Illustrated form walkthrough
These existing illustrations show the landing page and example form fields. The live portal's labels, sequence and available options may change. Use its current instructions when filling your own card.
Landing page · s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC
The official portal shows the National Immigration Administration logo (red emblem), the title "National Immigration Administration Government Service Platform", a 简体中文 / English language toggle in the top right, and two cards:
- Entry Declaration — what most 240h travelers click.
- Entry Declaration for Border Area Residents — only for citizens of DPRK, Mongolia, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam holding border-resident certificates.
What scam sites do differently: different logo, different title, or any kind of fee prompt before you even start. The official site does not charge.
Step 2 of 5 · Basic Information Filling
OCR pre-fills most of this. Your job here is to verify, not retype. The fields on the left come from your passport (Last/First Name, Gender, DOB, Citizenship, Passport Number); the fields on the right are your flight (Entry Transportation Mode, Arrival Flight/Train/Vessel Number, City of Entry, Port of Entry).
Where mistakes happen: OCR commonly confuses O vs 0, I vs 1 vs l, and B vs 8 in the passport number. Open your passport next to the screen and check character-by-character. A wrong passport number here means your card won't match at immigration.
Field deep-dive · Step 4
Confirmed Departure Itinerary on the China Arrival Card
For 240-hour transit travelers, the Confirmed Departure Itinerary question on Step 4 records your planned departure. Completing this field does not establish eligibility or replace your confirmed onward ticket. Check your route and supporting documents separately.
What "confirmed" means in NIA's eyes: a ticketed onward journey to a country or region different from the one you arrived from, with a fixed seat/cabin and a date that falls inside your 240-hour window. A reservation hold alone does not establish a confirmed ticket. Refundability does not itself tell you whether a ticket is confirmed. The departure must be on a real ticket the airline or rail operator can verify.
How to fill the form:
- Confirmed Departure Itinerary — answer truthfully from your booking. If you do not have the confirmed onward ticket required for 240h transit, resolve that before relying on this entry policy.
- Exit Transportation Mode — Aircraft, Train, or Vessel, matching how you'll leave.
- Exit Flight/Train/Vessel Number + date + port — the same format rules as the arrival field (see Arrival Flight/Train/Vessel Number above). Check your travel document and ask the carrier if more than one identifier is shown.
- Destination country/region — must be different from where you flew in from. A→China→A round trips do not qualify for 240h transit.
If automated systems can't see your onward ticket (separate bookings, different airline alliance, recently booked), bring backup evidence to the airline counter and to immigration:
- Printed e-ticket PDF with passenger name, route, date, and operating carrier visible.
- Booking confirmation email screenshot showing the airline's booking reference (PNR).
- For rail: the China Railway 12306 e-ticket or operator booking with seat assigned.
- For sea: the cruise line's pre-printed boarding pass or pier check-in voucher.
This summary covers the 240h case. For the full decision rules — including what visa holders and ordinary visa-free travelers without a booked exit should select — read the dedicated Confirmed Departure Itinerary guide. See also the denied-boarding guide for what happens when an airline check-in agent cannot verify your onward ticket — and how to recover.
Step 5 + final submit
Step 5 · Accompanying Person — anyone traveling on the same passport (usually only minor children). Leave blank if you're solo.
Final review & submit — sign the declaration, confirm, and the system generates a QR code / barcode receipt. Screenshot it immediately. Print if possible. Show it at immigration when asked.
Found an error? Follow the official service's current correction instructions. If the options are unclear, ask NIA 12367 or immigration staff at the port.
