China Customs Declaration
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Customs of Beijing International Airport |

Answer: They are two channels in China Customs. If you have nothing to declare, please take the green one, otherwise pass through the red one. When you are uncertain which one to take, choose the red one.
How much US currency and Chinese RMB can I bring in?
Answer: 5,000 US dollars (or equivalent in any foreign currency) or 20,000 CNY is permitted. If you have more than this amount, related documents will be needed and you need to declare to the customs.
Do I need to declare my golden necklace which I am going to wear when traveling in China?
Answer: According to the regulations, if gold, silver and the products made from them are less than 50g (2 ounce), they are duty-free and do not need to be declared. If the weight exceeds the limitation, you should declare it.
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Green Channel and Red Channel |
What about the gold objects I have bought in China?
Answer: All the receipts for valuable articles, such as jewelry, jade, gold and silver ornaments, handicrafts, artifacts, paintings and calligraphy that you buy in China should be kept for the exit check.
How many cans of milk powder can I take to China?
Answer: Milk powder of reasonable amount for personal use is duty-free and does not need to be declared. Usually, each visitor is allowed to take one box, containing 6 cans if each can is over 800g in weight, or 24 cans if each can is less than 800g. For the part exceeding the limit, you should declare it and pay the tax. The tax rate for infant milk powder is 5 percent.
I’m traveling to China with my Iphone, Ipad, and MacBook. Do I need to declare them and pay the tax when I enter China?
Answer: You do not need to declare and pay the tax for your personal items, such as smart phone, tablet PC, laptop, and digital camera, if within reasonable quantity (one for each). However, if you are taking another brand new phone or laptop with the outer packing and instruction book as a gift for your friend in China, you should declare the new one and pay the tax.
Are cigarettes and alcohol duty-free?
Answer: up to 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars and up to 1.5 liters of alcoholic beverages (alcohol measure above 12 degrees) are duty-free either entering or exiting. More than the limited amount needs to be declared and a certain mount of duty needs to be paid.
Can you give specific information about the things need to be declared?
Answer: The followings need to be declared according to the China Customs Luggage Declaration Form when entering into China:
1. Any item that will be left in China whose value exceeds 2,000 CNY
2. More than 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars and 1.5 liters of alcoholic beverages (alcohol measure above 12 degrees)
3. Foreign currency greater than 5,000 US dollars or the equivalent, or 20,000 CNY
4. Animals and animal products, microorganism, biological products, human tissue, blood and blood products
5. Transceiver, communications devices.
6. Any items prohibited and limited according to the laws of the People's Republic of China
7. Luggage that need to be transported separately
8. Cargo, commercial samples, advertising items
The followings need to be declared according to the China Customs Luggage Declaration Form when exiting the country:
1. Foreign currency above 5,000 US dollars or equivalent, or 20,000 CNY
2. Gold, silver and other valuable items
3. Cultural relics, endangered animals and plants as well as their products, biological species resources
4. Transceiver, communication devices.
5. Any items prohibited and limited according to the laws of the People's Republic of China
6. Cargo, commercial sample, advertising items
Will I be punished if I did not declare the things that need to be declared?
Answer: Yes. China Customs follows the regulation strictly. There is detailed information about what kind of things needed to be declare on the Declaration Form, so check your Custom Declaration Form carefully and make sure you complete it accurately.
Note: Custom Declaration is quite a troublesome procedure. We strongly recommended that foreign travelers should ask in advance if you may have any problems concerning the regulations. You can consult your travel agency or the Custom Declaration office in the airport for help.










I will be going to another country after China, and part of the money will be used there.
What should I do in this case?
What is the penalty?
Thank you!






Do you know whether they are charging anything for the extra money you're bringing with you into the country - a fee of some sort, duty, or something like that?
I will have to pay for a semester at a language school 4 months & travel afterward. Five thousand dollars would never allow me to even get through the semester of school - tuition, rent, food, etc..., not to mention travel the country afterwards, & I don't want to keep it on a card 'cause I heard so many stories about the problems with international payments, charges for it that banks impose, cards get "stuck", stop working, & it's a nightmare to fix the issues with your bank in U.S. from overseas, over the phone.
I prefer to just bring enough cash with me, pay a duty, 'cause I don't have a job, or residency, in China, and they wouldn't open an account for me there, due to the new laws on foreigners opening bank accounts.
...
What do you think? Is there a solution to it? I'd rather pay some duty on the money, if I had to - I would be paying extra fees for international transactions to my bank here, in U.S., anyway. (And they charge you well!) I might just pay the duty at the border, in China, and have a peace of mind. What do you think?
Thank you very much for any help.
Regards



