Your First Two Hours After Landing in China

Before the seatbelt sign goes off

Your first two hours in China go smoothly or badly based on what you did before landing. Three things matter: your passport, your hotel's name and address in Chinese characters, and a charged phone.

Screenshot your hotel booking and its Chinese address before you fly. Airport Wi-Fi often requires a Chinese phone number to log in, so assume you'll be offline until you sort out your own connection.

If the crew hand out an arrival card mid-flight, fill it in on the plane. Doing it standing at a counter with a queue behind you is the worse version of the same job.

Immigration: what actually happens

Follow the signs for the foreign passports lane. Many Chinese airports have kiosks that collect fingerprints from foreign visitors before you reach the counter — staff will point you to them, and the machines have an English option. Exact procedures vary by airport and change over time, so follow the signs and the staff rather than a memorized script.

At the counter, the officer scans your passport, takes a photo, and may ask where you're staying and for how long. Have that booking screenshot ready. Answers can be short: hotel name, number of nights.

If you're asked something you don't understand, this phrase resets the conversation:

Officers at international airports deal with non-Chinese speakers all day. Saying this clearly — instead of nodding along — gets you pointed to someone who can help. It's one of the first phrases in the China Survival Kit app, recorded by a real teacher and playable offline, which matters in a terminal where you have no signal yet.

Get connected before you leave arrivals

If you installed a travel eSIM before flying, turn off airplane mode after immigration and confirm it actually has data. Do this before you leave the arrivals hall — if something is broken, the airport is the easiest place to fix it.

No eSIM? You have two options. Buying an eSIM over airport Wi-Fi is possible but fiddly, since the Wi-Fi login itself often wants a Chinese phone number. The SIM counters in arrivals work, but Chinese SIM cards require real-name registration — still the rule as of 2026 — so the counter needs your physical passport, and after a full flight lands that queue can eat half an hour.

For most travelers, an eSIM installed at home is the calmer path. The full comparison — which type to buy and what works with Chinese apps — is in our eSIM and internet in China guide.

Cash or mobile pay?

China runs on mobile payments. As of 2026, Alipay and WeChat Pay both let foreign visitors link international cards — set at least one up before you fly, since verification is easier on good Wi-Fi at home. Card support and limits change, so verify on the official app pages before your trip.

Still get some cash at the airport. A few situations — small vendors, a dead phone battery — are easier with notes in your pocket. Use an ATM attached to a major bank rather than a standalone machine, and if it offers to convert to your home currency, decline; your own bank's rate is usually better.

Getting out: taxis, Didi, and the tout problem

For an official taxi, follow the taxi signs to the rank outside. If you lose the trail, ask anyone in a uniform:

In the car, show the driver your hotel's address in Chinese characters and say:

If you'd rather order a Didi — China's ride-hailing app — airports have designated pickup points, usually a numbered door or a level of the parking structure. The app tells you where to stand; drivers usually can't stop at the terminal curb. How Didi works with a foreign card, and the phrases you'll need with drivers, is covered in our Didi and taxi guide.

First-night checklist

Once you reach the hotel, five minutes of admin buys you a calm first morning:

• Check in properly. Hotels in China register foreign guests with the local police — standard practice as of 2026. The front desk handles it and will need your passport for a few minutes.
• Take a hotel card. Most front desks have one with the address in Chinese. It's your way home if your phone dies.
• Save the emergency numbers. 120 for an ambulance, 110 for police, 119 for fire. They work nationwide.
• Test your payment app on something small. A drink from the nearest convenience store settles both the test and the jet-lag thirst.
• Load tomorrow's phrases tonight. The free 30-phrase audio guide covers ordering, directions, and prices — the situations your first full day is made of.