Latest News: China slightly eases international flight suspension rules (Reuters, 29.04.2021).

International Restrictions:

*Entry and transit: Entry into China is subject to satisfying visa requirements and the submission of a Health Declaration Form to your nearest Chinese Embassy or Consulate before travel, who will need to certify the form and return it via email. More details, including the process for submitting forms for those still eligible, can be found from the nearest Chinese Embassy website.

In order to receive a Health Declaration Form from the Chinese Embassy you must provide evidence of negative nucleic acid and IgM antibody tests for COVID-19 taken no more than 48 hours before you travel.

Reports of both your nucleic acid (COVID-19) and IgM (antibody) tests must come from the same service provider. This does not mean the provider must carry out both tests, but that the provider must guarantee both test reports.

On 15 March the Chinese authorities announced a relaxation of certain requirements for visa applicants who can prove inoculation with a vaccine produced in China. Further details should be taken from the nearest Chinese Embassy website.

A limited number of international flights from countries are flying into Beijing. International passenger flights to Beijing continue to be diverted to 16 designated airports in Chengdu, Changsha, Hefei, Lanzhou, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Jinan, Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Dalian, Zhengzhou, Xi’an and Wuhan. A small number of international flights are also operating direct between European cities and Shanghai, Guangzhou and Qingdao.

*Health checks on arrival: All overseas passenger arrivals are subject to health checks on arrival (likely involving nucleic acid or swab tests). Those failing health checks may be sent to a designated hospital for treatment.

Health regulations surrounding passengers arriving from overseas are continuously changing. You should contact your nearest Chinese Embassy before you travel if you have any questions regarding these entry requirements, quarantine rules or the requirements for individual cities.

*Quarantine requirements: Following health checks on arrival, you will then need to enter quarantine for at least 14 days. At some points of entry children 14 and over will be required to quarantine alone irrespective of whether they test positive or negative for COVID.

You will be separated from your child if one of you tests positive for coronavirus. If this happens to you, you should call consular assistance. Non-residents may be charged for their care.

Quarantine is usually spent at either a centralised government hotel (with costs covered by the traveller) or your home. Quarantine requirements can change at short notice and may differ from province to province.

Follow-up swab tests are likely to take place during your quarantine period. Family members of someone who tests positive, or those who have been in close contact, will need to go into a government quarantine hospital.

For all quarantine arrangements in China:

• unless directed by the authorities you’re not allowed to leave your designated quarantine location for 14 days. This means you’re also unable to leave China for the duration of the quarantine

• depending on the quarantine location, facilities may be basic: there may be no fridge, no air-conditioning, and limited or no internet/wifi

• during your stay you will be responsible for cleaning the room

• if meals are not available at the quarantine location, you will need to arrange food orders for delivery from outside

• larger sized families with two parents may be separated into 2 rooms.

• if you’re on prescription medication make sure you bring enough with you to last for at least 3-4 weeks together with medical documents certifying that you need to take this medication.

Failure to comply with the quarantine conditions or testing put in place, or any attempts to deliberately conceal health conditions can result in being sentenced to up to three years in prison. This applies to both Chinese and foreign nationals. Internal Restrictions:

*Travel in China: Mandatory requirements to check temperatures and use health apps or scan QR codes to prove travel history are in place at transport hubs, hotels, commercial buildings including restaurants, residential compounds and other locations – such locations are also increasingly needing the use of ‘health kit code’ apps to demonstrate health condition and travel history.

Restrictions on movement and quarantine arrangements remain for travel between different parts of the country. Some cities and provinces need travellers from high to medium risk areas to undergo 14 days of isolation in their place of residence or in centralised observation. Quarantine is enforced at the neighbourhood level and procedures vary, so check in advance.

The possibility that local authorities impose mandatory quarantine in response to fresh outbreaks is high. There have been reports of individuals who have frequented bars or restaurants where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 being mandated to undergo 14 days of centralised quarantine. You should keep up to date with the latest developments and this travel advice.

There have been reports of discrimination against foreign nationals in China as a result of a perceived risk that they might re-import COVID-19. In Guangzhou, in particular, there have been reports of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, especially of those who are black and minority ethnic, including additional enforced quarantine and testing, as well as hotels and businesses not serving clients.