Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
Foreign visitors can submit an arrival card through the National Immigration Administration’s official online channel. The official service is free; avoid look-alike paid sites.
Do this before you go
Check whether the arrival card applies to your entry and use the official channel at s.nia.gov.cn if completing it online.
Keep your submitted details available for arrival.
If needed, ask for the paper card at the port instead.
Something not working?
A site asks me to pay for the card.
Stop and verify the address against the National Immigration Administration’s official notice. Its online arrival-card service is free.
I cannot complete the form online.
Ask for a paper arrival card at the port and follow immigration staff instructions.
Ready when: I know the official online route or will complete the paper card at arrival.
Some foreign sites and apps, including Google services, may be unavailable on mainland Chinese networks. Ask your provider whether international roaming or a travel eSIM supports the services you need.
Do this before you go
Check that your phone supports the plan and it explicitly covers mainland China. Ask the provider about its routing and access to your essential apps.
Check activation, data, hotspot and SMS rules. Keep your regular number available if it receives payment verification codes.
Download offline maps and translation packs; save hotel addresses, bookings and key documents offline.
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
Check supported card types and cardholder details, then contact Alipay support or your card issuer with the exact error.
I cannot receive the SMS code.
Check the country code and whether your regular phone service can receive SMS abroad.
The linked card payment failed.
Read the specific error and check the app’s current identity and transaction limits. Ask about a different payment method and contact the provider or issuer.
Ready when: Alipay opens, my identity and payment method are ready, and I have another way to pay.
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
WeChat Pay can be a useful second option. Set up Alipay first if you plan to use both, then follow WeChat’s own verification flow.
Do this before you go
Install WeChat from your official app store and create or recover your account.
Open the payment setup and follow the current identity and international-card instructions.
Review current limits and fees. Keep another working payment method and a small amount of RMB cash for an outage; cash change may be inconvenient at some counters.
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
Compare the Chinese name, district and full address rather than choosing by English name alone.
The route and the entrance disagree.
Treat the route as guidance. Check recent venue instructions or ask staff about the correct gate and pickup point.
Ready when: I can find my accommodation and first destinations using Chinese names.
Let’s work through it
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
Move only to a safe, clear pickup point. Share the Chinese pickup name or ask nearby staff to help describe it.
My destination has several results.
Match the district, Chinese address and map pin; contact the destination if the entrance is unclear.
Ready when: Didi opens and my accommodation plus first destination are saved in Chinese.
Let’s work through it
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
Hotels register foreign guests using passport details. National guidance says hotels should provide lawful reception without a separate foreign-guest qualification.
Do this before you go
Bring your physical passport to check-in.
Before booking, ask the hotel whether it can complete the required foreign-passport registration and confirm its current check-in process.
Keep the hotel’s Chinese name and address available offline. See the Shenzhen hotel check-in records for practical examples.
Ask for the specific registration issue and contact the booking platform or local tourism service for help. The national guidance does not create a separate foreign-guest qualification.
My passport is unavailable at check-in.
Contact the hotel before arrival about its registration process; bring the physical passport if possible.
Ready when: My passport and the hotel’s check-in details are ready.
Choose what you know, then describe the error in your own words. We may ask one follow-up question.
When AI is available, your message and recent replies are sent to Qwen in Beijing. Otherwise, you receive a labelled guide answer. Never include payment details, passwords or identity documents. We record task counts and your chosen outcome, not the message text.
The M visa covers commercial and trade activities. Tourism (L), non-commercial exchange (F) and employment (Z) are different purposes; some passport holders may instead qualify for a visa-free business visit. Check your exact case.
Do this before you go
Check your passport, purpose, nationality, application location, route and every mainland entry against the latest visa-centre or embassy instructions.
If an M visa is required, ask the inviting organisation in China for its official letter. It commonly needs your name and passport number, purpose and relationship, arrival/departure dates, place of stay, inviter contact details, signature and organisation seal; local requirements may differ.
Check the stay duration printed on your visa. If you need more time, ask the local exit-entry authority about an extension before your authorised stay ends; it is not automatic.
Ready when: I checked the latest official conditions for my purpose, invitation, entries and authorised stay.
Open practical steps ＋
A fapiao (发票) is a Chinese tax invoice, distinct from a card slip or ordinary receipt. Say “fapiao” or “请开发票” (qǐng kāi fā piào, please issue a fapiao), rather than relying on the English word “invoice”.
Do this before you go
Ask your finance team whether it needs a fapiao, an electronic air itinerary invoice, an ordinary receipt or other evidence, and exactly which purchaser name and tax details to use.
Before paying hotels and restaurants, ask how to obtain a fapiao and keep the payment slip or folio as supporting evidence if your employer asks for it.
For each transport purchase, check the relevant issuer’s application route promptly and save the original electronic file or paper document.