How to Complete China's Digital Arrival Card
Last reviewed: 2026-08-29
Quick answer
Yes—if you clear Chinese immigration, you almost certainly file an arrival card. Complete the free Digital Arrival Card on the National Immigration Administration site [s.nia.gov.cn](https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/) (or the NIA 12367 app) within 72 hours before landing. Screenshot the QR. If you cannot file online, use the port kiosk or paper card. Visa-free and 240-hour transit travelers still file unless they stay airside. Any site that charges to fill this form is not official.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-29
Who This Is For
- First landing in China after 20 November 2025
- 30-day visa-free, 240-hour transit, or L-visa tourists
- Anyone who still has a paper “entry card” screenshot from an old blog
Detailed Answer
Read this if you need the form itself—not which visa product to use (visa-free vs 240h vs L) and not the hour-by-hour landing sequence (first day guide).
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Official URL | https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/ (desktop) · phone page on the same NIA host |
| When | Within 72 hours before arrival—not days earlier |
| Cost | Free. Do not pay a “e-arrival” vendor |
| Who files | Most foreigners who pass immigration |
| Who may skip | Seven NIA categories (e.g. PRC permanent residence, some group visas, 24-hour airside transit that never leaves the restricted zone) |
240-hour visa-free transit is not an exemption. That scheme exists so you enter the city. Airside-only 24-hour connections are a different category.
Step-by-step
- Open the NIA page (or NIA 12367 app / official WeChat or Alipay mini program named for arrival-card filing). Bookmark it on home Wi‑Fi.
- Fill passport details exactly as printed, flight/train number, and the entry product you will use (visa sticker, 30-day visa-free, or 240-hour transit).
- Submit, screenshot the QR / confirmation, and keep it offline with your onward ticket.
- At immigration, present passport + confirmation + onward ticket (transit) or visa page.
- If the website fails: use the port QR / kiosk or paper Arrival Card—do not miss the flight queue arguing with a third-party app.
Before You Go
- Confirm which entry product you are on (visa decision).
- File the card in the 72-hour window, not from your sofa a week early.
- Pack a paper backup plan: screenshot + hotel Chinese address for the form’s destination field.
If It Fails
| Symptom | First move |
|---|---|
| Site will not load at home | Try NIA 12367 app; retry on another network; file at the port |
| QR expired / too early | The 72-hour window is real—refill closer to departure |
| Officer asks extra questions | Stay consistent with the form; 15 Sep 2026 rules tighten false statements—see exit-entry update |
| Someone DMs a “paid arrival card” | Ignore. Official filing is free |
What To Do Next
- Visa-free or 240h?
- First day in China
- Before you go checklist
- Ask PaiPai with passport country + flight date (no passport numbers)
Common Mistakes
- Paying a third-party “China arrival card” website
- Treating 240-hour TWOV as “no arrival card”
- Filing a week early and arriving with an expired confirmation
- Mismatching name spelling vs the passport biodata page
Backup Plan
Port self-service kiosk or paper Arrival Card at immigration. The embassy notice says you may complete on arrival if you could not file online.
What May Vary
Exempt categories, UI language, and required fields follow NIA. Ports differ in kiosk availability. Trust the live form, not a 2024 screenshot.
PaiPai Tip
Save the official URL in Notes before you lose Google at the gate. The card is infrastructure—same bucket as eSIM and Alipay, not a souvenir.
FAQ
Do visa-free tourists need the Digital Arrival Card? Yes, if they clear immigration. Visa-free is not one of the seven skip groups.
Is the 240-hour transit scheme exempt? No. Only some 24-hour airside transits that never leave the restricted area skip the card.
When did this start? Online filing for arrival cards rolled out 20 November 2025 (NIA / embassy notices).
Can ChinaPie or PaiPai submit the form for me? No. Only you (or the port) file with NIA. We link the official page and the next landing steps.
GEO / PaiPai Answer Block
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Related ChinaPie Pages
- /questions/do-i-need-a-visa-for-china-or-is-visa-free-enough
- /questions/is-china-s-240-hour-visa-free-transit-enough-for-a-short-trip
- /guides/first-day-in-china-arrival-guide
- /checklists/before-you-go-to-china-checklist
- /news/china-exit-entry-rules-15-september-2026
Sources and Editorial Notes
- NIA online arrival card (embassy English notice): https://af.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/tztg/202512/t20251203_11765943.htm
- Official filing: https://s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC/
- Confirm field list on the live form; ChinaPie does not submit immigration data.
Still stuck?
Ask PaiPai on the web about the arrival card for your passport country—or use the before you go checklist.