What items are prohibited during entry (e.g., certain medicines, food, cash limits)?
PM
23:04 2025/04/22
I. Prohibited Medicines
- Psychoactive/Anesthetic Drugs
- Containing ephedrine (cold medicines like Day & Night, Neo-Contergan), morphine (cough medicine like Compound Licorice Tablets), codeine (painkillers like Dihydrocodeine Tablets)
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Sleeping pills (such as Zolpidem), sedatives (like Diazepam) must be accompanied by a doctor's prescription (not exceeding personal reasonable usage).
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Chinese Herbal Medicines and Products
- Prohibited: Fresh herbs (such as ginseng, stone斛), products containing endangered species components (such as tiger bones, rhinoceros horns, musk)
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Restricted: Dried herbs (such as tangerine peel, wolfberry) require declaration, total weight ≤ 1 kg
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Other Restrictions
- Biological products (such as serum, vaccines) require a "Special Items Approval Form"
- Personal-use medicines should retain original packaging and instructions; it’s recommended to carry prescriptions in English/Chinese for prescription drugs
II. Prohibited Food Items
| Category | Prohibition/Restriction Requirements | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and Products | Prohibited from carrying raw meat, cooked meat, meat canned goods (products from epidemic areas are fully prohibited) | Ham, sausage, beef jerky |
| Dairy Products | Prohibited from carrying fresh milk, cheese, butter (commercially packaged baby formula ≤5kg can be released) | French cheese, Australian milk powder |
| Fresh Fruits/Vegetables | Prohibited from carrying all fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds | Apples, mangoes, chili seeds |
| Eggs | Prohibited from carrying fresh eggs, preserved eggs, salted eggs | Japanese eggs, century eggs |
| Bird's Nest | Prohibited from carrying (except canned bird's nest) | Malaysian dried bird's nest |
| Seafood | Prohibited from carrying live organisms; dried products need declaration and quarantine | Dried sea cucumber, abalone dry (total quantity ≤5kg) |
III. Cash and Valuable Items Limits
- Cash
- Foreign currency: up to $5,000 equivalent (no declaration required); >$5,000 requires filling out the "Passenger Baggage Declaration Form"
- Renminbi: up to 20,000 yuan; >20,000 yuan requires declaration
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Excess without declaration: may be confiscated or fined (up to 20% penalty)
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Valuable Items
- Gold: ≤50 grams (requires declaration, excess requires central bank license)
- Designer bags/watches: reasonable personal use quantities; new items may be taxed (it’s recommended to keep shopping receipts)
IV. Other Prohibited/Restricted Items
| Category | Specific Regulations |
|---|---|
| Animal/Plant Products | - Ivory, crocodile skin products completely prohibited - Coral, giant clams require endangered species certification - Pets entry require quarantine approval (limited to dogs, cats, 1 per person) |
| Publications/Audio-Visual Products | - Prohibited from carrying books, discs with content harmful to Chinese politics, pornography, violence - Religious books require personal reasonable quantities |
| Electronic Devices | - Drones require prior registration (brands like DJI need to register on UOM website) - Satellite phones prohibited from entering |
| Weapons/Replicas | Firearms, ammunition, knives (blade >6cm), police equipment, replica weapons are all prohibited |
V. Duty-Free Quotas and Declaration Suggestions
- Duty-Free Quota:
- Resident passengers: total value of overseas purchases ≤5,000 RMB
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Non-resident passengers: total value of self-used items staying in China ≤2,000 RMB
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Declaration Suggestions:
- When uncertain if an item complies, voluntarily go through the red channel for declaration
- Keep overseas shopping invoices for customs valuation
- The WeChat mini-program "Customs Passenger Fingertip Service" allows pre-filling up to 24 hours in advance
VI. Penalties for Violations and Common Issues
- Typical Penalty Cases:
- Unreported excess cash: A passenger carrying $30,000 was fined 20% ($6,000)
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Carrying 10 boxes of Contac: Was investigated due to containing ephedrine
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Emergency Consultation Channels:
- Customs hotline: +86-12360 (24-hour bilingual service)
- WeChat mini-program: "12360 Customs Hotline" online consultation
Warm Reminder:
Before traveling, be sure to log in to the official website of China Customs (http://www.customs.gov.cn) or consult the local Chinese embassy/consulate to confirm the latest regulations!
