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China Travel Decisions

China Power Bank Rules 2026

Rules checked: Sep 2026CAAC + airline sources

China Power Bank Limits at a Glance

100Wh or less
Normally allowed without airline approval
100–160Wh
Airline approval required before departure
More than 160Wh
Not allowed on any flight — no approval route
Carry-on only
Never in checked baggage
CCC (3C) mark
An additional requirement on mainland-China domestic flights. International flights are outside the 3C notice — the capacity and carry-on limits still apply to them.

Label shows mAh instead of Wh? Convert mAh to Wh first, then run the check below for your route and airline.

Will your power bank pass?

4 questions · about 40 sec
1. Will you take a domestic flight in mainland China?
2. Does the power bank have a clear CCC / 3C mark?
3. Rated energy (printed on the unit)

01 Verification

How to verify the CCC mark

Security looks at the unit in your hand. These four checks catch the cases where a mark exists on the listing but not where it matters.

Check 1

Look at the unit, not the listing

The mark must be on the power bank itself — printed or moulded into the shell — not only on the box, the manual, or the seller’s photos. Listing images often show a certified unit; the one in your hand is what gets checked.

Check 2

Know what a clear mark looks like

Look for the CCC mark on the shell, usually near the label or the ports. A worn, scratched, or partly covered mark counts as no mark on domestic flights.

Check 3

Scan the traceability code on newer units

Since 1 March 2026, newly certified power banks carry a QR code next to the CCC mark. Scanning it opens the certificate record — certificate number, producer, model, and status. If the code does not resolve, or the model does not match, treat the mark as unverified.

Check 4

Look up the certificate if there is no code

Older certified units have no QR code. The CNCA public platform (Chinese interface) searches certificates by number or model — cx.cnca.cn .

02 Limits

Capacity and carry-on rules

These apply to every flight, domestic and international. The CCC mark is the extra requirement that only domestic flights inside mainland China add.

100Wh or less
Allowed without airline approval. Most 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh units fall in this band — a 20,000mAh unit at 3.7V is 74Wh.
100–160Wh
Allowed only with your airline’s approval arranged before departure.
More than 160Wh
Not allowed on any flight, in any bag. There is no approval route.
Carry-on only
Power banks are never allowed in checked luggage — domestic or international.
Two per passenger
Maximum two power banks per passenger, in effect since 27 March 2026.
No in-flight use
Charging devices from a power bank on board is prohibited; units with a power switch must stay off.

03 Next steps

If yours is not compliant

The practical move is to replace it before you fly. Airports provide areas to hand in or temporarily store non-compliant power banks, but they cannot wave one through — and on domestic flights there is no approval route around a missing CCC mark.

What to check when you buy a replacement

  • Choose for the strictest leg: if your trip includes a domestic flight inside mainland China, buy a unit with a clear CCC mark.
  • Prefer new stock with the traceability QR code — it lets you confirm the certificate against the exact model.
  • Stay in the 100Wh-or-less band for the simplest check: no airline approval needed.
  • Avoid models and batches under recall — a recall can suspend the certificate behind a mark that is still printed on the unit.

04 Questions

FAQ

Does the 3C rule apply to international flights into China?

The June 2025 notice is scoped to domestic flights within mainland China, and no 3C check has been reported on international departures since. If any sector of your trip is a domestic flight inside mainland China, the 3C rule applies to that sector — treat the domestic leg as the strict one.

What if my power bank has CE / FCC but no CCC?

CE and FCC are approvals for other markets and are not accepted in place of CCC at a mainland China domestic security check. On an international flight the 3C rule does not apply, so a CE / FCC unit is not blocked by it — the usual capacity, carry-on, and quantity limits still are.

How do I convert mAh to Wh?

Wh = V × Ah. If the label shows mAh, divide by 1000 first: 20,000mAh = 20Ah, and 20Ah × 3.7V = 74Wh — inside the 100Wh band. Use the voltage printed on the unit. If no rating is printed and none can be calculated, the power bank is not allowed on any flight.

Can airport security confiscate it?

Security will stop a non-compliant power bank — it will not board. Under the June 2025 notice, airports are required to provide designated areas where passengers can voluntarily hand in or temporarily store a non-compliant power bank. In practice you can give it to someone seeing you off, use temporary storage where available, or surrender it.

06 Sources and freshness

These rules changed twice since mid-2025 and are still settling: the CCC mark requirement for domestic flights (28 June 2025), the traceability QR code rollout (2026–2027), and the two-per-passenger limit (27 March 2026). Rules checked Sep 2026 — re-check with your airline before you fly.

Useful links
  1. 01CAAC: no power banks without a 3C mark on domestic flights (Jun 2025)
  2. 02民航局：禁止旅客携带无3C标识及被召回的充电宝乘坐境内航班（中国民航网）
  3. 03CAAC notice: rules for carrying power banks on board（民航局公告）
  4. 04ICAO: new power bank restrictions, effective 27 March 2026
  5. 05国家认监委 2025 年第 27 号公告：CCC 标志追溯二维码试点改革
  6. 06CCC certificate lookup: 全国认证认可信息公共服务平台（中文）
  7. 07People’s Daily via Xinhua: power bank safety standard and what changes (Apr 2026)
  8. 08Air China service notice: carrying power banks on board (Aug 2026)