Emergencies & consular help
The numbers that matter, why 12367 is the one for visitors and 12308 is not, how hospitals work, and what to do when a passport disappears.
The four numbers to save before you need them
These are the emergency numbers in China. Save them in your phone now, with the country code, because you will not want to look them up later.
- 110 — police. Also handles general emergencies and non-urgent reports.
- 120 — ambulance. Emergency medical response and transport.
- 119 — fire and rescue. Also used for people trapped or hazardous materials incidents.
- 122 — traffic police, for road accidents.
- Operators may not speak English. Say the name of your city and the word "emergency" slowly, then stay on the line — calls are usually traced.
12367 — the number for visitors
This is the one to remember as a foreign visitor, and it is the number most travel sites fail to mention. 12367 is the National Immigration Administration’s service platform: a single number that handles questions about visas, entry, stay, residence, accommodation registration and more. It is not an emergency line, but for anything official and non-urgent it is the right call.
- Launched on 8 April 2021 to replace a patchwork of local numbers that were hard to remember and often busy.
- Chinese and English, 7×24, with a real person — the accommodation policy document explicitly requires all-hours Chinese-English service.
- Russian, Japanese and Korean were added on 26 November 2024.
- French was added on 11 December 2025.
- For Russian, Japanese, Korean and French, the platform sets up a three-way call between you, an interpreter and the operator.
- It accepts not just questions but complaints and suggestions — including a hotel that wrongly refuses foreign guests.
- Also reachable in writing through the 移民局12367 mini-program inside WeChat or Alipay, which answers 7×24 in Chinese and English.
12308 is not for you — and this matters
Many travel sites tell foreign visitors to call 12308 for consular help. That is a misreading. 12308 is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consular protection hotline for Chinese citizens who are abroad. It exists to help Chinese nationals in other countries, not foreign nationals inside China. Calling it will not get you consular assistance.
- 12308 serves Chinese citizens outside China, and was launched on 2 September 2014.
- From outside China, dial +86-10-12308. The alternative number is +86-10-65612308.
- The hotline is answered all hours, with no time-zone gap.
- If you are a foreign visitor inside China, your route is your own country’s embassy or consulate — see the next section.
- If you are a Chinese citizen reading this while travelling abroad, 12308 is indeed your number.
Your own embassy and consulate
Your embassy in Beijing, or a consulate in a major city, is who you call when something serious happens: a lost passport, an arrest, a hospitalisation, a death, or a missing person. Save the details before you fly, not after.
- Save your embassy’s address, phone number and after-hours emergency line in your phone before departure.
- Know which consulate covers the cities you are visiting — not every country has one everywhere.
- Many countries offer a voluntary traveller registration service. Use it; it is how you get contacted if something happens.
- Consulates can issue emergency travel documents, contact family, and provide lists of lawyers and interpreters. They cannot pay your bills or get you out of jail.
- If you are arrested or detained, you have the right to have your consulate notified. Ask for it explicitly.
Hospitals and clinics
Chinese healthcare is fast and, outside the largest cities, inexpensive. The main challenge is language rather than access. Large cities have international departments and private clinics where English is spoken.
- Large public hospitals in major cities often have a 国际医疗部 (international medical department) with English-speaking staff.
- Private international clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are the easiest option for English, and the most expensive.
- Bring your passport — you cannot be registered without it.
- Payment is expected up front or at discharge. Have a working wallet or a card.
- For an ambulance, call 120. For a non-emergency, take a taxi or DiDi to the hospital.
- Describe your symptoms in writing using a translation app. Show the screen; do not rely on pronunciation.
- Keep every receipt. Travel insurance claims will ask for them, and Chinese receipts are detailed enough to satisfy most insurers.
Pharmacies and medicines
Pharmacies are everywhere, marked with a green cross, and are the right first stop for minor problems. Bring your own prescription medicines, because the local equivalents may differ in name and formulation.
- 药店 (yàodiàn) means pharmacy. Staff are used to people pointing at symptoms.
- Common painkillers, cold medicine, rehydration salts and stomach remedies are cheap and widely available.
- Bring enough of your own prescription medication for the whole trip, in original packaging.
- Carry a doctor’s letter for any controlled or injectable medicine, and check the prohibited-items list before you fly.
- Note that some medicines sold over the counter at home require a prescription here, and vice versa.
If your passport is lost or stolen
This is the single most disruptive thing that can happen on a trip, and the sequence matters. Do these in order.
- Report it to the police and get a written report (报案证明). You will need it for everything that follows.
- Contact your embassy or consulate to apply for an emergency travel document or replacement passport.
- Keep photocopies or phone photos of your passport page, visa page and entry stamp — they make the replacement far faster.
- If you have a departure flight booked, tell the airline. A replacement document may change what they can do for you.
- Report the loss to your accommodation, and keep the police report with you until you leave the country.
Theft, lost phones and lost wallets
China is a low-crime country by international standards, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Petty theft and lost property still happen, usually in crowds and on public transport.
- Report any theft to the police and get the written report — insurance will require it.
- If your phone is lost, you cannot pay by QR code. This is why a cash reserve matters. Keep ¥300–500 separate from your wallet.
- Remotely wipe and lock a lost phone. Also revoke your wallet apps from another device.
- If your wallet is gone, your hotel front desk can usually help you reach your bank and your embassy.
- Lost property on trains and metros is often recovered — ask at the station lost-property office the same day.
Common scams aimed at visitors
None of these are dangerous, and all of them are avoidable once you know the shape of them.
- The tea ceremony — a friendly English-speaking stranger invites you to a traditional tea tasting, then presents an enormous bill. Decline invitations from strangers, however fluent their English.
- The art student — someone asks you to visit a gallery or buy their work. It is a sales pitch with a story attached.
- The unofficial taxi — anyone approaching you inside an airport or station offering a car. Use the official rank or a ride-hailing app.
- The overcharged bill — rare, but check prices on a menu before ordering at anywhere without printed prices.
- The "your hotel is closed" story — a driver tells you your hotel has burned down or been closed, and offers an alternative. Call your hotel directly and continue there.
Weather and natural events
China spans a huge range of climates and has a real typhoon and earthquake season. Being aware is usually enough.
- Typhoons affect the south-east coast from roughly June to October, mainly Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Hainan. Flights and trains get cancelled, usually with warning.
- Earthquakes occur in the south-west, notably Sichuan and Yunnan. Building codes in cities are strong.
- Summer heat in the eastern cities is genuinely dangerous — plan indoor breaks in the middle of the day.
- Winter air quality in northern cities can be poor. Check the AQI, and consider a mask on bad days.
- Follow local advisories and your embassy’s travel notices, which are usually more current than international news.
Documents to keep ready
A small amount of preparation removes most of the panic from an emergency.
- Photograph your passport page, visa, entry stamp, insurance policy and hotel bookings. Store them in cloud storage you can reach from any device.
- Carry one printed copy of the same set, separate from your passport.
- Save your embassy number, your insurance emergency line and 12367 as contacts in your phone.
- Write down your blood type, allergies and any regular medication in English and Chinese, on a card in your wallet.
- Give a family member your itinerary and hotel names before you leave.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to carry my passport with me at all times in China?
Yes. Under Article 38 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law, foreigners aged 16 and older must carry their passport (or residence permit) at all times and present it when inspected by police. But this is also a practical necessity: in China your passport is your ticket — you need the physical document to board high-speed trains (12306 e-tickets are linked to your passport number), check in at hotels, and enter major attractions like the Forbidden City and national museums. A photo of your passport on your phone will not be accepted at train stations — bring the original. Keep a photocopy or a phone photo as backup, and carry the original in a safe, easy-to-reach place (a money belt or zipped inner pocket) when you're out sightseeing.
Does China observe daylight saving time? What time zone is China in?
No — China does not observe daylight saving time. The clocks stay the same all year; the last time change was in September 1991. The whole country runs on a single time zone: China Standard Time (UTC+8), also called Beijing Time — even in Xinjiang and Tibet, where the sun can rise 3–4 hours later by the clock. Two things to know: (1) if your home country uses DST, your time difference with China shifts by one hour when your own clocks change — e.g., China is 13 hours ahead of New York in winter, 12 in summer. (2) In Xinjiang, some locals use an unofficial "Xinjiang Time" (UTC+6, two hours behind) in daily life — but all train/flight tickets, schedules, and bookings are in Beijing Time.
What is the current US travel advisory level for China? Did it change in October 2026?
As of the October 19, 2026 revision, mainland China remains at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution — the overall level did not change. What changed is that a new risk indicator was added: D for wrongful detention, alongside O for other concerns. The advisory summary cites the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the use of exit bans without a fair and transparent process under the law, and the risk of wrongful detention. Level 2 is not Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) or Level 4 (Do Not Travel). Advisory levels and wording change over time, so check the current advisory on the US State Department / US Embassy in China website before you travel, and enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for updates while you are abroad.
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