01
Confirm entry rules for your passport and route
Check visa, visa-free, or transit eligibility with an official source before booking. Keep your passport, onward ticket, and hotel details accessible.
Check the entry guideFirst China trip
Finish the important setup before you fly
Use this checklist from roughly 14 days before departure through your first day in China. Tick off each task and keep the practical backup ready for the moments when a plan breaks.
About 14 days before departure
Make the fragile parts work while you still have time
Start with the things that can take a day or two to fix: entry documents, payment verification, connectivity, and your first route.
02
Set up at least one mobile payment wallet
Prepare Alipay or WeChat Pay, add your foreign card if supported, and keep a second card plus some cash as backup.
Prepare payment03
Choose your internet and roaming plan
Decide between eSIM, roaming, or a local SIM. Test maps, translation, messaging, and ride-hailing before departure.
Compare internet options04
Install the apps you will need on day one
Have a transport app, translation tool, maps, and your airline or booking apps ready. Sign in while you still have reliable access.
See the app checklist05
Save your airport-to-hotel route
Write down the hotel name and address in Chinese. Save a metro, taxi, or DiDi fallback instead of relying on one route.
Plan the first route06
Confirm the hotel accepts your passport
Ask the property directly if they can register foreign guests. Keep the booking confirmation and the property phone number offline.
Check hotel guidance07
Save an offline backup to your phone
Open your key instructions once online, save Chinese display cards, and test them with airplane mode before flying.
Open the free survival kitWhen you land
Keep the first day deliberately simple
Do not make your arrival day depend on five untested apps. Complete the basics first, then start sightseeing.
Keep your setup current
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After the checklist