China Arrival Card for Nigerians: Online Guide

China arrival card for Nigerians: find the official online form, prepare your passport and travel details, fix mistakes and know what to do at the airport.

China Arrival Card for Nigerians: Online Guide

China arrival card for Nigerians can be completed online before travelling to mainland China. Preparing it ahead of your flight gives you time to check your passport details, arrival date and accommodation information.

The official service is free. Paper arrival cards are also available at Chinese ports of entry if you cannot complete the online process. Your arrival card, visa and accommodation registration serve different purposes, so prepare each step properly.

Do Nigerians need an arrival card for China? #

For a standard individual business visit, plan to complete an arrival card unless you qualify for a stated exemption.

The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria's arrival-card notice explains that foreign nationals can submit entry information online. Exemptions include holders of China's Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, group-visa travellers and passengers in 24-hour direct transit who remain within the designated port area.

Holding an individual business visa does not appear among those exemptions. If your journey involves a special entry arrangement, confirm the applicable rule with immigration.

Start with how to apply for a China visa in Nigeria. Buyers attending a trade exhibition can also use the first-time Canton Fair guide to organise the wider trip.

Is the arrival card the same as a visa application? #

No. The arrival card supplies information for your entry journey. It does not issue a visa, extend your permitted stay or guarantee admission.

For commercial and trade activities, the embassy's visa-category guidance identifies the M visa. Your travel documents and actual purpose must support the entry arrangement you are using.

The China visa form guide covers visa-application paperwork. The arrival card is a separate task.

Check your issued visa using the validity and duration-of-stay guide. If your passport has not yet been returned, follow the China visa application status guide.

A completed arrival form should not be treated as confirmation that your pending visa has been issued.

Where can you complete the form, and what does it cost? #

Use the official NIA arrival-card website, linked from China's National Immigration Administration.

NIA also lists its government service platform, the NIA 12367 app and WeChat or Alipay mini-programs as official channels. You can use a designated official QR code to reach the service.

NIA's notice about fraudulent arrival-card websites confirms that online arrival-card filling is free of charge.

If someone offers paid help, distinguish their assistance fee from the government service. Avoid entering passport details into an unfamiliar payment page advertised as the official form.

Travellers choosing WeChat can prepare with how to set up WeChat in Nigeria. If registration stalls, use the WeChat verification guide. The official web route remains another option.

What should you have ready before starting? #

Preparing a China arrival card for Nigerians is easier when your travel records are together. Keep these available for the questions the form asks:

• The passport you will use for the journey.
• Your issued visa or other applicable entry document.
• Your itinerary, including the flight entering China.
• Your expected arrival and departure dates.
• The name and full address of your actual accommodation.
• Contact details and supporting business-trip information.

Copy identity details from the passport. Check names and numbers carefully, especially similar-looking characters.

Use your ticket to check the flight from Nigeria to Guangzhou. A traveller leaving Nigeria on one date may reach China on the next; the arrival date should reflect the China itinerary.

For accommodation, use the booking details. “Guangzhou” or “Haizhu District” alone is not a full address. Compare where to stay in Guangzhou with hotels near Canton Fair in Pazhou.

How do you complete the China arrival card online? #

Open the official service and follow its current instructions. Complete the form before travelling once your itinerary is settled, using the arrival dates the service accepts.

Work through these checks:

1. Select the appropriate entry-information service. Read the instructions for your actual entry arrangement.
2. Enter or capture passport details. If the service reads them from an image, compare every field with the passport.
3. Provide the requested travel information. Use the actual itinerary, entry document and purpose of the visit.
4. Enter the accommodation information requested. Use where you will really stay.
5. Review and submit. Retain the confirmation or QR code if the service provides one, following its instructions.

For example, an Onitsha trader visiting Guangzhou for supplier meetings should describe the trip accurately and use the booked accommodation. A supplier's warehouse address should not replace the hotel address simply because it is easier to find.

Keep a readable copy of your travel details accessible offline.

What if you make a mistake or cannot submit online? #

Reopen the same official service and use any correction option it provides. Follow its instructions if the flight, arrival date or accommodation changes.

If you cannot correct a submitted record, explain the problem to immigration staff and follow their directions. Keep the accurate passport, ticket and booking records ready.

The Lagos visa centre's arrival-card notice confirms the alternatives at the border: scanning the designated QR code, using an on-site smart device or completing a paper arrival card.

Plan your connection with the China SIM card guide for Nigerians. Charge your phone before landing, but keep your travel details available even if the battery or internet fails.

What should you do after landing in China? #

Follow the immigration instructions and present the documents requested. The Guangzhou airport arrival guide covers the broader arrival process.

Accommodation registration is a separate requirement. NIA's September 2026 notice says hotels register their foreign guests. For stays outside hotels, the traveller or host must complete registration within 24 hours after arrival. Online accommodation registration is now available nationwide; the offline route remains available.

Use the China maps guide and getting around Guangzhou guide to reach your accommodation.

Complete the China arrival card for Nigerians alongside your final travel checks. Share your itinerary and accommodation details with ChinaBridge if you need help organising the sourcing trip.

First published 09 Oct 2026. Last checked 09 Oct 2026 by The ChinaBridge desk. Something here out of date? Tell us in the comments and we will fix it.