Visiting China

Monegasque nationals wishing to visit China must have a passport and a visa.

The passport must be valid for at least six months after the date on which you will leave China.

Travellers are invited to visit the website of the Chinese Embassy in France to familiarise themselves with the procedures for obtaining a visa and the list of information which they will need to submit.

Before departure, you should check that the validity period of the visa and the number of entries granted by the Chinese authorities matches the duration and arrangements of your trip.

Register on the Ariane portal before you leave

In order to improve its ability to respond to crisis situations, the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Crisis Centre has created a portal allowing French and Monegasque travellers who wish to do so to register their trips overseas, easily and free of charge.

All you need to do is enter the contact details via which you can be reached during your travels, as well as those of a person to contact in the event of an emergency.

The details registered can be used, in the event of a crisis only, by the Crisis Centre and by Embassies, to contact you should rescue operations be organised.

The Ariane portal also enables the Crisis Centre to:

  • Take stock of the number of French and Monegasque nationals declared to be in an area affected by a crisis situation
  • Provide information to nationals by phone or text message
  • Contact the person designated by the user as the person in France or Monaco to be informed in the event of an emergency for the purposes of giving, obtaining or confirming information about the traveller

Preparatory work on the tool was carried out in conjunction with the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL, French National Commission on Information Technology and Liberties) in order to provide users with full guarantees regarding the security and confidentiality of their personal data.

Register with Ariane for peace of mind while travelling!

For more information, visit the dedicated page on the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs website.

Double entry visa

If you have a double entry visa valid for 30 days, check that the date indicated under “enter before” is in line with the latest date on which you wish to enter China for the second time (if this date is not respected, the second entry will not be authorised).

Hong Kong and Macao

Monegasque nationals do not require a visa for entry to Hong Kong and Macao.

However, if you wish to visit mainland China from Hong Kong or Macao, you must have a Chinese visa in advance. You will therefore need to apply for your visa before your departure.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry to Hong Kong or Macao.

Monegasque residents wishing to visit Hong Kong or Macao as part of a trip to China, and then to re-enter mainland China for their return flight to Europe, must obtain a visa allowing at least two entries. Failure to do so means that you will need to seek a new visa from the Chinese authorities before returning to Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.

Tibet

Visas for China do not permit direct entry to Tibet, which is subject to special regulations.

Arrival in China

Foreigners are required to register with the police department in the district in which they are staying within 24 hours of arrival (hotels will take care of this formality on behalf of their guests).

Foreign exchange controls

Entering China

On entry to China, foreigners must declare to customs the foreign currency they are carrying if the amount is equal to or more than USD 5,000.

Leaving China

On leaving China, there are no formalities for those carrying less than USD 5,000.

Those carrying a sum of between USD 5,000–10,000 must apply for an “outbound carrying permit” from a bank, presenting their passports and visas. This permit must be checked by customs.

Those carrying a sum of more than USD 10,000 must:

  1. Apply for an outbound carrying permit from a bank, presenting their passports and visas
  2. Submit this outbound carrying permit, stamped by the bank, to the office for the control of foreign currency which has jurisdiction over the relevant bank. The office in question is responsible for verifying the authenticity, the origin and the use of currency before it leaves the country
  3. Present the verified outbound carrying permit to customs

For additional information, contact the Chinese Embassy in Paris.