Coming to China? Set Up These 7 Things Before You Land

1. Confirm the entry rule that applies to your exact trip

Do not build an itinerary around a social-media summary of China’s visa policy. Entry rules depend on your nationality, passport, route, length of stay, and purpose of travel. Visa-free transit is also not the same as ordinary visa-free entry: it normally requires confirmed onward travel to a third country or region and limits where you may stay.

Check the National Immigration Administration and the Chinese embassy or consulate responsible for your location. Confirm that your passport is valid for the trip, inspect the visa details if you have one, and save copies of the passport information page, visa, onward ticket, and first hotel booking. Keep the originals accessible in your hand luggage.

2. Decide how your phone will get online

Choose one primary connection and one fallback. International roaming is usually the simplest on arrival, while a local SIM can be better value for a longer trip and gives you a Chinese number for services that request one. Check whether your phone is unlocked and whether it accepts the SIM or eSIM option you plan to use.

Download what you need before departure and sign in once: your airline app, hotel booking, payment apps, translation tool, map, and railway account. Save your hotel’s Chinese name, address, and phone number as a screenshot. If a driver cannot read the English listing, that one image can solve the problem immediately.

3. Set up mobile payment—and keep a backup

Alipay and Weixin Pay are widely used for restaurants, transport, shops, and everyday purchases, and both support international visitors in many common situations. Install at least one before departure, complete identity verification if requested, link an eligible card, and make sure your bank will not block the verification or overseas transaction.

Do not rely on a single payment route. Bring a second bank card and some renminbi cash. International cards may work at hotels and larger businesses but are less dependable at small restaurants and street-level shops. Cash remains legal tender, yet having smaller notes is more practical than expecting every vendor to change a large bill.

4. Prepare for real-name train and flight bookings

China’s high-speed railway is one of the easiest ways to connect major cities, but tickets are linked to the identity document used for booking. Create and verify your 12306 account early if you plan to book directly. Enter your name and passport number exactly as the system requests, then travel with the original passport used for the purchase.

A screenshot of a booking is useful, but it is not a substitute for the passport at identity checks. Leave extra time at an unfamiliar station, especially when manual passport inspection is required. Large stations function more like airports than small commuter platforms.

5. Make sure the accommodation can register your stay

Hotels register foreign guests when they check in, so bring your passport to reception even if the reservation is already paid. If you stay in a private home or other non-hotel accommodation, you or the host generally need to complete accommodation registration with the local public security authority within 24 hours.

Before booking a small guesthouse or apartment, confirm how it handles foreign-guest registration. Keep the booking address in Chinese and the host’s phone number. This is especially important when you arrive late and cannot rely on a front desk.

6. Learn the Chinese that solves small, urgent problems

You do not need conversational fluency. Start with the phrases that help when a screen, menu, or driver does not behave as expected. Practise saying your hotel name, asking whether something is spicy, requesting help, and confirming a destination. Save the written Chinese too; showing a clear sentence is often faster than repeating an unfamiliar sound.

7. Write a first-hour plan you can follow while tired

The most useful itinerary page is not day four. It is the first hour after arrival. Write down the order: connect to data, pass immigration and customs, withdraw or exchange a small amount of cash if needed, open the Chinese hotel address, choose an official transport option, and check in with your passport.

Put the plan, important addresses, insurance details, and emergency contacts in one offline note. You may never need the backup. That is the point: preparation removes small decisions when you are jet-lagged and lets the trip begin properly.