Prepare · Before you fly
Before you go
The paperwork that decides whether your first week in China is calm or chaotic. This page covers the two interactive checklists, the date checks that catch most problems, medical and notarization requirements, insurance, the 24-hour registration rule and what you may bring through customs.
Checked against official sources on 13 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel. Sources at the bottom.
Start here
Pre-departure checklist
Work down this list in the last month before you fly. Your progress is saved in this browser only — nothing is sent anywhere.
Before you fly — 10 checks
Check the dates
Passport and visa, line by line
Nearly every avoidable travel disaster in this category comes from misreading a date. Read the sticker twice, once before you leave the visa center and once the night before you fly.
Check the passport first
Your passport must be valid for at least six months and have two or more blank visa pages. Some countries also need a full empty page for stamps — err on the side of a newer passport if yours is nearly full. Verified
Then the visa sticker
Three separate things can go wrong: the validity (the window in which you may enter), the number of entries, and the duration of stay (the days allowed per entry). They are independent numbers.
Health
Medical examinations: who actually needs one
A medical examination is not a blanket requirement for every visitor. It attaches to specific visas, long study courses and long residence permits — and the certificate has a shelf life.
| Situation | What is required | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term study in China (residence of one year or more) | A health examination at the customs international travel health care center; the center issues the International Travel Health Certificate. Booked before or shortly after arrival | Verified |
| Any student enrolling at a school that takes international students | Complete verification of the Foreigner Physical Examination Record, or undergo a medical examination, with the health and quarantine authority | Verified |
| Residence permit valid for more than one year | A health certificate, issued by the local health and quarantine authority or a medical institution at county level or above, showing no serious mental illness, tuberculosis or other infectious disease of major public health concern | Verified |
| Scholarship and university applicants studying more than six months | Submit the Foreigner Physical Examination Form, completed in English, with your photo affixed and the hospital's stamp. Missing items or missing stamps invalidate the form, and the result is valid for six months | Verified |
| Short tourist or business trips | No general medical-examination requirement was found in the official checklists — confirm with your visa center if you have a health condition or a specific itinerary | Summary — not required for most short visits |
Documents
Notarization and the Apostille Convention
If you must prove a diploma, a transcript, a birth certificate or a clean criminal record, you usually cannot send the original alone. It must first be notarized, and then either apostilled or legalized.
Check whether your country is a party to the Convention
If it is, your document needs an apostille. If it is not, it needs consular legalization instead. The Chinese consular service publishes the party list, so you can check directly.
Have the document notarized or verified
Diplomas, degree certificates and transcripts cannot be apostilled directly — they must first be notarized, or verified by the competent authority in the country of issue. Verified
Get the apostille from a competent authority
For documents issued in mainland China, that is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or an authorized local Foreign Affairs Office. For documents issued in your own country, it is your country's designated authority — not a Chinese office. Verified
Ask the receiver's format requirements first
Universities, employers and registries each have their own expectations about content and format. Confirm those before you pay for any notarization or apostille, so you do not have to redo it. Verified
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Documents typically needing this | Highest diploma, degree certificate, academic transcripts, birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates |
| Apostille fee (documents issued in mainland China) | 50 RMB per civil document, 100 RMB per commercial document; an express service costs 50 RMB extra per document |
| Paper original | Generally required — electronic or scanned documents are not widely accepted for ordinary apostilles. From 18 June 2025 the Foreign Ministry began trialing electronic apostilles, initially only for certificates of origin issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Verified |
| Where to check the party list and procedures | The Chinese Consular Service website (cs.mfa.gov.cn) publishes the party list and the authorized offices in China |
Fees quoted are the Foreign Ministry's published rates for documents issued in mainland China. Documents issued in your own country are apostilled by your own authority, at that authority's fees.
Cover yourself
Health insurance
Whether insurance is compulsory depends on why you are coming. For one large group it is not optional at all.
Students: mandatory
Schools enrolling international students operate a system of insurance for all international students, and students must be insured under national rules and school requirements. If you do not buy it within the deadline, the school may refuse admission or withdraw you. Verified
Scholarship holders: included
Chinese Government Scholarship recipients receive comprehensive medical insurance as part of the award — budgeted at 800 RMB per person per year, or 400 RMB for a study period shorter than six months. Verified
Visitors: check your case
The visa checklists reviewed for this page do not impose insurance on ordinary short-stay visitors. Employers and long-stay programs almost always do. Buy cover for the whole trip either way. Summary — confirm with your visa center or employer
Your first legal duty
Register your address within 24 hours
The 24-hour rule is the one foreign residents most often learn about the hard way. It applies to you, not to your landlord, and the clock starts when you move in.
Staying in a hotel
The hotel handles it. Under the Exit and Entry Administration Law, hotels register foreign guests and report the information to the local public security organ. Keep the registration slip. Verified
Anywhere else
If you live or stay anywhere other than a hotel — a rented flat, a friend's home, a dormitory outside the school's own registration — you or your host must register with the local public security organ within 24 hours of moving in. Verified
The border
Cash, goods and the customs declaration
China uses a two-channel system. If you have nothing to declare, you walk the green channel. If you do, you fill in a declaration form and use the red channel — the rules are specific about what counts.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Choosing your channel | Carry items that must be declared in writing and use the red channel with a completed Baggage and Articles Declaration Form. Otherwise use the green channel with no form. Verified |
| When you must declare (arrivals) | Ten categories, including prohibited or restricted items, animals and plants, human tissue and biological products, contaminated items, cash above the set threshold, goods above the duty-free allowance, commercial samples, and unaccompanied baggage. Verified |
| Renminbi cash | You may carry no more than 20,000 RMB in or out per person per trip. Verified |
| Foreign currency cash, inbound | The general rule: more than the equivalent of 5,000 US dollars must be declared in writing. Travelers making multiple same-day or short-period crossings must declare any foreign cash they carry. Verified |
| Foreign currency cash, outbound | Above the equivalent of 5,000 up to 10,000 US dollars, obtain a foreign-exchange carrying permit from a bank and declare it. Above 10,000 US dollars, obtain the permit from the foreign-exchange administration. Verified |
| Tobacco, inbound passenger | Duty-free allowance: 400 cigarettes, or 20 cigars, or 500 g of tobacco; e-cigarette allowance is 2 devices and 6 pods, with total liquid not over 12 ml. From Hong Kong or Macau the allowance is halved. Frequent travelers get a much smaller allowance. Verified |
| Alcohol, inbound passenger | Duty-free allowance: 1.5 liters of drinks above 12% alcohol; 0.75 liters if arriving from Hong Kong or Macau. Frequent travelers may not bring in duty-free alcohol above 12%. Verified |
| Under 18s | The duty-free allowances for tobacco and alcohol do not apply to anyone under 18. Verified |
| Pets | Only dogs or cats, and only one animal per person per trip. Verified |
| Clearly prohibited | Ivory and other endangered species products, live succulent plants, and items covered by conservation or quarantine bans. Verified |
Landing day
Arrival day checklist
The first hours after you clear the border. Work through this before you unpack.
On arrival — 7 steps
Bank accounts, phone numbers and long-term housing are covered in the living guides.
Clear up the confusion
Common misconceptions
Keep going
Related guides
Live in China
Registration, banks, mobile numbers, housing and healthcare.
Living guides →Beginner FAQ
The first questions everyone asks, answered with sources.
Read the FAQ →Study in China
Applications, CSC scholarships and the X1/X2 visas.
Study guide →Visas for China
Every visa type, validity versus stay, and how to apply.
Visa hub →Enjoyed this guide?
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Sources & disclaimer
Facts on this page are linked to the official sources below, checked on 13 October 2026. Requirements, fees and timelines change — always confirm with the issuing authority. This page is for reference only — official sources prevail; always check the latest version with the relevant Chinese authority. General information, not legal advice.
- China Visa Application Service Center — visa document checklists: passport valid for at least six months with two or more blank visa pages, the online form and upload requirement, and the list of supplementary documents
- National Immigration Administration — Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China: Article 39 on accommodation registration, and the rules on stay duration and extensions
- National Immigration Administration — Announcement No. 7 of 2026 on nationwide online processing of accommodation registration for foreigners staying outside hotels, effective 21 September 2026 (online and in-person registration have equal effect)
- National Immigration Administration — "外国人居留证件签发服务指南" (guide to issuing residence permits): the health certificate required for permits valid more than one year, application materials and fees
- Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security — "学校招收和培养国际学生管理办法" (Order No. 42): health-examination verification on enrollment and the mandatory insurance system for international students
- General Administration of Customs (Beijing) International Travel Health Care Center — service guide: scope covering foreigners studying in China for one year or more, required materials, the issued certificates including the International Travel Health Certificate, and the four-working-day processing time
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents entered into force in China on 7 November 2023; documents issued by a contracting state need only an apostille for use in mainland China
- China Consular Service — Consular Legalisation / Apostillisation Q&A: documents must be notarized or verified before apostille; the competent authorities; apostille fees of 50 RMB (civil) and 100 RMB (commercial) with a 50 RMB express fee
- The State Council of China (gov.cn) — report that the Apostille Convention took effect in China on 7 November 2023, ending the previous two-step authentication chain with contracting states
- General Administration of Customs — Announcement No. 43 of 2025 on the declaration of baggage and articles by inbound and outbound travelers: the red and green channel system, the declaration form, and the ten situations requiring written declaration
- Shanghai Customs — legal guidance note for travelers: the 20,000 RMB cash limit, the 5,000 US dollar inbound declaration threshold, the outbound foreign-currency carrying permits, and the duty-free allowances for tobacco and alcohol
- China Scholarship Council / Study in China — "中国政府奖学金招生简章" (Chinese Government Scholarship prospectus): the comprehensive medical insurance entitlement for scholarship holders, budgeted at 800 RMB per person per year, or 400 RMB for a study period shorter than six months. Note: this page is an earlier edition (version dated 26 January 2018); the insurance figures were cross-checked for this page against the 2026/2027 notice below, but always follow the current-year notice
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Sweden — 2026/2027 Chinese Government Scholarship notice (24 October 2025): confirms the current scholarship figures, including the 800 RMB / 400 RMB comprehensive medical insurance amounts, the living allowance and the age requirements
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs — trial issuance of electronic apostilles: from 18 June 2025 the Foreign Ministry began issuing electronic apostilles, initially for certificates of origin issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade