China Travel: The On-the-Ground Survival Guide

Visas · Payments · Internet · Maps · Hotels — checked line by line against official sources

Reading time | about 2,785 words in total (106 table rows). Roughly 23 minutes at normal reading speed, or about 26 minutes if you check each policy line by line. In a hurry? Skip straight to section 7, the 72-hour checklist (about 3 minutes).

Who this is for: travellers holding a foreign passport flying into mainland China, with a focus on US passport holders. Facts verified: 18 October 2026 Method: every hard number below carries a source tag [S#]. Full source list at the end. Anything that is industry practice or community experience rather than official policy is explicitly labelled unofficial.

Visa-free lists, port counts, fee schedules and limits change often. Re-check within 72 hours of departure against the National Immigration Administration (NIA), the Chinese embassy/consulate in your country, and your airline.

0. The short version

1. Visas: work out whether you are actually "in transit"

1.1 Three different waiver regimes — do not mix them up

The 50 countries on the 30-day list (MFA / Chinese Embassy in the US, updated February 2026; NIA list current to 17 Feb 2026) [S4][S5]: Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Russia, Sweden, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A US ordinary passport is not on this list. [S4][S5]

⚠️ The waiver has an expiry horizon. The embassy FAQ (Feb 2026 edition) records: no end date for Brunei; Russia's runs to a stated date; the remaining 48 countries to 31 December 2026 [S4]. These dates get extended — confirm before booking.

1.2 The 240-hour transit: a checklist you can run yourself

Per NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026 (issued 20 August 2026): with Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam added, the transit waiver now covers 57 countries and 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions [S1]. The NIA announcement of 3 November 2025 sets out the conditions [S2]:

1. Nationality — one of the 57 (Americas: US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile) [S1][S2].
2. Document — a valid international travel document with at least 3 months' validity remaining, and valid for entry to your third country/region [S2][S6].
• The US State Department advises that for China your passport must be valid at least 6 months beyond arrival with 2 blank pages [S7]. Two different thresholds — prepare to the stricter one.
3. Onward ticket — a connecting ticket to a third country/region with confirmed date and seat, departing within 240 hours. If you have not booked it before arrival, the temporary entry permit cannot be issued [S2][S6].
4. Origin ≠ destination — official wording: you are transiting to a third country or region, and the country/region you arrive from and the country/region you depart to must be different. Official example: flying in from Thailand means your onward destination cannot be Thailand [S6][S25].
• The classic mistake: US → China → US is a round trip, not a transit. US → Shanghai → Tokyo / Seoul / Bangkok qualifies.
5. Ports — enter through any of the 65 designated ports [S1][S2].
6. Permitted area — the 24 provincial-level regions, and inside some of them only certain cities: Shanxi = Taiyuan & Datong only; Heilongjiang = Harbin only; Jiangxi = Nanchang & Jingdezhen; Guangxi = 12 cities; Sichuan = 11 cities; Yunnan = 9 cities/prefectures [S25]. Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang are outside the policy entirely [S25]. Cross-province travel is allowed, but only inside the permitted areas [S1].

1.3 How the clock runs

• 240-hour transit: counted from 00:00 on the day after entry [S2][S6][S25].
• Official worked example: entering at Guangzhou Baiyun on 1 January means the clock starts 00:00 on 2 January; you may stay 10 days and must leave through an eligible port before 24:00 on 11 January [S25].
• The 30-day waiver is also counted from the day after entry, for 30 consecutive calendar days [S4].
• Overstaying or leaving the permitted area without a permit is punished as illegal stay and affects future Chinese visa applications [S25].

1.4 Four grounds on which border inspection will refuse you (stated in official text)

For the 240-hour transit [S6]:

1. Travel document valid for less than 3 months;
2. The document bears a Chinese visa refusal stamp;
3. Illegal entry/exit, illegal stay or illegal employment in China within the last five years;
4. Any other ground for refusal under Chinese law or regulation.

⚠️ US travellers, read this one: the US State Department states plainly that China does not accept the 12-page U.S. emergency passport for visa-free entry [S7]. If you are travelling on an emergency replacement, do not book a visa-free itinerary — apply for a visa.

1.5 Do China's Hong Kong / Macao / Taiwan regions count as the "third region"? (very frequently asked)

Official Chinese text always says "a third country or region" [S1][S2][S6], but no NIA document names the Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan regions of China explicitly (all three are regions of China, not separate countries). The common assumption is that they qualify; that is an inference, not official wording. When an Indonesian traveller asked NIA about a Germany–Hong Kong (China)–Germany round trip, NIA did not give a yes/no answer and told them to call the 12367 hotline [S3].

Do this: if your whole plan depends on Hong Kong or Macao (China) counting as the third region, call +86-12367 before you book and keep a record of the answer. Do not gamble.

1.6 Where to ask

• NIA 12367 service platform: 24 hours, +86-12367 from abroad, in Mandarin, Cantonese, English, Russian, Japanese and Korean [S6].
• The authoritative English text is the NIA "Notice": Announcement of the National Immigration Administration on Further Relaxing and Optimizing the Visa-Free Policy for Foreign Nationals [S3].

1.7 Two alternative routes for US travellers

• Hainan 30-day entry: the US State Department states US citizens may enter Hainan province without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, temporary commercial/trade activity, medical treatment, exhibitions and sports competitions — but you must arrive on a direct international flight or via Hong Kong or Macao (China) [S7]. Chinese-side wording: the Hainan 30-day waiver now covers 61 countries (20 Aug 2026) [S1]. Fine for a Hainan-only trip; it does not let you leave the island.
• L tourist visa for anything that is not a transit. Once you have it: do not do anything outside the visa's stated purpose. Volunteer coaching, unpaid performing, "gig work" can all be treated as work [S7].

2. Payments: will the phone actually pay?

2.1 Which apps, in what order

Official binding procedure (NIA's Guide for Foreign Business Personnel Working and Living in China) [S8]: install the app → register with your home mobile number → bind an international card carrying Mastercard / Visa / JCB / Diners Club / Discover (or a UnionPay card) → upload your passport for real-name verification → scan the merchant's QR or show your own.

2.2 Fees: memorise the ¥200 line

• Single payment of ¥200 or less: no platform service fee.
• Above ¥200: a 3% service fee on the transaction — on the whole amount, not just the excess.
• On a refund, the fee is reimbursed in proportion to the refunded amount [S8][S9].

2026 WeChat Pay promotion (publicly announced by Tencent): until 31 December 2026, users who bind an international card to WeChat for the first time get the 3% fee waived for 90 consecutive calendar days after their first purchase, on spending of up to ¥1,000 per day. Separately, all international-card payments of ¥200 or less stay fee-free for the whole of 2026 [S10].

2.3 Limits — two official yardsticks, trust the app

Sources: [S9] WeChat Pay official help centre; [S8] NIA guide. The two are measured in different currencies and both move — open the card/limit page in your own app and read your live number rather than copying a blog.

WeChat Pay also states that international cards cannot send red packets or make person-to-person transfers — merchant purchases only [S9].

2.4 American Express: bindable, but not your main card

• The NIA's official list of bindable networks is Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Diners Club and Discover — Amex is not listed [S8].
• Industry guides record that Alipay and American Express announced an official partnership in February 2025, covering only cards issued directly by Amex (not third-party bank co-branded Amex cards), and that WeChat Pay lists Amex but fails far more often than Visa/Mastercard [S12] (unofficial).
• Practical advice: carry one Visa and one Mastercard. Treat Amex as the third option.

2.5 When "risk management" blocks you (the single most complained-about issue)

Failures pass through four gates — check them in this order (industry troubleshooting guidance, unofficial) [S12][S13]:

1. Is verification complete? Your passport details must match the machine-readable zone exactly (middle names, double surname order included). Passport photo: all four corners visible, no glare.
2. Will the card bind? Most refusals come from your own bank, not from China. Before you fly, tell your bank you will use Alipay/WeChat Pay in China and switch on international online payments and 3D Secure.
3. Has risk control paused the account? Reported triggers: two cities within two hours, a sudden jump from small to large amounts, rapid retries after a failure. Response: wait 5–10 minutes, then try a ¥1–2 payment first. The self-service appeal sits inside the freeze notice in the app's message centre, not in settings.
4. Over a limit? Split the payment, use cash, or use the physical card.

The most important rule: do not test-pay repeatedly before you fly. Small trial payments made from abroad are frequently declined, and a run of declines is itself a risk signal that can park your wallet in a cooldown before you even land. Make your first real transaction after arrival, on mainland network, VPN off — a ¥1 convenience-store item [S13].

2.6 Cash

• You may bring in or take out up to RMB 20,000 per person per trip [S8] (US State Department quotes ≈ USD 2,780) [S7].
• Carry RMB 500–1,000 in small notes (¥10s and ¥20s). Large notes are hard to change at small shops.
• Why: dead battery, no signal, frozen account — cash is the only thing that still works.

3. Connectivity and AI: the hidden trap nobody warns you about

3.1 The environment

China operates its own internet regulation system (the "Great Firewall"). Google Search, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are not directly reachable on a mainland connection. On the legal side, Article 6 of the Provisional Regulations on the Administration of International Networking of Computer Information Networks provides that international networking must use the international gateway channels provided by the state public telecommunications network; no unit or individual may establish or use other channels [S14]. Do not build or use unauthorised cross-border channels as a visitor.

3.2 Three ways to get online

The hard constraint on Chinese carrier eSIMs: China Unicom's official page states you must bring the original valid ID (a passport is accepted) to a company-owned store, activate on site and test the line, and that cross-province activation is not open during the trial commercial phase [S17]. Separately, industry guidance reports that Apple's documentation limits mainland carrier eSIM support to specific mainland-market iPhone models — a phone bought outside mainland China cannot install a mainland carrier eSIM profile [S16] (unofficial, but corroborated widely).

Recommended combo: an international travel eSIM as your data line + keep your home SIM in the phone for bank SMS codes. Add a mainland physical SIM only if you need a Chinese phone number.

3.3 "I'm in China and my AI won't open" — the Hong Kong exit-IP problem

Increasingly reported through 2026:

• OpenAI's official supported-countries list does not include mainland China, Hong Kong (China) or Macao (China); it does include an entry for Taiwan, China. OpenAI warns that accessing or providing access from outside the list may result in your account being blocked or suspended [S18].
• Taiwanese media reporting on a Northeastern University study of 25 major travel eSIM brands found that most assigned public IPs that did not match the user's actual location, with some brands routing through China Mobile International's Hong Kong core network — so a traveller sitting in Tokyo or Paris is seen as a Hong Kong user and refused by ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini [S19] (media report, unofficial).

What to do:

1. On arrival, search "what is my IP" in a browser. If it resolves to Hong Kong or mainland China, switch to another line or hotel Wi-Fi for AI work.
2. If you planned to use AI to translate menus and signs, download offline translation packs and offline maps before you fly. Do not assume ChatGPT will be there.
3. When buying an eSIM, ask the provider where the exit node is, not just how many gigabytes you get.
4. Note that changing the APN to a Singapore exit only changes the final exit — your SIM issuer's core network may still route through mainland/HK nodes. Treat sensitive work accordingly [S19].

4. Maps: why Google Maps looks wrong in China

4.1 GCJ-02, the "Mars coordinate" offset

• Chinese regulation requires navigation maps published in mainland China to use the GCJ-02 datum, which applies a pseudo-random offset to true WGS-84 coordinates. The same point can differ by 100–700 metres between a GCJ-02 map and a WGS-84 map [S20][S21].
• Concretely: google.com maps differ from true coordinates by roughly 50–500 metres, in an inconsistent direction. Baidu Maps adds a second, private BD-09 offset on top of GCJ-02 (typically another 50–150 m) [S20][S21].
• Consequence: Google Maps is not usable for walking navigation in China. Your blue dot can be hundreds of metres from where you actually are, and handing a Google-Maps pin to a local driver sends them to the wrong place.

4.2 What to use instead: AMAP (Amap Global)

Per Xinhua (10 July 2026) [S15]:

• Amap's English app "AMAP" (AMAP Global on App Store / Google Play) has roll-out of in-app ride-hailing — enter your destination in English, call vehicles across multiple platforms, and see pick-up point, route and fare breakdown;
• One-tap login with phone numbers from 65 countries and regions — no need to swap SIMs;
• Ride-hailing coverage in 360+ cities;
• Full English map and navigation with attractions, restaurants and transport hubs, plus Amap's lane-level navigation, traffic-light countdowns and dynamic rerouting.

Amap's own announcement (9 July 2025) added 14 languages on top of Chinese and English — Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Malay, Indonesian and Vietnamese [S22].

4.3 Four practical habits

1. Search by Chinese name, not by coordinates. Have the hotel write its Chinese name on paper or screenshot it; paste it into AMAP. A Chinese POI name beats any coordinate.
2. Show drivers the Chinese address, not a map pin.
3. Don't panic at drift. Near skyscrapers and metro exits the dot wanders tens of metres. Trust the road geometry and the street number.
4. Don't mix coordinate systems. When you cross to the Hong Kong or Macao regions of China, or to a third country, switch back to Google Maps; never carry a coordinate across the boundary.

5. Hotels: when a county-town hotel says "we can't take foreigners"

5.1 Memorise this sentence

"No foreigner qualification" is not a lawful reason to refuse you. The lodging industry may not refuse foreign nationals on the ground that it lacks "foreign-related" credentials.

This comes from the formal reply issued by the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Immigration Administration via the Chinese government website, citing two provisions [S23]:

• Article 39 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law: where a foreigner stays in a hotel in China, the hotel shall register the accommodation in accordance with public-security regulations on the hotel industry and report the foreigner's accommodation registration information to the local public security organ.
• Article 6 of the Measures for the Administration of Public Security in the Hotel Industry: hotels must register guests and verify identity documents; for foreign guests they must additionally file the registration form with the local public security organ within 24 hours.

China Tourism News reporting confirms the "designated foreign hotel" system was dismantled years ago — Beijing abolished foreign-designated accommodation restrictions in 2003, and every hotel may receive foreign guests [S23].

5.2 Four steps at the desk

1. Hand over the passport; don't argue theory. "This is my valid statutory ID. The hotel just registers it."
2. Show the policy text. Keep the official reply page saved on your phone [S23], ideally in a bilingual form, and hand it to the receptionist.
3. Ask them to enter it now. "We don't know how to input it" is a capability problem, not a licence problem. Ask them to call the local police station or their group's support line.
4. Escalate, in this order:
• 12345 — the local government service hotline;
• 12367 — NIA's 24-hour hotline (Chinese/English), +86-12367 from abroad;
• 110 — police, if you are still being refused after escalation.
• Policy backing: the seven-department notice of 1 July 2024 (Measures to Facilitate Accommodation for Foreign Nationals in the Service of High-Level Opening Up) states that local authorities and online platforms may not restrict lodging operators from receiving foreign guests on grounds such as qualification requirements, and requires full use of the 12367 platform, interconnecting it with the 12345 hotline to provide round-the-clock bilingual policy answers, consultation and complaint handling [S24].

5.3 Your own obligation (rights come with duties)

• In a hotel: the hotel registers you and files the report.
• Staying somewhere that is not a hotel: you or your host must register with the local police station within 24 hours of moving in [S6].
• The US State Department gives the same warning: register within 24 hours of arrival and re-register at every new address, or risk fines or deportation [S7].

6. Twelve more things that trip people up

Not as fatal as visas and payments, but each one is governed by a clear official rule — and each one ruins half a day if you meet it unprepared.

6.1 Trains: yes, your passport works — but verify it first

Per MOFCOM's Guide for Foreign Business Personnel Working and Living in China (2026 edition) and China Railway's published rules [S26][S27]:

• Accepted documents: at station counters you can use a foreign permanent resident ID, your passport, an exit-entry permit, a seafarer's certificate and others. On 12306 (website/App) only the foreign permanent resident ID and the passport are accepted; self-service machines accept only the permanent resident ID.
• Identity verification is mandatory before your first purchase. Either (a) log in to the 12306 English website or App, enter name, nationality and document number for automatic verification, or upload a photo of your passport data page for manual review; or (b) take your physical passport to a station ticket counter and have it verified on the spot.
• Payment: 12306 accepts domestic and foreign bank cards and mobile wallets; counters also take RMB cash.
• Entering and boarding (the step people get wrong): you must present the original document you bought the ticket with. A passport-bought ticket means the physical passport — not an ID card, not a photocopy. Use the manual gate if needed.
• Changes and refunds: via 12306 (website/App) or station counters; fees may apply.
• Helpline 12306; English site https://www.12306.cn/en/index.html

Do this: complete passport verification in the App as soon as you land, not on the morning of your first long-distance trip. If online verification stalls, a station counter resolves it immediately.

6.2 Departure tax refund: you can get real money back

The basics (State Taxation Administration Q&A, February 2026 edition) [S28]:

• Three steps: ① at a tax-refund store, ask for the Departure Tax Refund Application Form and the sales invoice; ② at departure, proactively present the goods, the form, the invoice and your ID to Customs for verification — Customs stamps the form; ③ take everything to the refund agency inside the departure lounge's restricted area.
• How much: refundable VAT = invoice amount (VAT inclusive) × refund rate. Goods taxed at 13% get an 11% rate; goods at 9% get 8%. The agency then deducts a handling fee of 2% of the invoice amount [S28].
• Conditions: departure must be within 90 days of purchase; goods must be unused/unconsumed and carried or checked out by you personally [S28].
• Currency and method: paid in RMB; at RMB 20,000 or less you choose cash or bank transfer, above that it is bank transfer only [S31].

Two changes in 2026 worth knowing [S29][S30]:

• From 1 July 2026: purchases under RMB 10,000 are subject to random inspection only — if you are not selected, no Customs verification is needed — and paperless processing is in force, so you need not carry printed forms or invoices.
• The State Taxation Administration's notice of 13 July 2026 (No. 37 [2026]) pushes electronic forms and invoices end-to-end, enables cross-city "refund-upon-purchase" from 1 September 2026, and introduces a national tax-refund service QR code for status tracking [S29].
• "Refund upon purchase" (rolled out nationally from 2025): the store gives you an advance equal to the refund against a credit-card pre-authorisation; you must depart within 28 days of using it [S28][S30].

6.3 Power banks: the 3C rule that catches visitors out

CAAC rules on carrying power banks, plus the 2025 tightening [S32]:

⚠️ From 28 June 2025, on domestic (mainland) flights: power banks without a 3C mark, with an unclear 3C mark, or of a recalled model or batch are banned [S32]. The distinction that matters: that 3C requirement applies to domestic flights. Airport guidance in several cities states explicitly that foreign-made power banks are not restricted and may be carried on international flights without a 3C mark (final say is with airport security) [S33]. So your foreign power bank is fine flying in — but if you then take a domestic leg inside China, it gets checked. Rough conversion: a 20,000 mAh unit is about 74 Wh, 10,000 mAh about 37 Wh — typically under the 100 Wh ceiling. Whatever is printed on the device governs [S32].

6.4 Medicines: what you may bring, and what will ruin your trip

• Prohibited from entry: opium, morphine, heroin, cannabis and other addictive narcotics and psychotropic drugs (General Administration of Customs Order No. 43, List of Articles Prohibited from Entry) [S34].
• Small quantities for personal use are allowed: Article 39 of the Measures for the Administration of Drug Imports — personal medicines carried by inbound/outbound travellers must be for personal use and in reasonable quantities, subject to Customs supervision [S35].
• For treatment: with a medical diagnosis certificate from a medical institution plus your ID, you may carry narcotic drugs and Category I psychotropic drugs up to the maximum amount on a single prescription; Customs releases them on the self-use, reasonable-quantity principle. Customs advises carrying the prescription, medical records or diagnosis certificate and declaring proactively [S34].
• ⚠️ Codeine-containing compound oral liquids ("cough syrup") have been Category II psychotropic drugs since 1 May 2015. Smuggling them is prosecuted as a drug offence, and travellers caught carrying them for others have been criminally charged and jailed [S35]. Never carry medicine for someone else.
• Buying Chinese herbal medicine to take home? On the outbound side: travellers may take Chinese crude drugs and patent medicines out up to RMB 150 to Hong Kong/Macao and RMB 300 to other countries; by post RMB 100 / RMB 200. Musk may not be taken or posted out. Inbound medicinal antelope horn is limited to 50 g [S35].

6.5 Drones: registration, no-fly zones — and a harsher rule for foreigners

The Interim Regulations on the Administration of Unmanned Aircraft Flight (State Council / Central Military Commission Order No. 761) have been in force since 1 January 2024 [S36]:

• Real-name registration is mandatory for civil drone owners (Art. 10). Flying without registration: public security orders rectification and may fine up to RMB 200; serious cases RMB 2,000–20,000 (Art. 47) [S36].
• Controlled airspace needs approval. Airspace above 120 m true height, plus areas around airports, military zones, the Chinese side of borders and other published zones, is controlled. Flying in controlled airspace without approval: ordered to stop, fine up to RMB 500; serious cases — drone confiscated and RMB 1,000–10,000 (Art. 51). More serious cases can also draw 5–10 days' detention under Art. 46 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law [S36].
• Where you can fly freely: inside suitable airspace, micro drones below 50 m and light/small drones below 120 m true height need no flight application (local public security guidance) [S36].
• Applying to fly in controlled airspace: submit the flight application to the air traffic management body before 12:00 on the day before the intended flight [S36].
• ⚠️ Foreign-specific clause (Art. 53): where a foreign drone, or a drone operated by a foreign national, carries out survey or mapping flight in China, the illegal gains, mapping results and the drone are confiscated with a fine of RMB 100,000–500,000; serious cases RMB 500,000–1,000,000, and public security or state security authorities may order departure within a time limit or deportation [S36].

Bottom line: leave the drone at home. If you must bring one, register it, fly only in suitable airspace, never use it for mapping, and stay far from airports, borders and anything military.

6.6 Emergency numbers and three last reminders

⚠️ Foreign nationals: 12308 is for Chinese citizens. In an emergency contact your own embassy or consulate — US citizens, for example, the US Embassy Beijing at +86-10-8531-4000 [S7].

Three reminders:

1. Carry your passport original at all times. Police may check at random; photocopies are generally not accepted [S7].
2. Register your accommodation within 24 hours, and re-register at every new address (see 5.3) [S6][S7].
3. Keep cash as a fallback. RMB is legal tender and merchants may not refuse it; carry small notes for stalls that only show a QR code.

6.7 Driving: your home licence is not valid on its own

One line: to drive in China you need a driving credential issued by China. Driving on your home licence — or on an International Driving Permit — counts as driving without a licence.

• China does not issue or recognise an IDP. China is not a party to the relevant UN road-traffic convention: no body in China can issue a valid international driving permit, and permits issued elsewhere are not recognised. Anyone online offering to "arrange" one is not legitimate [S38].
• Short stay → apply for a temporary driving permit. Article 21 of MPS Decree No. 162: a holder of a foreign driving licence who needs to drive temporarily must apply to the vehicle management office for a temporary motor-vehicle driving permit; for a short stay the permit may be issued for three months, and if the stay exceeds three months it may be extended to one year [S38].
• What you file (Provisions on the Administration of Temporary Entry Motor Vehicles and Drivers, MPS Decree No. 90): entry/exit ID, the foreign driving licence plus a Chinese translation, a medical fitness certificate and one one-inch colour photo on a white background, followed by a short road-safety law study session. Validity normally matches the entry period endorsed on your ID and never exceeds three months [S39].
• Longer stay → convert to a Chinese licence. You file your ID, a medical fitness certificate and the foreign licence (with a Chinese translation if not in Chinese) and sit the theory test (Subject 1), scored out of 100 with 90 to pass [S38].
• Hainan has a pilot easing: for short stays for tourism, business or family visits, the medical examination is waived — entry/exit ID plus the foreign licence (translated if needed) is enough for a small-car temporary permit; for stays over three months the permit runs up to one year instead of three months (never beyond the visa); and traffic-police service desks are being set up at airports and ports [S40].
• Remember: the car-hire company usually does not check whether your foreign licence is valid in China. The liability is yours. Without a temporary permit or a Chinese licence, do not take the wheel.

6.8 Customs: two red lines on cash, plus goods limits

• Entering: there is no cap on how much foreign currency cash you bring in, but above USD 5,000 equivalent you must declare it in writing (except same-day and short-term frequent border crossers) [S42].
• Leaving: if you have no recorded inbound declaration or exceed it — up to USD 5,000 equivalent needs no permit; above USD 5,000 up to USD 10,000 you must obtain a Currency Carrying Permit from a bank; above USD 10,000 you must obtain it from a local SAFE branch [S41][S42].
• Frequent crossers (within 15 days): the first outbound trip allows up to USD 5,000 equivalent; the second and later trips allow only up to USD 1,000 [S41].
• Goods allowance: for non-resident travellers, personal effects intended to stay in China are duty-free up to RMB 2,000, with each category limited to personal, reasonable quantities. Duty applies only to the excess, and an indivisible single item is taxed in full (the comparable figure for resident travellers is RMB 5,000) [S42].
• Tobacco and alcohol (other travellers): 400 cigarettes, or 100 cigars, or 500 g of pipe tobacco; alcoholic drinks above 12% proof limited to 2 bottles (1.5 L or less) [S42].
• Customs hotline: 12360 [S41].

6.9 ATMs: the other leg of the cash fallback

• UnionPay cards: every ATM in mainland China accepts UnionPay cards for cash withdrawal, including at land border crossings, airports and railway stations [S43].
• Cap for foreign-issued cards: under State Administration of Foreign Exchange requirements, withdrawal limits have been rolled out across domestic ATMs — a single withdrawal on a card issued outside China may not exceed RMB 3,000. Some machines impose additional limits; the on-screen prompt governs [S43].
• Practical tips (the parts beyond the bank's own page are industry practice, not official):
1. Use Bank of China or ICBC ATMs, which have English menus; small rural banks and standalone machines inside shops reject foreign cards most often.
2. When the screen asks whether to convert to your home currency, always choose "without conversion" — dynamic currency conversion (DCC) typically gives a poor rate.
3. Use a debit card, not a credit card. A credit-card cash advance accrues interest from day one, with no grace period, plus a fee.
4. Expect roughly RMB 15–30 per withdrawal at the Chinese machine, plus about 1–3% from your own bank; one larger withdrawal beats several small ones.
5. Tell your bank to enable overseas ATM withdrawals before you fly — otherwise the transaction is very likely to be blocked (same logic as 2.5).
6. ATMs dispense 100-yuan notes; break them at a convenience store or supermarket.

6.10 Museums and attractions: real-name booking, and bring the passport you booked with

Using the Palace Museum's own booking rules as the template (major museums and attractions work much the same way) [S44]:

• Booking and entry are real-name. Mainland Chinese visitors may only use a national ID card; non-mainland visitors must use a passport (or a Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan travel permit, residence permit, or foreign permanent residence ID).
• One ID may book one ticket per visiting day, and the ticket is valid only for the person whose ID number is attached; once sold it cannot be changed for ticket type, date, time slot or visitor.
• You must bring the original ID you booked with to be scanned at the gate (the Palace Museum's only entrance is the Meridian Gate).
• No same-day tickets. Tickets open at 20:00 seven days before the visit date; closed on Mondays except public holidays.
• No-shows cost you: three no-shows within 180 days means you cannot book for 60 days from the day after the third.
• The museum states plainly that it authorises no third party to sell tickets — book through the official mini-programme so touts and fake tickets cannot catch you out [S44].

Practical tip: book popular attractions seven days ahead using your passport number, and carry the passport original on the day. Do not try to book on someone else's ID — you will not get in.

6.11 Tibet: you need a Tibet Travel Permit, and you cannot travel independently

• Foreign nationals and travellers from Taiwan, China must join a tour organised by a qualified travel agency, which applies for the Tibet Travel Permit (issued by the Tibet Autonomous Region tourism authority) on your behalf. Individuals cannot apply. Hong Kong and Macao residents entering on a Home Return Permit do not need one [S45].
• No independent travel, no self-drive. However few the travellers, the trip must be organised, with a guide and a vehicle throughout [S45].
• Border areas need a second document: places such as Everest Base Camp, Ngari, Medog, Gyirong, Yadong and Zhangmu require a border-area pass. Electronic border passes went nationwide on 15 April 2026; Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan residents, overseas Chinese and foreign nationals must apply in person at a public-security exit-entry office at county level or above [S45].
• Foreign journalists and diplomats may not enter Tibet as tourists [S45].
• Timing and documents (travel-agency practice, not official): passport and Chinese visa scans plus firm dates and route; routine processing takes about 7–14 working days, and in peak season 30–45 days ahead is advised. The original permit is required to board the flight or train into Tibet.
• ⚠️ Links back to section 1: Tibet is not among the 24 provincial-level regions covered by the 240-hour transit waiver (see 1.2), so you cannot reach Tibet on transit-without-visa.

Practical tip: treat Tibet as a separate project — line up a qualified agency, hold the original permit, and only then book the flight or train in.

6.12 Everyday things worth knowing (no source needed, but painful to get wrong)

7. The 72-hour pre-departure checklist (printable)

• [ ] Passport valid ≥6 months with 2 blank pages [S7]; not a 12-page emergency passport [S7]
• [ ] Confirmed which route applies to you: 30-day waiver / 240-hour transit / visa [S1][S4]
• [ ] Onward ticket ticketed (date and seat confirmed), origin ≠ destination [S2][S6]
• [ ] Entry port is one of the 65; your cities are inside the permitted areas (avoid the 7 excluded regions) [S1][S25]
• [ ] Alipay + WeChat Pay + AMAP installed, registered on your home number [S8][S15]
• [ ] Passport identity verification done on 12306 (upload passport page, or verify at a station counter) [S26]
• [ ] Two cards (Visa / Mastercard); bank told about China online payments [S8][S12]
• [ ] eSIM bought, and provider has confirmed the exit node is not Hong Kong / mainland China [S18][S19]
• [ ] Offline translation pack and offline maps downloaded
• [ ] ¥500–1,000 in small notes [S8]
• [ ] Driving? Temporary driving permit arranged (foreign licence + Chinese translation); an IDP is invalid in China [S38][S39]
• [ ] Cash declaration: at or below RMB 20,000 and USD 5,000 equivalent needs no declaration; above that, declare [S41][S42]
• [ ] ATM fallback: bank has enabled overseas withdrawals; single withdrawal capped at RMB 3,000 [S43]
• [ ] Book popular attractions 7 days ahead with your passport number; carry the passport original on the day [S44]
• [ ] Tibet: hold the original Tibet Travel Permit from a qualified agency before booking the flight or train [S45]
• [ ] Electronics: check dual-voltage (220 V) support and pack a universal adaptor
• [ ] Power bank check: clear 3C mark, ≤100 Wh, not a recalled batch (hard rule on domestic flights) [S32]
• [ ] Medicine check: no codeine/ephedrine preparations; carry prescription and diagnosis certificate and declare [S34][S35]
• [ ] Leave the drone at home; if you bring one, register it and avoid controlled airspace [S36]
• [ ] Saved to phone: 12367, 12345, 110/120, your embassy's number, hotel's Chinese address, passport photo page

Sources

Disclaimer

This is a compilation of publicly available information and is not legal or visa advice. Visa-free lists, port counts, permitted areas, fee schedules, transaction limits, network policy and map services all change. Before you fly, verify against the National Immigration Administration (www.nia.gov.cn), the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country, and your airline. For case-specific routing questions, call +86-12367.