What Can You Carry Across Hong Kong, Mainland China and Macau? 2026 Guide

Short answer: ordinary clothes, reasonable personal belongings, phones and laptops are usually fine. The difficult categories are food, animals and plants, pets, medicines, tobacco, alcohol, cash and e-cigarettes. Check both the place you are leaving and the place you are entering. This guide covers ordinary travellers carrying reasonable, non-commercial personal luggage—not commercial goods, samples, bulk shopping or special permits.

Customs permission is separate from quarantine, immigration and aviation security. If an item needs a licence, health certificate, quarantine approval or declaration, do not wait until the checkpoint to ask.

Quick comparison

Destination	Usually acceptable	Common problem items	What to do before departure
Hong Kong	Clothing, personal items, phones and laptops; food depends on category	E-cigarettes, meat/eggs/milk, dangerous medicines, pets, excess tobacco/alcohol and cash	Use the red channel when an item is declarable; pets need advance permits; declare cash/bearer instruments over HKD 120,000 on entry
Mainland China	Reasonable personal luggage, everyday goods and some packaged snacks	Meat, dairy, eggs, fresh fruit/vegetables, cut flowers, seeds/soil, most live animals, controlled medicines, excess tobacco/alcohol and commercial goods	Check the customs declaration rules; declare anything restricted, licensed, quarantined or over the allowance
Macau	Reasonable personal items; some food, formula, medicine and tobacco have personal allowances	Bouquets and plant branches cannot be treated as ordinary luggage, meat/seafood, leafy vegetables, fresh eggs, e-cigarettes and live animals	Check Macau’s personal-goods table; use the red channel for quarantine, controlled or commercial items

What is normally safe as personal luggage?

Clothes, shoes, toiletries, phones, computers and cameras are normally uncomplicated when carried in reasonable personal quantities. Packaged snacks are safer when commercially sealed, clearly labelled and free from meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce and plant-propagation materials. Keep medicines in their original packaging and carry a prescription, diagnosis or doctor’s letter where relevant.

Do not rely on “vacuum packed”, “cooked” or “only one small bag” as a legal test. Quarantine rules depend on the species, source, ingredients, processing and destination.

Hong Kong: declaration, pets, medicines and e-cigarettes

Hong Kong uses a red/green channel system. Passengers with no declarable items may use the green channel. Prohibited or controlled goods, dutiable goods above the concession, animals, plants, medicines, cash instruments and goods requiring written declaration should use the red channel or be approved in advance. The green channel is not an absolute exemption from inspection. See Hong Kong Customs red/green channels.

For arriving travellers aged 18 or above, the usual duty-free tobacco and alcohol concessions include 1 litre of liquor above 30% ABV, 19 cigarettes, one cigar (or, if more than one cigar, a total cigar weight of no more than 25 g) or 25 g of other manufactured tobacco. Eligible Hong Kong ID holders generally need to have stayed outside Hong Kong for at least 24 hours; cross-boundary truck drivers do not receive the concession. Hong Kong also controls the export of formula for children under 36 months: an eligible traveller aged 16 or above with no departure in the previous 24 hours generally has a 1.8 kg total net allowance. That is a Hong Kong export rule, not permission from the destination.

Cats and dogs

Cats and dogs cannot simply be carried through Hong Kong as ordinary luggage. Apply in advance to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for a special permit and prepare the required official health certificate, rabies records, microchip/identity documents and quarantine materials. Mainland China is in Group IIIA; when the conditions are met, the quarantine period is shortened from 120 days to 30 days. For air travel, pets normally travel as manifested cargo rather than cabin or excess baggage. See AFCD pet import requirements.

Meat, poultry, eggs and game may require an approved source and official health documents. Plants, cuttings and propagation materials often require an import licence and phytosanitary certificate. Hong Kong generally prohibits the import of alternative smoking products, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, related parts and substances; limited airside transit exceptions are not ordinary passenger allowances.

For entry through a specified control point, cash and bearer negotiable instruments with a total value above HKD 120,000 must be declared through the red channel. On departure, disclosure is required when Customs asks.

Mainland China: quarantine, cash, tobacco and pets

Declare restricted or prohibited goods, animals/plants and their products, biological materials, commercial goods, samples, advertising goods, goods requiring a permit, goods above the duty-free allowance and separated baggage. If none of those situations applies, a passenger may use the green channel. Customs provides a “fingertip service” in WeChat and Alipay for advance declaration.

For ordinary entry at Mainland ports, do not bring raw or cooked meat and meat products, animal-origin aquatic products, milk and dairy products, eggs and egg products, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh cut flowers, tobacco leaves, seeds, seedlings, soil, pathogens, pests, animal carcasses/specimens, animal feed or unauthorised biological materials. The official customs FAQ treats milk, milk powder, cheese and similar animal-origin dairy products as prohibited for personal entry. Hengqin’s special “first line/second line” policy is a separate regime and must not be applied to every Mainland port.

For an adult resident traveller entering from Hong Kong or Macau, reasonable personal baggage up to RMB 12,000 is generally within the duty-free value allowance; shopping at an inbound duty-free store can bring the combined value to RMB 15,000. This is a tax allowance, not a permit for prohibited or quarantined items. Common Hong Kong/Macau tobacco and alcohol limits include 200 cigarettes, 10 cigars, 250 g of cut tobacco, one e-cigarette device, three pods or combined products, 6 ml of e-liquid and 0.75 L of alcohol above 12% ABV. Other origins have different limits. Travellers under 18 do not receive the tobacco/alcohol concession, and frequent short-interval entrants may face lower journey-necessity standards.

On entry, RMB cash of RMB 20,000 or foreign-currency cash over the equivalent of USD 5,000 must be declared. On exit, foreign cash above USD 5,000 and up to USD 10,000 generally requires a bank-issued foreign-currency carrying permit; amounts above USD 10,000 usually require foreign-exchange authority approval.

Personal entry of companion animals is generally limited to one dog or cat per person per trip, with an official veterinary/quarantine certificate, vaccination record and microchip or valid identity mark. Quarantine can be around 30 days depending on the source country and route; follow the current Customs guide for the specific port.

Macau: flowers, food, formula and e-cigarettes

Macau has a personal-goods table allowing limited personal quantities of selected dairy products, poultry eggs (not fresh eggs), honey, live plants/bulbs, root vegetables, fruit, seeds, ice cream, pet food, infant formula, medicines and tobacco/alcohol. Examples include 19 cigarettes, one cigar under 3 g, 25 g of other tobacco, 1 litre of drinks above 30% ABV and a usual total of no more than 5 kg for the relevant first category. Meat, seafood, fresh leafy vegetables and fresh eggs should not be treated as having a general personal exemption.

Flowers are not ordinary luggage

Macau Customs’ 2026 reminder says bouquets and plant branches cannot be casually carried into Macau. They generally require a phytosanitary certificate, an appointment with the Municipal Affairs Bureau, port inspection and Customs declaration; violations may lead to seizure and penalties. A live plant with roots may qualify for a limited personal-use exemption, such as a total weight of no more than 1 kg, but the species, roots, weight and protected-species status matter. Orchids, cacti, aloe, pitcher plants and cycads may also trigger CITES controls.

So “Macau does not allow fresh flowers” needs a precise reading: ordinary bouquets and branches cannot be brought in without the required documents; eligibility depends on the plant and the quarantine process.

Meat and meat products, seafood and fresh leafy vegetables generally have no ordinary passenger allowance. Fresh fruit is commonly limited to 1 kg; dairy products, bird’s nest and natural honey are commonly limited to a combined 1 kg, while formula depends on the infant’s age and the relevant authority’s rule. Ordinary medicines should stay in original packaging; narcotic and psychotropic medicines generally need a doctor’s proof and no more than 30 days’ supply.

Macau prohibits carrying e-cigarette products into or out of the territory. Non-endangered animals normally require an import permit and health quarantine; CITES animals need additional permits. A special Hengqin “first line” exception for eligible Macau residents carrying a dog or cat is not a general Macau-port rule.

Cash or bearer instruments over MOP 120,000 must be declared when entering or leaving Macau. Commercial goods, quantities above the personal table, quarantine items and CITES species should not use the green channel.

Air travel adds a separate security layer

Customs permission does not override aviation security. Liquids, aerosols, gels, knives, flammables, explosives, firearms and dangerous chemicals must meet cabin and checked-baggage rules. Macau’s Civil Aviation Authority says that from 29 March 2026 each departing air passenger may carry no more than two power banks, and power banks must not be charged during the flight. Airlines may be stricter.

Five-minute pre-departure check

Identify the destination first, then check its entry rules.
Separate meat, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables, flowers, plants, seeds, soil and pets for a dedicated check.
Keep medicines in original packaging and prepare prescriptions or doctor’s letters.
Check numeric limits for cash, tobacco, alcohol, e-cigarettes and formula; use the red channel when unsure.
For flights, check the airline’s rules for power banks, liquids, sharp objects and dangerous goods.

FAQ

Can I bring fresh flowers into Macau?

Not as ordinary hand luggage. Bouquets and plant branches normally need a phytosanitary certificate, an appointment, port inspection and Customs declaration. A rooted plant may qualify for a limited exemption depending on species and weight.

Do cats and dogs need to be declared when entering Hong Kong?

Yes. Apply in advance for an AFCD special permit and prepare the health, rabies, microchip and quarantine documents required for the source location. A pet cannot simply be presented as ordinary luggage at the checkpoint.

Can I bring milk powder into Mainland China?

At ordinary Mainland ports, do not treat milk powder and dairy products as normal snacks. The official FAQ includes animal-origin milk and dairy products in the prohibited personal-entry category. Hengqin’s special route has a separate official list.

Can I bring an e-cigarette through Hong Kong or Macau?

Hong Kong generally prohibits importing alternative smoking products, and Macau prohibits carrying e-cigarette products in or out. “One for personal use” is not a safe exemption assumption.

How much cash must be declared?

Common thresholds are RMB 20,000 or foreign cash equivalent to USD 5,000 for Mainland China entry, HKD 120,000 for entry through a specified Hong Kong control point, and MOP 120,000 for Macau. Declare when above the applicable threshold.

Can I bring cooked meat, cured meat or canned meat?

Do not rely on cooking, vacuum sealing or a can. Mainland China and Macau apply strict quarantine rules to meat and meat products; when uncertain, leave it behind.

Should I use the red or green channel?

Use the red channel when you have a declarable item, exceed a personal allowance, need a permit or quarantine approval, carry commercial goods or cannot tell whether an item is controlled. The green channel is not a promise of no inspection.

Official sources and update policy

Last updated 16 August 2026. Rules may change by checkpoint, route, species, source country, traveller status, flight and temporary measures. Recheck the official source pages before departure and follow the instructions of Customs, quarantine and aviation-security officers on the day.

For vehicle and luggage planning, see border-clearance guide, passenger and luggage guide and checkpoint guide.