Arriving at Pudong or Hongqiao: immigration, the arrival card, SIM, cash and your first ride

The short answer. Fill in China’s online arrival card before you fly if you can; if you do not, you can still do it at the immigration hall. After immigration, the airport’s one-stop service centre in the arrivals area can help with a SIM, currency exchange, a transport card and getting your payment app working. Then take Metro Line 2 (the cheapest way in from either airport), a taxi from the official rank, or a DiDi car.

1. The arrival card

Since 20 November 2025 foreign visitors can submit their arrival card online before travelling. The National Immigration Administration (NIA, 国家移民管理局) accepts it:

• on its government service website;
• in the “NIA 12367” app;
• in a WeChat or Alipay mini-program;
• by scanning an official QR code.

The form asks for your personal details, flight number and address in China, and a photo of your passport page, and gives you a QR code to show at immigration.

If you have not filled it in. You can do it at the immigration inspection area by scanning a QR code with your phone, using the self-service devices there, or filling in a paper card. At Pudong, a self-service information point in the arrival corridor before border control has QR codes for the arrival card. At Hongqiao, the Shanghai government reported in December 2025 a dedicated service zone in the arrival area with tablets, fast Wi-Fi and multilingual volunteers to help you fill it in. We have not found an official statement on whether paper cards are still handed out at either airport.

Who does not need one. The NIA’s list includes holders of a Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, group-visa holders, travellers using the automated e-channel, and passengers in 24-hour direct transit who stay in the port area. Most visitors are not on that list, so assume you need one.

Have your hotel’s address saved on your phone before you land; the card asks for an address in China.

2. Immigration

Visa-free visitors and transit passengers queue with other foreign arrivals. What each policy lets you do, and what officers may ask to see (such as the onward ticket for a 240-hour transit), is set out in the visa-free and transit guide. Have your passport, the QR code or card, and your onward ticket or hotel booking ready. Follow the signs for foreign passports; this site does not describe counter positions, which change.

3. Phone and data

Before leaving the baggage hall you have three options.

• Free airport Wi-Fi. It works without a Chinese number: you scan your passport photo page on the login page.
• SIM card. At the one-stop service centre you can buy a short-term China Telecom SIM valid for 7, 15 or 30 days, using a passport or other valid ID. China Telecom has priced these at 85, 125 and 195 yuan respectively (announced March 2024; check the current price). The airport also has an integrated service zone at baggage claim, for international arrivals, that sells SIM cards and rents portable Wi-Fi.
• eSIM from home. If you bought one before travelling, switch it on now. Note that data on international roaming and on many travel eSIMs is routed through networks abroad, so some foreign services will still not load.

4. Cash and payment

• Currency exchange is offered in the baggage-claim service zone and at the one-stop centre.
• ATMs. You can withdraw yuan at ATMs that show the logo of your card network, usually up to 3,000 yuan per withdrawal; your own bank may set lower limits.
• Phone payment. The one-stop centre helps with mobile payments and with downloading widely used local apps. Setting up Alipay before you fly is much easier; see the paying guide.
• Transport card. The one-stop centre sells and tops up the Shanghai Pass card, which works on public transport and in some shops and venues.

The centres are in the international arrival halls of Pudong Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and Hongqiao Terminal 1, and are described as round-the-clock. The Shanghai government’s March 2026 article describes the services as round-the-clock but gives no opening hours, and it lists no centre at Hongqiao Terminal 2 (China Daily reported the same three sites in September 2024). If one looks closed, or you land at Hongqiao Terminal 2, ask any airport staff member.

5. Your first ride into town

Route	Cost and time	Notes
Pudong, Metro Line 2	about 7 yuan, about 1 hour to People’s Square	Cheapest. Some trains need a change.
Pudong, Maglev	50 yuan (40 with that day’s air ticket)	Fast, but ends at Longyang Road; change to Line 2.
Pudong, taxi	about 180 yuan, about 50 minutes to People’s Square	Official ranks only.
Hongqiao, Metro Lines 2 and 10	metro fare by distance (see the guide)	Terminal 2 is on Lines 2 and 10; Terminal 1 is on Line 10.
Hongqiao, taxi	100 to 150 yuan, about 30 minutes	Official ranks only.
Airport buses	varies	Pudong has five bus services, Hongqiao 12 routes.

Full details, including taxi rank gates, are in the getting-around guide. Between Pudong and Hongqiao, the Airport Link Line takes about 40 minutes.

Taxi. Use the official rank, not a person who approaches you in the hall. Make sure the meter is on, and keep the receipt.

DiDi. You can open DiDi through Alipay. Pick-up points at the airports are not covered here; follow the signs for ride-hailing or ask at the one-stop centre, which gives help with transport. Message the driver in the app, and send a screenshot of where you are standing.

If it doesn’t work

• No signal and no Wi-Fi. Use the airport Wi-Fi with your passport, or go to the one-stop centre.
• Your card is refused at an ATM. Try another machine that shows your network’s logo, or exchange cash.
• A driver wants a flat price to go to town. Decline and walk to the official rank or the metro.
• You think you were overcharged. Shanghai’s 12345 public-service hotline accepts complaints in English around the clock.

Small print

• The online arrival card came into use on 20 November 2025. Check the NIA’s site for any change to the rules.
• Fares, SIM prices and services were checked on 22 October 2026. Airport services change often.
• Hall layouts, counter positions and ride-hailing pick-up points are not described on this page because they have not been checked on site.

请问出租车站在哪里？ (Qǐngwèn chūzūchē zhàn zài nǎlǐ?) “Where is the taxi rank?”