Travel to China: Precautions on Carrying Items for International Passengers in 2024

Welcome to China! When planning your journey to this wonderful country, it is crucial to be well-informed about the rules and regulations regarding the items you can carry when entering China. This blog aims to provide you with a comprehensive and clear guide to ensure a smooth customs clearance process.

General Rules

According to the “Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China”:

1. Inbound and outbound passengers must enter or leave through locations where customs are established.
2. All passengers are required to submit their entire luggage for customs inspection. Before inspection, passengers should fill out the “Passenger Luggage Declaration Form” or other declaration documents stipulated by customs and declare truthfully, or declare in accordance with the stipulated declaration methods.
3. Passengers traveling through customs that implement the “Red and Green Channel” verification and release system should choose the channel and complete the inbound or outbound luggage procedures in accordance with the published regulations.

Inspection Process

1. The time and place for inspecting inbound and outbound passenger luggage are designated by customs. During the inspection, the owner of the items should be present, responsible for moving, opening, and resealing the packaging of the items. If necessary, customs can conduct the inspection independently.
2. Seals affixed by customs on inbound and outbound luggage must not be opened or damaged without prior authorization.

Declaration and Taxation

1. Passengers can handle customs declaration and tax payment procedures by themselves or entrust others to do so. Agents accepting the entrustment must handle customs procedures and assume all obligations and responsibilities in accordance with the regulations for their clients.
2. Passenger luggage items should be limited to a reasonable quantity for personal use. Items exceeding this limit are not allowed to enter or exit. Passenger luggage items are inspected and released by customs in accordance with the scope stipulated in the “Classification Table for Passenger Inbound and Outbound Luggage Items” (hereinafter referred to as the “Classification Table”). The reasonable quantity of inbound and outbound items, the specific limits, quotas, and duty-free or taxable regulations for various types of passengers are separately formulated.

Prohibited and Restricted Items

1. If passengers carry items listed in the “Table of Prohibited Items from Entering and Exiting the People’s Republic of China” and voluntarily declare before customs inspection, the items will be confiscated or ordered to be returned, and a fine may be imposed at the discretion of customs. If the items are concealed and not declared, they will be punished in accordance with Article 82 of the “Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China”.
2. If passengers carry items listed in the “Table of Restricted Items from Entering and Exiting the People’s Republic of China” and items under special control of the Chinese government, customs will handle them in accordance with relevant national regulations.

Separate Transportation of Luggage

1. If passengers transport luggage by separate transportation methods, they should declare to customs upon entry. With customs approval, the luggage can be transported within six months from the date of passenger entry. When customs handle the release procedures, the already released luggage items will be combined for calculation.
2. For luggage transported out by separate transportation methods, the owner of the items should complete customs procedures with a valid outbound document before departure.

Temporary Entry and Exit of Items

Temporary entry and exit of travel items for personal use that have been approved by customs and temporarily duty-free released with guarantees in accordance with regulations, passengers should complete inbound and outbound procedures or return the original items within the stipulated period.

Abandoned and Unclaimed Items

1. Items that the owner of inbound and outbound items declares to abandon, items that have not completed customs procedures within three months from the date of declaration of the transportation vehicle (perishable and easily expired items can be processed in advance, the same below), and items that have not been claimed within three months in the customs supervision area will all be handled by customs in accordance with Article 51 of the “Customs Law of the People’s Republic of China”.
2. If passengers carry items in the following situations, customs will not release them and will require them to be returned or stored in the warehouse designated by customs. The owner of the items should complete the return, settlement procedures within three months. If not completed within the time limit, customs will handle them in accordance with Article 10 of these Measures:
   • Not for personal use.
   • Exceeding the reasonable quantity range.
   • Exceeding the item variety, specification, quota, and limit stipulated by customs.
   • Not having completed customs procedures.
   • Not having paid taxes as stipulated.
   • Other items that cannot be released according to regulations.

Long-Term and Short-Term Passengers

1. Short-term passengers’ inbound and outbound luggage should be limited to items needed for travel.
   • For short-term residents and Chinese non-residents among short-term passengers carrying inbound items belonging to the third category of the “Classification Table”, customs will levy taxes or release them duty-free in accordance with the stipulated limits and quotas.
   • For other non-residents among short-term passengers carrying inbound items belonging to the third category of the “Classification Table”, customs will handle them in accordance with Article 9 of these Measures.
   • For border residents, border postal and transportation agency staff, border transportation vehicle service staff, and other personnel who frequently enter and exit, the items they carry in and out should be limited to items necessary for the journey. Without customs approval, items belonging to the third category of the “Classification Table” are not allowed to be brought in.
   • For short-term passengers traveling between Hong Kong and Macao with special travel documents, the regulations for the management of inbound and outbound luggage items will be handled in accordance with separate regulations formulated by customs based on these Measures.
2. For long-term non-resident passengers entering the country, within the stipulated period, when they transport inbound their personal items or household items for the duration of their stay, customs will handle the customs clearance procedures based on the long-term residence documents (or permanent residence registration documents), other approval documents, and identity documents issued by the competent department of the People’s Republic of China.

Settled Passengers

1. Settled passengers who are allowed to enter the country should submit the settlement certificate or approval documents issued by the competent department of the People’s Republic of China to the competent customs or port customs within the stipulated period when transporting inbound household items. A reasonable quantity of personal items they owned and used overseas are allowed to enter duty-free; one private car per household is allowed to enter and is subject to taxation.
2. If settled inbound passengers leave the country again to settle elsewhere within two years of their residence and the duty-free household items they carried inbound are not returned or taxes are not paid to customs.

Transit Passengers

1. Transit passengers are not allowed to leave items in the territory without customs approval.
2. For passengers who enter the country and do not leave the transportation vehicle under customs supervision or the customs supervision area and directly exit the country, customs generally do not inspect their luggage items, but may inspect if necessary.
3. For transit passengers who are allowed to leave the customs supervision area and change transportation means to exit the country, customs will handle them in accordance with Article 17 of these Measures.

Special Categories and Definitions

1. Special cases such as passengers with diplomatic privileges and immunities follow separate regulations formulated by the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China.
2. The meanings of the following terms in these Measures:
   • “Non-resident” refers to those who return to their usual place of residence outside the country after entering and residing.
   • “Resident” refers to those who return to their usual place of residence inside the country after leaving and residing.
   • “Passenger” refers to inbound and outbound residents or non-residents.
   • “Short-term passenger” refers to passengers who are allowed to enter or exit for temporary residence not exceeding one year.
   • “Long-term passenger” refers to passengers who are allowed to enter or exit for continuous residence of one year or more (including one year).
   • “Settled passenger” refers to passengers who have obtained the settlement certificate or approval documents issued by the competent department of the People’s Republic of China for migration inside or outside the country.
   • “Transit passenger” refers to passengers who pass through the territory from one place outside the country to another place outside the country with a valid transit visa.
   • “Luggage items” refer to items carried by passengers for the needs of their inbound and outbound travel or residence.
   • “For personal use” refers to items for the passenger’s own use or as gifts to relatives and friends, rather than for sale or rental.
   • “Reasonable quantity” refers to the normal quantity stipulated by customs based on the passenger’s travel purpose and residence time.
   • “Supervisory period for passenger luggage items” refers to the time from the date of the non-resident’s current entry to the date of the most recent exit, or from the date of the resident’s current exit to the date of the most recent entry.
   • “Separate transportation luggage” refers to the passenger’s luggage items transported inbound or outbound by consignment within the stipulated period before or after entry or exit.
   • “Levy duty and exemption” refers to the collection or reduction of import and export duties (that is, taxes on inbound passenger luggage items and personal postal items).
   • “Guarantee” refers to a legal act of guaranteeing the fulfillment of the promised obligations within the stipulated period by paying a deposit to customs or submitting a guarantee letter.

Exchange Control and Prohibited/ Restricted Items

1. Foreign exchange: There are no quantitative restrictions on foreign currencies, traveler’s checks, or letters of credit brought in. However, inbound passengers should accurately declare to customs if carrying foreign currencies in cash worth more than 5,000 U.S. dollars.
2. RMB: The limit of RMB allowed to bring in or take out is 20,000 yuan. The exceeding part is prohibited.

Prohibited from Importation

1. Arms, imitation arms, ammunition, and explosives of all kinds.
2. Counterfeit currencies and counterfeit negotiable securities.
3. Printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video tapes, compact discs (video and audio), storage media for computers, and other items that are detrimental to the political, economic, cultural, and moral interests of China.
4. Deadly poison of all kinds.
5. Opium, morphine, heroin, marijuana, and other addictive drugs and psychotropic substances.
6. Fruits, solanaceae vegetables, live animals (except dogs and cats as pets), animal products, pathogenic microorganisms of animals and plants, pests and other harmful organisms, animal carcasses, soil, genetically modified organisms, relevant animals and plants, their products, and other objects subject to quarantine from countries or regions with prevalent epidemic animal or plant diseases.
7. Foodstuff, medicine, and other items coming from epidemic-stricken areas or harmful to humans, livestock, or those that might spread diseases.

Prohibited from Exportation

1. All items listed as prohibited from importation.
2. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video-tapes, compact discs (video and audio), storage media for computers, and other items that involve state secrets.
3. Valuable cultural relics and other relics prohibited from exportation.
4. Endangered and precious rare animals and plants (including their specimens), their seeds and reproducing materials.

Limits on Quantities of Inward Items for Chinese Passengers

Category	Commodity	Limit
First Category	Clothing materials, clothing, shoes, hats, arts and crafts, and other daily necessities valued at RMB 1,000 or less (including RMB 1,000)	Duty-free within a reasonable quantity for personal use. For items valued at RMB 800 or more but less than RMB 1,000, only one of each kind is allowed.
Second Category	Tobacco products Alcoholic beverages	(1) For residents of Hong Kong and Macao regions and mainland residents traveling privately between Hong Kong and Macao regions, 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 grams of cut tobacco are duty-free; 1 bottle (less than 0.75 liters) of alcoholic beverages above 12 degrees is duty-free. (2) For other passengers, 400 cigarettes, or 100 cigars, or 500 grams of cut tobacco are duty-free; 2 bottles (less than 1.5 liters) of alcoholic beverages above 12 degrees are duty-free.
Third Category	Daily necessities valued at RMB 1,000 or more but RMB 5,000 or less (including RMB 5,000)	(1) For diplomatic agency personnel stationed overseas, Chinese students studying abroad and visiting scholars, overseas laborers and aid workers, for every 180 consecutive days abroad (for students and visiting scholars, the inspection and release time of items is calculated from the date of registration to the date of graduation), and for ocean-going crew members for every 120 consecutive days abroad, one of the items can be selected for duty-free. (2) For other passengers, one of the items can be selected for taxation within each calendar year of entry.

Taxable Self-Use and Household Items for Settled Passengers

1. Television sets
2. Cameras
3. Video recorders
4. Video players
5. Audio equipment
6. Air conditioners
7. Refrigerators and freezers
8. Washing machines
9. Cameras
10. Fax machines
11. Printers and word processors
12. Microcomputers and peripherals
13. Telephones
14. Furniture
15. Lamps
16. Meal ingredients (including beverages and alcohol)
17. Private cars
18. Motorcycles

Conclusion

Understanding and complying with these regulations will ensure a pleasant and hassle-free journey to China. We wish you a wonderful travel experience in China!

Remember, customs regulations may change, so it is advisable to stay updated by referring to the latest information from the relevant authorities before your trip.

FAQs

Refer

1. Home – GACC (customs.gov.cn)
2. Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Customs Statistics
3. 144-hour-Visa-Free Transit policies for Foreign Nationals – A Complete Guide