China Arrival Card: Free Official Portal vs $50 Scam Sites (2026)

Yes, completely free. The official China arrival card is the China Digital Arrival Card (CDAC), launched by the National Immigration Administration on November 20, 2025. The portal sits on a .gov.cn domain. Any site charging you $30, $50, or any fee is a scam buying Google ads above the real one.

You have two filing paths. Open the desktop or mobile site directly in your browser, or use the 'NIA 12367' mini-program inside WeChat or Alipay (search '12367'). Both produce the same QR code. The form takes 5-8 minutes — you'll need passport details, flight number, hotel address in China, and entry port. Submit the form within 72 hours of your scheduled arrival. Earlier submissions get rejected with a 'too soon' message.

After submission, save the QR code screenshot to your phone gallery. At the immigration counter, the officer scans the code from your screen. Wi-Fi is unreliable at most border-control halls, so don't rely on opening the form live. Some carriers still hand out paper arrival cards on the plane regardless of your digital filing — fill in the paper form anyway if asked, since it costs nothing and prevents counter delays.

If your flight crew hands you a paper card and you've already filed the digital one, hand both to the officer. Border policy is in transition through 2026, and individual officers handle the overlap differently. Avoid third-party sites with official-sounding names — they're commercial agencies, not the government, and have no official status.