Traveling to China Just Got Easier: New Digital Arrival Card Enhances Visitor Experience

Published on November 21, 2025

This week, for the first time, the People’s Republic of China has implemented an entirely digital arrival card for inbound foreign travellers, enabling the country to streamline entry procedures for travelers. Previously, travellers were required to fill out a paper arrival card on the plane or at the airport when they landed, a process that resulted to wasted minutes on the ground at busy terminals. Visitors on arriving flights are now able to fill out the arrival card before even landing in China. The update also aligns with China’s efforts to modernise its travel infrastructure.

The new digital arrival card will now be made available to all inbound travellers to China. Travelers will be able to avoid time-consuming paperwork by completing the digital arrival card form on their portable devices before their flights, as China continues to seek ways to increase the efficiency of travel services for the digital age. The new system will also seek to streamline arrivals for travelers at China’s primary airports by enabling them to complete the digital forms before they even arrive at the airport.

How the Digital Arrival Card Works

Completing a new digital arrival card is designed to make it easier for travellers to enter China digitally. Rather than needing to complete a paper document on arrival, travellers can fill in the digital platform prior to their flight. Here’s how to complete the digital arrival card.

Access the Platform: Travellers can use the digital arrival card system on the official Chinese Immigration website or download the China Customs App. The platform is compatible with smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Fill Out Personal and Travel Information: Travellers are required to enter their personal data, including passport and flight details, as well as their reason for travel, and any required health information, recent travel history, or vaccination status, if applicable.

Submit and Receive Confirmation: The completed digital arrival card will generate a confirmation email or notification, showing immigration and authorities on entry to China. The confirmation will be associated with the arrival flight to further expedite the process upon landing.

Proceed to Immigration: Travelers arriving in China will show their proof of the Digital Arrival Card to the immigration officer to confirm the details. This way, travelers won’t need to fill out additional paperwork at the airport, making immigration even more efficient.

Benefits to Travellers and the Chinese Travel Industry

The digital arrival card brings benefits for travelers and the Chinese travel industry. With the digital arrival card, China expects to take additional steps in reducing airport wait times and streamlining immigration for a better experience for international travelers. This digital arrival card is also expected to reduce travel industry inefficiencies and travel delays for international travellers.

The digital arrival card offers travelers increased ease, as they do not have to wait until the end of their flight to fill out immigration paperwork. By reducing the arrival paperwork, travelers can spend less time at immigration and move on to other travel arrangements more quickly.

Additionally, this action corresponds with China’s ambitions for refined electronic passport processing, modernised biometric entry, and overall technological advancements for a streamlined and up-to-date travel experience. As international tourism to China, particularly to and from Europe, Asia, and North America, increases, the provision of digital technologies for international travellers makes destination China more convenient.

China’s Vision for Smart Tourism

The digital arrival card is just one of the components of the ‘smart tourism’ initiative that seeks to enhance international travelers’ overall experience. Investments in other tourism-related digitization, including online visa applications, virtual tourism, artificial intelligence (AI) responsive features at popular tourist sites, and other innovations.

The goal is to provide a seamless and digitized tourism experience, from flight bookings to arrival, stay, and travel in China. Tourists will experience rapid entry and exit at popular sites, cashless mobile payments, and access to up-to-date travel information.

The digital card aligns with global trends in digital immigration and contactless travel and is the last of the documentation from China as other nations implement the digitisation of entry. This shows how China is modernising its immigration and tourism infrastructure to attract international travel while streamlining processes to provide a seamless experience to the traveller.

The Future of Tourism in China

With the digital arrival card, China is expanding its international travel conveniences for cross-border tourism, assisting in the promotion of international travel to China and the restoration of travel following the pandemic. This advancement will positively influence the growth of the tourism industry in China and contribute to its position as the primary tourism destination. As the global tourism economy improves, China will become a desired travel destination.

The digital arrival card can be expected to motivate the adoption of other travel conveniences in China, such as automated border control, digital credentials, and improved e-travel services. China intends to promote itself as a more attractive travel destination with the introduction of these travel conveniences by ensuring a seamless traveller experience from arrival to departure.

Conclusion

The debut of the digital arrival card is a positive shift within the tourism industry in China, which offers even more convenience to international tourists traveling to China. China has taken steps to facilitate the entry of international tourists faster by allowing tourists to complete entry documents via an electronic system before boarding the flight, thereby reducing the time spent waiting at the airport. Furthermore, the digital card is the first of many innovations to come from China in the tourism sector that continue to innovate in the advancement of travel technologies.