Guide of Customs Declaration of China for Foreign Travelers

Planning to travel to China, foreign tourists may concern the things that they should pay attention to at the customs. Following is a detailed guide for customs declaration for foreign visitors. You will be aware of things that you cannot take into and out of China.

Luggage Carrying Principle

Reasonable and for Personal Use

Inward and outward luggage carried by travelers and inward and outward postal items shall be limited to reasonable quantities for personal use and subject to Customs control.
 

Active Declaration

Owners of inward and outward articles shall truthfully declare to the customs and accept customs inspection. Seals affixed by the customs shall not be opened or broken by any person without customs authorization.

Duty-Free

Articles with a value of less than 5,000 yuan carried by resident travelers (including 5,000 yuan) and articles with a value of less than 2,000 yuan(including 2,000 yuan) carried by non-resident travelers shall be duty-free.
 

Excess Part

For articles for personal use exceed the above amount, after examination by the customs, the customs will only levy taxes on the articles for personal use for the part exceed the limit. And taxes on indivisible single articles will be fully levied. 

What to declare when I enter China?

• Animals and plants and their products, microbes, biological products, human tissues and blood products. 
• Articles with a total value of more than 2,000 yuan(CNY) that non-resident travelers intend to leave in China.
• Alcoholic drinks exceed 1500ml(alcohol content is above 12 degrees), or cigarettes exceed 400, or cigars exceed 100, or the cut tobacco exceeds 500g
• RMB(CNY) cash exceeds 20,000 yuan, or foreign currency cash over 5,000 US dollars in total
• Luggage of separate transportation, goods, samples of goods and advertisements
• Other articles that need to be declared to the customs

What to declare when I leave China?

• Cultural relics, endangered animals and plants and their products, biological species resources, gold and silver and other precious metals
• Goods, samples of goods and advertisements
• RMB(CNY) cash exceeds 20,000 yuan, or foreign currency cash over 5,000 US dollars in total
• Other items that need to be declared to the customs.

Articles prohibited from entering China

• All kinds of weapons, simulated weapons, ammunition and explosives
• Forged currency and forged negotiable securities
• Printed matter, roll films, photographs, records, films, magnetic tapes, videotapes(video cassettes), video compact disc(VCD), computer storage media and other articles harmful to China's politics, economy, culture and morality
• All kinds of deadly poisons
• Opium, morphine, heroin, marijuana and other addictive narcotics and psychotropic medications
• Animals, plants and their products with dangerous germs, pests and other harmful organisms 
• Foods, medicines or other articles that are harmful to human and animal health, come from epidemic areas and can spread diseases

Articles prohibited from leaving China

• All articles listed in the scope of articles prohibited from entering China
• Content of manuscripts, printed matter, roll films, photos, records, films, magnetic tapes, videotapes(video cassettes), video compact disc(VCD), computer storage media and other articles involve state secrets
• Precious cultural relics and other cultural relics prohibited from leaving China
• Endangered and rare animals and plants(including specimens) and their seeds and producing materials

Articles restricted for entering China

• Radio transmitter and communication security machines
• Tobacco and alcohol
• Endangered and rare animals and plants(including specimens) and their seeds and producing materials
• National currency
• Other articles restricted from entering China by the customs

Articles restricted from leaving China 

• Precious metals such as gold and silver and their products
• National currency
• Foreign currency and its negotiable securities
• Radio transmitter and communication security machines
• Valuable Chinese medicinal herbs
• Cultural relics
• Other articles restricted from leaving China by the customs

Declaration Pass

Nothing to declare(Green Pass)

Travelers who do not carry the articles that should be declared to the customs don't need to fill in the Application Form for Import/Export of Articles for Personal Use of Customs of People's Republic of China, and choose Nothing to declare(Green Pass) to pass through customs.
 

Goods to Declare(Red Pass)

Except those who are exempted from customs supervision and passengers under the age of 16 traveling with adults, inbound and outbound passengers who carry articles that should be declared to the customs must fill out the Application Form for Import/Export of Articles for Personal Use of Customs of People's Republic of China, and choose Goods to declare(Red Pass) to pass through customs.

Please note that travelers who do not know about the Regulation of the Customs Clearance for Inward and Outward Passengers of China should choose the Goods to declare(Red Pass) and consult the relevant regulations with the staff of customs.

Tips to travelers carrying tobacco and alcohol

Passengers from and to Hong Kong and Macao

Passengers from and to Hong Kong and Macao who enter China for the first time within 15 days, can carry 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of cut tobacco duty-free, and can carry 1 bottle of alcoholic beverage with a degree of 12 or above (the total amount is less than 0.75 liters) duty-free.
 

Other passengers who enter China for the first time within 15 days, are allowed to carry 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars or 500 grams of cut tobacco duty-free, and 2 bottles of alcoholic drinks with a degree of 12 or above (the total amount is less than 1.5 liters).
 

Passengers under the age of 16 are not allowed to bring alcohol and tobacco into China.