The Before-You-Fly China Checklist: 12 Things to Sort at Home
China is easy once you land — if you set it up before you fly. The 12 things to do at home, in order.
China rewards preparation more than almost any destination: the systems are excellent, but several of them assume a Chinese phone number — which you don't have yet. Do these 12 things at home, in roughly this order, and your first day becomes a holiday instead of admin.
The week before
- 1. Confirm your entry status with the visa checker — visa-free, 240-hour transit, or L visa
- 2. Buy and install a travel eSIM routed via Hong Kong — see how to choose one
- 3. Install Alipay, complete passport verification, link your Visa/Mastercard — the full setup
- 4. Install WeChat as your second payment rail and how locals will contact you
- 5. Download offline maps and translate packs (Google Translate's offline Chinese pack works even where Google doesn't)
The bookings
- 6. Filter hotels by 'accepts foreign guests' — mid-range chains and international brands always do; small inns sometimes can't complete the registration foreigners require
- 7. Book high-speed trains the morning the 15-day window opens for weekend legs — how that works
- 8. Reserve the Forbidden City and any timed-entry sights days ahead
The day before
- 9. Screenshot your hotel's Chinese name and address — drivers rarely read English
- 10. Photograph your passport and visa/entry stamp page
- 11. Withdraw ¥300–500 (≈$40–70) cash on arrival for street-stall personal QR codes
- 12. Save the emergency numbers: 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire — and your embassy's 24-hour line
Key point
Print or save offline: your return/onward ticket and first hotel booking. Airlines check onward tickets at boarding for visa-free and transit entries.
Want this as a drip feed instead? Our free 7-day email series sends one setup task per day in the week before you fly — payments, eSIM, bookings, arrival — plus visa policy updates when the rules change.
Local services
Want a local to handle the tricky parts? Airport pickup, guides, custom itineraries.
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