China Customs Declaration: Choose the Red or Green Channel
Use current China Customs rules to decide whether to declare baggage and what to do if you are unsure at the airport.
Use the red Customs channel and make a written or electronic declaration when you carry declarable items. Use the green channel only when you have nothing to declare. If you are unsure, choose the red channel and ask Customs staff. The current process took effect on 1 April 2025 and replaced the 2007 declaration announcement.
Do the three stepsDecide from what you carry, not from a generic traveler form
China does not require every arriving traveler to submit the same baggage declaration. Review your actual items against the current Customs rules, keep supporting documents available, and declare truthfully when required.
Do these three things
These three actions cover the normal path. Special cases and deeper detail follow below.
- 1
List items that may need declaration
Review cash, goods, animals or plants, food, medicines, gifts, commercial items, and other controlled or restricted items against current official Customs rules.
- 2
Prepare the matching route
If an item is declarable, prepare a written or electronic declaration and any supporting document. Optional advance electronic entry still needs confirmation at the designated Customs point.
- 3
Choose the channel at arrival
Use the red channel when you have declarable items or remain unsure. The green channel is for travelers with nothing to declare.
What should you do after baggage collection?
Base the decision on your real baggage and the current official rules. Do not assume that every traveler files a declaration.
Declare the relevant items
Use this route when an item is declarable. Present the declaration and supporting documents to Customs.
Proceed with nothing to declare
Use this route only when your baggage contains no item that requires a declaration.
Use the red channel and ask
Do not guess or hide the item. Take it to the red channel and ask Customs staff how to proceed.
You are ready when...
- You have checked your actual baggage against current official Customs rules.
- You know whether you plan to use the red or green channel.
- Supporting documents for restricted or declarable items are easy to reach.
- You will use the red channel instead of guessing if the answer remains unclear.
Special cases and detailed steps
Use these sections when the normal path does not fit your conditions. They cover exceptions, extra checks, and longer recovery steps.
The current process began on 1 April 2025
GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2025 replaced the former 2007 declaration announcement. A traveler with declarable items makes a written or electronic declaration and uses the red channel. A traveler with nothing to declare uses the green channel.
This is not one form that every traveler must file. Your real baggage decides the route. Check the current official rules again if you add a medicine, food item, gift, large amount of cash, valuable purchase, or commercial goods after your first review.
Online entry does not finish the Customs step
The official process allows advance electronic entry through the Customs service route. It can reduce typing after arrival, but it does not remove the onsite step. Confirm the information at the designated Customs point and keep the baggage available for inspection.
Do not treat a submitted screen as permission to bring an item into China. A restriction, permit requirement, duty decision, or inspection can still apply.
Keep documents with the item
If an item may need a prescription, permit, purchase record, value record, or other support, keep that document in your hand baggage. Do not place the only copy deep inside a checked bag.
Describe the item and its purpose accurately. If the quantity or use looks commercial rather than personal, do not assume that ordinary traveler baggage rules settle the question.
When in doubt, take the red route
Do not use the green channel simply because an English explanation is hard to find. Keep the item accessible, use the red channel, and ask Customs staff. This is the simple fallback for an uncertain case.
The immigration arrival card and the Customs baggage declaration are different tasks. Completing one does not complete the other.
If something does not work
Match the issue to one recovery step, then move to the backup when time matters.
You found a form based on the 2007 announcement
Do not use it as the current rule. GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2025 replaced the 2007 announcement from 1 April 2025. Return to the current official source.
You completed data online and expect to leave immediately
Advance electronic entry is optional preparation. The official announcement still requires confirmation at a designated Customs point and does not remove possible inspection.
You are unsure whether one item is declarable
Use the red channel and ask Customs staff. The current baggage regulation directs travelers to declare truthfully and use the red route when the answer is uncertain.
Your baggage changes after your first check
Check again. A gift, medicine, food item, purchase, or extra cash added later may change the correct channel.
Keep the item accessible and use the red channel. Show Customs staff the item and any document, then follow their instructions. Do not discard, hide, or transfer an uncertain item to another traveler.
Sources and currentnessReviewed 19 Jul 2026; next review due 26 Jul 2026
Recheck when it matters: Reopen the current GACC baggage and declaration rules shortly before departure. Check any special rule for medicine, food, plants, animals, high-value goods, cash, or commercial quantities that you plan to carry.
- GACC Announcement No. 43 of 2025 on Inbound and Outbound Passenger Baggage DeclarationsGeneral Administration of Customs via the State Council
- Regulations on Customs Supervision of Inbound and Outbound Passenger BaggageGeneral Administration of Customs via the State Council
Frequently asked questions
Does every traveler entering China file a Customs declaration?
No. The current official process separates travelers with declarable items from those with nothing to declare. Check your actual baggage before choosing the red or green channel.
Can I enter the declaration online before arrival?
The official route allows optional advance electronic entry. You still need to confirm it at the designated Customs point, and Customs may inspect the baggage.
What if I do not know whether an item must be declared?
Choose the red channel and ask Customs staff when the item remains uncertain; do not treat it as nothing to declare.
Is the arrival card the same as the Customs declaration?
No. The arrival card is an immigration step. A baggage declaration is a separate Customs process based on what you carry.