Leaving for China
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Finish the essentials before departure: entry documents, payments, internet, apps and arrival plans.
Last verified: July 2026
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This is your Checklist progress, filtered for departure preparation.
Entry documents
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Route & stay
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Payments
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Internet access
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Final confirmations
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Before-departure timeline
The same 24 Checklist actions, with the most urgent departure tasks shown first.
Add your departure date to bring the most urgent unfinished tasks to the top.
30 days before
- Check your passport expiry date and condition.Essential
- Use the passport name exactly for flights, trains, hotels, and attraction bookings.Essential
- Check current requirements using an official Chinese embassy, consulate, or immigration source.Essential
- Confirm whether you need a visa, qualify for visa-free entry, or meet transit rules.Essential
- Choose your arrival city and final departure city.Essential
- Book or shortlist the transport segments that could sell out or affect the whole route.Essential
- Confirm that the property accepts foreign guests and can register your passport.Essential
- Book or shortlist your first-night accommodation.Essential
7 days before
- China Railway tickets normally go on sale 15 days in advance, counting the travel date as Day 1. Check the exact release time on the official 12306 app or website.
- Confirm the exact departure station—major cities often have several stations with similar names.
- Link your bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay.Essential
- Bring at least one backup payment method.Essential
- Choose between roaming, eSIM, or a local SIM card.Essential
- Make sure you can receive SMS verification codes if needed.Essential
- Install payment, map, translation, ride-hailing, and booking apps.
- Check logins and SMS verification before departure.
24 hours before
- Check each attraction’s official booking window now and set a reminder for its release date.
- Book each priority attraction as soon as its official window opens, using your passport name exactly.
- Confirm flight and hotel dates, names, terminals, and check-in arrangements.Essential
- Save booking references and review cancellation or late-arrival conditions.Essential
- Save your first hotel name, address, and phone number in Chinese.Essential
- Save the Chinese names of airports, stations, and important destinations.Essential
- Download tickets, booking confirmations, maps, and route screenshots.
- Save emergency contacts, insurance details, and a secure passport copy offline.
Your first hour in China
Follow these steps after landing to get from the airport to your hotel smoothly.
Pass immigration
Collect luggage & clear customs
Connect to mobile data
Open your hotel address
Follow your arrival route
Keep the essentials offline
Save important details before you lose access to mobile data or Wi-Fi.
- Hotel address in Chinese
- Bookings and tickets
- Emergency numbers
- Useful Chinese phrases
Prepare for common problems
Open the fastest relevant guide if one of these essentials fails.
Ready for departure?
Finish your essential tasks and keep an offline copy with you.