China duty-free allowance

Your duty-free allowance is what you can bring into Chinawithout paying import duty or tax. Anything above it must be declared at customs and is taxed. The figures below were checked on 2026-07-31 against the official customs source, linked on the card.

Alcohol

1.5 L

under this: no declaration

Full rule

under 1,500ml of alcoholic drinks (12%+ ABV) passes without declaration; 1,500ml or above must be declared

Tobacco

400 cigarettes

or 100 cigars / 500 g

Full rule

under 400 cigarettes / 100 cigars / 500g tobacco passes; at or above must be declared

Goods & gifts

RMB 5,000

residents · RMB 2,000 visitors

Full rule

Chinese residents: personal articles from overseas under RMB 5,000; non-residents: articles remaining in China under RMB 2,000; high-value trip gear (camera/laptop over RMB 5,000 each) must be declared for re-export

Cash · declare from

USD 5,000+

foreign · RMB hard-capped at 20,000

Full rule

RMB 20,000 is a HARD CAP in/out (excess prohibited, not just declarable); foreign currency USD 5,000+ must be declared (and re-declared to take out again)

Depends on: resident vs non-resident value tiers; separate lower thresholds exist for Hong Kong/Macao border crossers (not on this page)

Good to know

official GACC English page was fetched via curl (WebFetch failed on a self-signed certificate); the RMB 20,000 absolute cap on local currency is unique among surveyed countries

From China's official customs guidance, checked 2026-07-31 ·verify at the source · Guidance, not law — allowances change and the customs officer has the final say. Verify before you fly.

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