China ended the routine Entry/Exit Health Declaration Form requirement at 00:00 on November 1, 2023. Travelers with specified infectious-disease symptoms or diagnoses still need to report truthfully and cooperate with health-quarantine procedures.
Do not confuse that ended routine health form with China’s newer online entry information declaration for foreign nationals. The newer process is an arrival-card function handled through National Immigration Administration channels, with listed exemptions. It is not the old customs health QR code.
What Ended in 2023
The General Administration of Customs announcement, summarized on the Beijing government official English page, ended the routine health declaration form for inbound and outbound travelers from November 1, 2023.
That means an ordinary traveler should not follow an old blog or saved 2020 QR-code instruction as the default 2026 entry process.
What Health Reporting Still Applies
The same official notice says people entering or leaving China who have symptoms such as fever, cough, breathing difficulty, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, or unexplained subcutaneous bleeding, or who have been diagnosed with an infectious disease, must voluntarily report health status and cooperate with quarantine procedures.
Do not hide symptoms to protect a connection. Answer official questions truthfully and keep medical records or medication information available where relevant.
The New Online Arrival Card Is Different
The National Immigration Administration’s 2026 online arrival-card guide explains an Online Entry Information Declaration for foreign nationals. Travelers can fill in entry information through official channels and show the record at border control.
The guide lists exemptions, including certain permanent-resident card holders, specified travel-permit holders, group-visa or group-visa-free travelers, some 24-hour direct-transit passengers remaining in the port area, certain cruise passengers, E-channel users, and foreign crew.
Check the current official page because eligibility and process can evolve.
Use Only Official Channels
The NIA guide states that the online arrival-card service is free. Do not pay a website or individual merely to submit a standard declaration. Verify the domain, publisher, app, or port signage before entering passport information.
Read China Arrival Card Online for the current official channels and a practical fallback when the online form is unavailable.
Never send a live border declaration QR code, passport scan, or verification message to an unverified helper. If the online route fails, ask the airline, border-inspection staff, or official port help desk about the available on-arrival process.
Before Departure
Check three separate categories:
- Immigration: visa, exemption, arrival information, and passport requirements.
- Customs: baggage, cash, food, medicine, animals, plants, and declaration rules.
- Health: symptoms, outbreak notices, vaccination or medical requirements for the route.
An arrival card does not replace a customs declaration, and neither changes visa eligibility.
Airline and Transit Requirements
An airline or transit country can impose its own document or health requirements. Check the operating airline and every transit jurisdiction. A form not required by China may still be requested elsewhere in the itinerary.
Save the official notices and completion records offline. Do not assume airport Wi-Fi or your normal cloud service will be available at the counter.
If You Have Symptoms
Consult an appropriate health professional before travel when needed. Review destination guidance such as the CDC’s China traveler page, insurer terms, and airline fitness-to-fly requirements.
At the border, describe symptoms, diagnosis, onset, recent care, medication, and relevant travel history truthfully. Follow quarantine, screening, or testing instructions. Keep the hotel, insurer, and emergency contacts ready.
Avoid These Errors
- Paying for a “mandatory health QR code” through an unofficial site.
- Treating a 2020 customs applet screenshot as current.
- Assuming the online arrival card is a visa application.
- Skipping a customs declaration because arrival information was submitted.
- Hiding symptoms or diagnosis.
- Relying on one QR code stored only in an inaccessible cloud account.
Entry-Form Checklist
- Current NIA, Customs, airline, and transit guidance was checked.
- I understand that the routine health form ended in 2023.
- Symptom-based health reporting remains separate.
- The online arrival information declaration is not the old health QR.
- A free official channel was used and the record was saved offline.
- Customs, immigration, and health requirements were checked separately.
- Medical and insurance information is available if symptoms occur.