Your plane lands, you follow the crowd, and about an hour later you are in a taxi heading into the city. That first hour at a Chinese airport is usually smooth — but it goes best when you know which documents to keep within reach and what the arrival card is asking for. Here is how the process typically works, step by step.
None of it is difficult. A little preparation turns a confusing queue into a formality.
Before you land: the arrival card
On many international flights into China, cabin crew hand out an arrival card shortly before landing. You fill in your name, passport number, flight details, purpose of visit and local address. A few tips:
- Write your accommodation exactly as booked — the hotel's full name and street address. Save this offline on your phone before departure, in case the cabin crew run out of cards or you need to copy it later.
- For "purpose of visit," a simple "tourism" matches what you told the airline and what your entry category expects.
- Keep a pen in your carry-on. Borrowing one mid-cabin is a minor delay now avoided.
Some airports now use electronic channels that reduce or replace the paper card for certain nationalities. If no card is handed out on your flight, do not worry — the border system will tell you what it needs.
Immigration and passport control
After disembarking, follow signs for Immigration or Border Inspection. Foreign passport holders use the manual counters marked for foreigners. Have ready:
- Your passport (with any visa printed inside, if you applied for one)
- Your arrival card, if you were given one
- Your onward or return flight details, in case the officer asks
Officers may ask a short question or two about your trip — where you are going, how long you are staying. Answer plainly and show a booking if requested. If you entered under the visa-free policy or 240-hour transit rules, be ready to explain your onward travel confidently; our guide to transit and short stopovers covers exactly what to have printed. Biometric collection (fingerprints and a photo) is a standard part of entry at major airports.
Baggage claim and customs
Check the screens for your carousel number. Luggage usually arrives quickly at Chinese hubs, and free trolleys are plentiful. After baggage claim you pass through customs, where you simply walk through a channel: the green channel if you have nothing to declare, the red one if you are carrying items like large amounts of cash or goods above duty limits. For most visitors arriving with a suitcase of clothes, this takes seconds.
One practical note: drones, and certain medications, sit in a gray area worth researching before you fly. If you travel with prescription medicine, keep it in original packaging with the prescription label visible.
Your first hour out of the gate
Once through customs, you exit into the arrivals hall. This is where a little planning pays off:
- Get connected first. Turn on your eSIM or international roaming, or pick up a local SIM at an airport counter. Our guide to staying connected explains the options and what to install before you fly.
- Set up payments. Airport counters and staff can help you confirm that Alipay or WeChat Pay works with your foreign card — the details are in our guide to paying in China.
- Choose your transfer. Official taxi ranks sit outside arrivals with fixed queuing; metered fares from major airports into the city typically run from roughly ¥100 upward depending on distance. Airport express trains and metro lines are signed clearly and are often the fastest option at peak hours. Ride-hailing is possible but the pickup zones are less obvious than the taxi rank.
- Get cash in small amounts. ATMs are available in arrivals if you want a modest backup of banknotes. Cards alone still fail at some small vendors, so a few hundred yuan covers you.
Small things that make the hour easier
- Screenshot your hotel name and address in both English and Chinese before landing.
- Note your terminal — some Chinese airports have multiple terminals far apart, and your driver or train line depends on it.
- If someone meets you, agree on a landmark (a specific exit door number) rather than "arrivals."
That is really it. From touchdown to taxi is rarely more than an hour at the major hubs, often less. From there, the country opens up quickly — a good first evening plan is covered in our Shanghai in two days guide.
How HXXC Travel helps
Every private itinerary we build includes arrival-day support: clear pickup instructions, a driver holding a name sign, and the hotel address in Chinese characters on your phone. Our local team in Guangdong lands in these airports regularly, so the guidance you get reflects how the process works now, not how it worked years ago.
If you would rather skip the logistics entirely, routes like Classic China — Beijing & Shanghai Highlights include airport transfers as standard, and we reply to every enquiry within one working day.
Send us your arrival flight details through our contact page and we will make sure your first hour in China is the easiest part of the trip.
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