¥20,000 in renminbi, and the equivalent of US$5,000 in foreign currency. Those are two separate allowances counted separately, and both apply on the way in and on the way out. Above either figure you are into declarations and permits rather than a flat ban.
The renminbi limit#
China caps the banknotes you may carry across its border at ¥20,000 per person per crossing. It applies to Chinese nationals and foreign visitors alike, entering and leaving, and it is per crossing rather than per trip — the same ceiling applies again on the way home.
This is the limit most visitors never come near, because cash in China is a backup rather than a payment method. It matters mainly if you have exchanged a large sum, been paid in cash, or are carrying leftover notes home for a future trip.
The foreign-currency limit is a different rule#
Foreign banknotes are governed separately, under provisional measures issued jointly by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the General Administration of Customs, in force since 1 September 2003. The bands on the way out:
| Foreign cash carried out | What is required |
|---|---|
| Up to US$5,000 equivalent | Nothing — you are waved through |
| Over US$5,000 to US$10,000 | A 携带证 (xiédài zhèng, carrying permit) from a bank |
| Over US$10,000 equivalent | A permit from a local SAFE branch |
Note the wording: the threshold is an equivalent, so euros, pounds and yen are converted and counted together with dollars rather than each getting their own allowance.
On the way in, the structure is different: there is no permit, but foreign cash above the equivalent of US$5,000 must be declared to customs in writing on arrival. That written declaration is also what makes taking the money out again straightforward, which is the practical reason to do it rather than an administrative nicety.
There is one trap for people crossing repeatedly — at a Hong Kong or Macau land border, for instance. Where someone leaves more than once in the same day, the second and any subsequent exit that day is capped at the equivalent of US$500, not US$5,000.
What happens if you go over#
Carrying more than the allowance without declaring it is treated as a customs violation rather than smuggling, provided you have not hidden or disguised it: customs issues a warning and may impose a fine, and the surplus is dealt with rather than simply pocketed. Concealment — taping notes inside a bag, splitting them across an unwitting travelling companion, misstating the amount — moves the matter into a different and much more serious category.
The sensible reading is that these are declaration thresholds, not confiscation triggers. Declaring costs you a form. Not declaring costs you a form, a warning and a fine, and a memorably bad start to a flight.
The rest of what you cannot take out#
Money is only half of it, and the other half is better known: the antiques, wildlife products and quantities that Chinese customs stops on the way out are a separate set of rules with a separate logic, and the antiques rule in particular is stricter than most published guidance says.
Two practical notes. If you are leaving with a VAT rebate claim, the goods must physically leave with you, so the refund and the customs check are the same conversation. And if you have been paying for everything by QR code, as almost everyone now does, you will likely reach the airport with far less cash than these ceilings and never think about them at all — which is the usual outcome, and the reason the limits surprise the people who do hit them.