chinese bank account makes everything easier. See opening a bank account as a foreigner.
The RMB¥200 line, and why it matters

Taxi rides, noodle shops, metro fares and museum tickets almost all sit under RMB¥200, which is exactly why the binding-your-card route works for a normal trip. The 3% fee only bites on hotel bills, electronics and big-ticket shopping.

One more thing worth knowing before you go, because it changes how you shop: China's departure tax refund scheme now has a RMB¥200 minimum (lowered from RMB¥500 on April 26, 2025) for purchases made the same day in the same shop. The refund rate is 11% on goods taxed at 13% and 8% on goods taxed at 9%, the goods must be unused and taken out of the country within 90 days of purchase, and refunds are paid in RMB (up to RMB¥20,000 in cash; larger amounts by bank transfer). The "refund on the spot" service, where the shop pays you a deposit at the counter instead of at the airport, has been rolled out nationwide since 2025.

A flat-lay of a passport, bank cards, a phone showing a QR code and folded yuan notes on a plain surface

Getting online before you land

Here's the honest version: local networks in mainland China don't reach every service you're used to. Google, WhatsApp, Instagram and YouTube are among the ones that don't work on a normal local connection. Plan for it rather than discovering it.

  • Roaming or a travel eSIM. International roaming, and most travel eSIMs, route through your home carrier's network rather than the local one, which is why visitors usually keep their usual apps. Check your own carrier's terms before relying on it, and note that a local SIM bought in China will behave like a local connection. Our guide to staying online in China with a SIM or eSIM walks through the options.
  • Download before you fly, not after. Offline maps, an offline dictionary, your hotel's address written in Chinese, and your booking confirmations saved as screenshots. All of it weighs nothing and saves an hour.
  • Get the four apps that matter. A payment app, a map app, a translation app and a ride-hailing app. The Chinese versions of each are covered in our AMap and DiDi guides and in translation tools for China.

What to pack, and what to leave at home

China is a country where you can buy almost anything after you arrive, so the packing list is mostly about the things that are annoying to replace.

  • Documents. Passport (six months of validity if you're applying for a visa, three months for transit), a printed copy of your visa or visa-free entry basis, printed hotel bookings, and photocopies of the passport page kept separately from the original.
  • Power. China runs on 220V/50Hz and the common sockets are Type A (two flat pins), Type C (two round pins) and Type I (three angled flat pins). Most modern phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage, so the only question is the shape of the plug: US, European and Australian plugs usually fit a standard Chinese socket, while UK three-pin plugs need an adapter. A multi-port USB charger and a short extension cord solve a lot of hotel-room problems.
  • Medicine. Bring what you actually take, in its original packaging. For prescription medication, a copy of the prescription is a sensible extra.
  • A power bank. Everyone in China carries one — 10,000 to 20,000 mAh will get your phone through a day of maps, translation and QR codes. Pack it in your cabin bag, and check your airline's rules before you fly.
  • Leave behind: a suitcase full of toiletries (buy them here), a heavy universal voltage converter if your devices are dual-voltage, and any expectation of using cash everywhere.
A suitcase being packed with folded clothes, a plug adapter, a power bank, a small medicine pouch and a notebook

Your first hour in China

Immigration is a short script. The officer checks your passport and, if you're visa-free, may ask your purpose and length of stay — "tourism, two weeks" plus a phone screen with your booking answers it. Then, in rough order:

  1. Get connected. Activate your eSIM or buy a local SIM at the airport, then confirm your payment app and map app both work before you leave the terminal.
  2. Register your stay within 24 hours. Hotels do this automatically at check-in. Staying in a friend's flat or an Airbnb-style rental? You or your host must register at the local police station. It's a real legal requirement, and it comes up again when you book trains or check into your next hotel.
  3. Get cash only if you need it. ATMs at the airport accept international cards; RMB¥500–1,000 covers the small stuff for a week.
  4. Save the numbers. Police 110, ambulance 120, fire 119. And 12367, the immigration service hotline, 24 hours, in Chinese, English, Russian, Japanese and Korean, for visa and entry questions.
An airport arrivals hall with a traveller pulling a suitcase, looking at a phone under a large signboard

Common questions before visiting China

Do I need a visa for China in 2026?

It depends on your passport, and it's the first thing to check. Fifty countries enter visa-free for up to 30 days, and the US, UK, Canada and Australia are covered by the 240-hour transit route only if they're travelling on to a third country or region. Everyone else needs a visa in advance. The full visa guide lists every country and every deadline.

How much money should I bring to China?

Less than you think, and mostly in an app rather than a wallet. Cards bound to Alipay or WeChat Pay handle nearly everything, with no extra fee on payments up to RMB¥200. Bring a few hundred yuan in cash for small stalls and as a battery-death backup — and remember the RMB¥20,000 per-person limit if you're carrying cash across the border.

Can I use my credit card in China?

In hotels and large shops, usually yes. In everyday places (noodle shops, street food, taxis, small museums) assume no. Binding your card to Alipay or WeChat Pay is what actually makes a card work here, and it's worth doing before you fly.

Can I use Google, WhatsApp and Instagram in China?

Not on a normal local network, no. International roaming and most travel eSIMs route through your home carrier, which is why visitors commonly keep using their usual apps; a locally bought SIM behaves like a local connection. Confirm the details with your own carrier, and download offline maps and translation before you fly either way.

Is China safe for first-time visitors?

Violent crime against tourists is rare, and the practical risks are mundane: taxi touts at arrivals, the "tea ceremony" scam where a friendly stranger's invitation ends with an enormous bill, and overpaying for tours bought from someone standing outside a station. Sorting your own transport, bookings and payments through apps removes most of it, which is another argument for doing the setup before you land.

What's the best time to visit China?

Spring and autumn for weather; avoid the two national travel peaks if you can. The first week of October (National Day) and the Spring Festival period move hundreds of millions of people at once, and prices in the obvious cities reflect it. Check the Chinese holiday calendar before you lock in dates — it's the single most useful planning document most visitors never look at.

Should I get travel insurance for China?

If you can afford the trip, you can afford the insurance. The specific reason isn't accidents, it's hospitals: paying for treatment as a foreigner without cover is expensive and administratively awkward. Buy a policy that names medical evacuation and covers the activities you're actually doing.

What should I set up after the visa and the flight?

The practical stack, in order: get online, set up Alipay and WeChat Pay with your foreign card, add e-CNY as an optional backup, install AMap for navigation, and if you're staying long-term, open a local bank account. Our other guides cover ride-hailing, food delivery, online shopping and movie tickets for when you want to live like a local rather than just visit.

The full guide library

This page is the overview. Everything below takes one piece of it and goes deep. Start with whichever line is closest to what's worrying you, and read them in any order.

Documents and connectivity

Money and payments

Getting around

Everyday life