I brought a printed itinerary to immigration. The officer barely looked at it.

ChinaTravelMemo

My friend from Canada is an over-planner. Before her 240-hour transit trip, she printed:

• A 10-day day-by-day itinerary
• All hotel bookings (8 hotels)
• Return flight confirmation
• A map of her route
• A list of cities she planned to visit

She presented this stack of paper to the immigration officer at Beijing Capital.

He took her passport. Scanned it. Stamped it. Handed it back.

He didn't look at a single piece of paper.

The reality of 240-hour transit immigration:

Most of the time, the officer only checks:

1. Your passport (valid, with enough blank pages)
2. Your onward ticket (confirmed, leaving within 240 hours, to a different country)
3. Maybe: "Where are you staying?" (just the first city is enough)

That's it.

But you should still bring the paperwork:

Because sometimes they DO ask. And when they ask, they want specifics.

What to have ready:
• Onward flight confirmation (printed or on phone)
• First hotel booking (the one in your arrival city)
• Rough idea of your itinerary

What you DON'T need:
• Day-by-day detailed itinerary
• Every hotel booking for the whole trip
• Maps, guides, or printed research

When they DO ask questions:

• If it's your first time in China
• If you're from a country with higher scrutiny
• If your itinerary looks unusual (e.g., entering Beijing, exiting Lhasa)
• If you have a history of visa overstays
• Randomly (about 1 in 20 people)

Tips:

• Keep your onward flight booking easily accessible on your phone.
• Know the name of your first hotel.
• Don't volunteer information. Answer what they ask, nothing more.
• Stay calm. They're not trying to catch you — they're just doing their job.

My Canadian friend:

"I brought a 20-page travel dossier. The officer stamped my passport in 30 seconds without glancing at it. I felt ridiculous. But I'm still glad I had it — just in case."

Anyone else over-prepared for Chinese immigration? What did you bring?