Is the paper arrival card cancelled?

No. The NIA states that foreigners who cannot file online may use on-site smart devices at the port, or fill in the paper foreigner arrival card. The paper card is still accepted.

Does filing the online arrival card cost anything?

No. The NIA states the measure collects no fee. A site that asks for payment to file an arrival card is not the official one — the NIA has issued a warning about look-alike sites set up to defraud foreigners.

Is the arrival card a visa?

No. It is an entry-information form. Your visa, visa-free eligibility or transit permission is decided separately; the card records information, it does not grant entry.

I am transiting for 24 hours and staying inside the airport. Do I file?

No — 24-hour transit visitors who do not leave the port's restricted area are among the categories exempt from filing. If you need to leave that area within the 24-hour or 240-hour limit, you are not exempt and can file through the same system.

China Arrival Card for Foreigners: How to File Online Before You Fly

Short answer

Since 20 November 2025 the National Immigration Administration lets foreign visitors file the China arrival card online, before the flight. It is free, and the official channels are the NIA website, the government service platform, the "移民局12367" app, the WeChat or Alipay mini-programme, or scanning the arrival-card QR code. **The paper card has not been withdrawn** — if you cannot file online, you can use the on-site smart devices at the port, or fill in the paper card at the counter. You do not need this form if you hold a Foreign Permanent Resident ID, you are transiting without leaving the restricted port area for 24 hours, you are on a group visa-free tour, or you enter through the express lane.

What the online arrival card is, and what it is not

This is an entry-information form, not a visa. Filing it does not give you permission to enter China — your visa, visa-free eligibility or transit permission is a separate question.

The most common misunderstanding is that the paper card was abolished. It was not. The NIA's own notice says that foreigners who cannot file online may still use the on-site smart devices at the port, **or fill in the paper foreigner arrival card**.

Why it is worth doing before you fly: the NIA reports that at Beijing ports alone more than 3 million foreigners arrived in 2025, and filling the paper card on the spot cost each of them roughly 5 to 8 minutes at the border. The NIA also reports that more than 15.55 million foreign travellers had completed their filing online in the period after the measure started.

The official channels, and the fake sites to avoid

The NIA publishes the filing portal itself and warns, in the same notice, that criminals have set up look-alike sites to collect money. **Filing is free. If a site asks you to pay, it is not the official one.**

The channels the NIA names are: the NIA government website, the government service platform, the "移民局12367" app, the WeChat and Alipay mini-programmes, and the arrival-card QR code scanned on a phone.

Two practical notes. The help hotline is **12367** — not 12360. And the official portal is a JavaScript application: if you open the link from a page that is not the NIA's, check the address bar before you type in a passport number.

Who does not have to file

The filing form itself lists eight categories that are exempt, including holders of a valid Foreign Permanent Resident ID, 24-hour transit visitors who stay inside the port's restricted area, members of group visa-free or group-visa tourist groups, and foreigners entering through the border inspection express lane.

If you are transiting and **do** need to leave the restricted port area — within the 24-hour or the 240-hour limit — you are not exempt, and you can use this system to file.

For Russian passport holders

Russia is named in the NIA's current visa-free lists, so the arrival card is a separate step rather than a substitute for anything: the 240-hour transit visa-free policy covers nationals of 57 countries including Russia, allowing stays of up to 10 days through 65 designated ports in 24 provinces, with an ordinary passport and confirmed onward tickets. The Hainan 30-day visa-free policy also lists Russia, among 61 countries.

The arrival card form is the same one for every nationality. File it, and keep your visa or visa-free basis with you — the card does not grant either.

Related guides

Official sources

Policies and booking channels change — check the official channel before you rely on it.