China’s General Administration of Customs has published its official list of items that are prohibited from being brought into the country in 2026.
It warns that travellers found carrying any of the listed articles could be in breach of Chinese law and may face severe legal penalties.
The guidance, which was released through the official customs portal of the People’s Republic of China, applies to every foreign visitor entering the country, including Nigerians.
According to information available on the agency’s official website, the customs authority further warned that travellers who fail to declare restricted or prohibited items to customs officers upon arrival may still be liable for punishment, even if they claim they were unaware of the regulations.
7 items banned from import into China
The following seven categories of goods are not permitted to be brought into China:
1. Arms, imitation arms, ammunition, and explosives of all kinds.
2. Counterfeit currencies and counterfeit negotiable securities.
3. Printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and video tapes, compact discs (video and audio), computer storage media, and any other materials considered detrimental to China’s political, economic, cultural, or moral interests.
4. Deadly poisons of all kinds.
5. Opium, and other addictive drugs and psychotropic substances.
6. Fruits, solanaceous vegetables, live animals (excluding dogs and cats kept as pets), animal products, and pathogenic micro-organisms.
7. Foodstuffs, medicines, and other articles originating from areas affected by epidemics, or those determined to be harmful to humans and livestock, or capable of spreading disease.
