Traveling to China During COVID-19
Part 2: Flying from the US to China in November 2021
WildChina founder, Mei Zhang, recently departed her Berkeley home on a flight to Shanghai. With China’s borders still largely shut, and extensive quarantine requirements still in place, Mei has been experiencing first-hand the many steps and regulations required to enter China at the moment.
She’s chronicling the details of her experience along the way to provide some clarity into what it’s like traveling to China right now. This is Part 2: Flying from the US to China in November 2021.
Stay tuned for further parts like Mei’s arrival into China and her quarantine experience.
Part 2:
Flying from the US to China in November 2021
Hi there, I am a Chinese citizen, so I won’t talk about getting a visa, that’s a whole other story. This list covers the actual steps to get on the plane to China:
1. Get vaccinated
You MUST be vaccinated to enter China. There are no loopholes or exemptions on this point.
HERE is a link to the CDC page on how to get vaccinated in the US.
2. Get a pre-flight covid test
China requires much more rigorous covid testing, so you can’t just go to your normal neighborhood testing site. Instead, you need to email the nearest PRC Embassy or Consulate for a list of approved covid testing sites. It’s very hard to navigate for such information on their website, so I suggest emailing them directly. They are very good about responding with a list of designated clinics for travel to China. This is VERY important – only tests results from these designated testing sites are accepted. I live in Berkeley, and had to drive 50 miles to the nearest approved testing site, in San Jose.
So, book your appointment early, and make sure the appointment is exactly your departure date minus two days. For example, if you leave on the 15th, book the appointment for 13th;
You’ll need to pay for three tests: one PCR-covid test, then TWO anti-body tests if you have Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (In China they refer to it as protein S and protein N antibody).
So, you will need THREE test results (all negative of course).
HERE is some information from the CDC on getting covid tests for international travel.
3. Obtain a green code
This is a total pain, and I think it’s the biggest stress point.
For Chinese-language, you upload your test results in WeChat. There’s a mini program called 防疫健康国际版。
For English-language, you fill out the form on: hrhk.cs.mfa.gov.cn/h5/ .
You will want to do this as soon as you have the test results.
It is VERY Important to double check and triple check your submission documents, and make sure you upload all THREE test results when they ask you for covid test results. It doesn’t specify on their form, but if you miss one result, it’ll delay the approval. You have to manually come back to check to see if the code turned from yellow to green or not – they won’t email you or call you.
If you don’t get a green code, you won’t be able to board the flight.
Now here’s the part that’s admirable about the Chinese system. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the weekend or after working hours, someone is always working and checking on the other end of the system. So, if you don’t have a green code, keep submitting, or resubmit. No matter how late it is.
I didn’t get my green code until 10pm, and I had to leave for the airport at 6am the next morning. I almost gave up. It really is the biggest stress point.
4. Get to the airport early
The airline will check for TWO different codes. The green health code was just one of them. There is another one for customs. In Chinese, you can fill it out in the WeChat mini program as well, look for 海关旅客指尖服务。 You can do this ahead of time, and I recommend doing it in WeChat because you will need to access it again when you land.
For English speakers, there will be a QR code at the airport for you to scan, it will then populate a form for you to fill out. You should be there 3 hours prior to your flight to allow enough time for all of this.
5. Apply for a business class upgrade early
The airfare is very expensive, my ticket for United round trip to China, economy class, was about $5000. (Nov 2021)
But maybe I got lucky. The plane was pretty empty, so I was very comfortable in business class when they upgraded me.
Now, my advice, sleep as much as you can, because you’ll need lots of energy to navigate the arrival process upon landing.
Happy Trails.
– Mei Zhang 张玫
Please note: The above information is based on personal experience at the time of writing. Please contact your local Chinese embassy or consulate in the US for the most updated information and requirements on travel to China.
