OffToChina is a free pre-trip guide for Americans getting ready for their first trip to China. We focus on the part most travel sites skip: everything you need to sort out before you board — your visa route, the apps that must be installed before you land, mobile payments with a U.S. card, connectivity, and the arrival card.
How we source and check information
Entry rules for China change often. For anything involving visas, transit, or immigration, we work from primary government sources and re-check them on a fixed schedule:
- The Chinese Embassy in the United States (visa requirements and fees)
- The National Immigration Administration (NIA) (visa-free transit, regional policies, ports)
- Official notices on gov.cn for policy changes
Every guide shows the date it was last checked. Where a rule is genuinely uncertain or varies by port or airline, we say so plainly and point you to the official source rather than guess. We do not process visas or payments ourselves — we help you understand what to do and link you to the right place to do it.
What we don't do
We don't invent personal travel anecdotes or stock "I tried this" stories. When we describe a process, it's based on official requirements and the current app interfaces, not a fabricated trip diary. Our goal is to be the source you trust with your visa decision.
Questions or a correction? The rules really do change — if something here looks out of date, tell us and we'll re-check.