Foreign visitors will soon be able to submit China’s arrival-card information online before boarding their flights, ending the long-standing requirement to complete a paper form on landing. In guidelines issued on 4 November 2025, the National Immigration Administration confirmed that, starting 20 November, travellers can pre-file via the NIA website, the national e-government service portal, the “NIA 12367” smartphone app or mini-programs in WeChat and Alipay.
Passengers who forget to file in advance may still scan a QR code at immigration or use self-service kiosks; paper cards remain as a fallback. Seven categories—including foreign permanent residents of China, 24-hour air-side transit passengers and cruise guests re-boarding the same vessel—are exempt from any declaration.
![China to Introduce Digital Arrival Card—Online Entry Declaration Available from 20 November]()
The digital card is the most traveller-friendly upgrade to China’s entry system in a decade. By shifting data capture upstream, immigration inspectors expect to shave 30–60 seconds off each manual processing and cut queue times during peak arrival banks at Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun. The move aligns China with Singapore and Australia, which already operate electronic arrival cards.
For mobility managers the key action item is employee education. Pre-trip briefings should include the URL or QR code, and travellers should screenshot the submission confirmation. Airlines will not police compliance at check-in, but failure to pre-file could lengthen arrival processing. Data entered online are retained for 30 days and automatically deleted thereafter, according to the NIA’s privacy notice.
The digitalisation forms part of a wider ten-point package that also lengthens visa-free transit, expands talent endorsements and streamlines permit services for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents—underscoring Beijing’s push for ‘smart borders’ and a more hospitable business environment.
Passengers who forget to file in advance may still scan a QR code at immigration or use self-service kiosks; paper cards remain as a fallback. Seven categories—including foreign permanent residents of China, 24-hour air-side transit passengers and cruise guests re-boarding the same vessel—are exempt from any declaration.
The digital card is the most traveller-friendly upgrade to China’s entry system in a decade. By shifting data capture upstream, immigration inspectors expect to shave 30–60 seconds off each manual processing and cut queue times during peak arrival banks at Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Guangzhou Baiyun. The move aligns China with Singapore and Australia, which already operate electronic arrival cards.
For mobility managers the key action item is employee education. Pre-trip briefings should include the URL or QR code, and travellers should screenshot the submission confirmation. Airlines will not police compliance at check-in, but failure to pre-file could lengthen arrival processing. Data entered online are retained for 30 days and automatically deleted thereafter, according to the NIA’s privacy notice.
The digitalisation forms part of a wider ten-point package that also lengthens visa-free transit, expands talent endorsements and streamlines permit services for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents—underscoring Beijing’s push for ‘smart borders’ and a more hospitable business environment.
