监信通
JAKOEN中

For families with a relative in a Chinese prison

How to write to a family member in a Chinese prison

A practical guide for sending letters from abroad to someone held in a Chinese prison (监狱) or detention center (看守所). It covers the address and prisoner number, what you can and cannot write, what must never be enclosed, how long delivery takes, and how to have the letter written in Chinese and posted from inside China.

1

It is a legal right

Under article 47 of the Prison Law, prisoners may exchange letters with people outside.

2

Every letter is inspected

Mail in both directions is read by prison staff. Some letters are withheld.

3

The address must be in Chinese

Copy the simplified characters exactly as they appear on the admission notice (入监通知书).

Based on Chinese law and public information as of October 2026

Contents
  1. 1First, work out where the person is held
  2. 2The legal basis
  3. 3How to write the address
  4. 4What you can and cannot write
  5. 5What you must not enclose
  6. 6How it travels, and how long it takes
  7. 7What else you can do besides writing
  8. 8Where English speakers go wrong
  9. 9Chinese templates you can copy
  10. 10Frequently asked questions
  11. 11Letter writing, posting and receiving
1

STEP 1

First, work out where the person is held

The rules depend on the type of facility. Check the notice you received before you write anything.

After sentencing

监狱 — prison

Where someone serves their sentence once it is final. Letters are inspected and then handed over, and usually arrive more reliably.

Before sentencing

看守所 — detention center

Where people are held while a case is investigated and tried. For a close relative to write, the investigation body must consent and the public security organ must approve (Detention Center Regulations, art. 28). In practice permission is often refused, so confirm with the facility first.

How to tell them apart

If the notice says 监狱 it is a prison; if it says 看守所 it is a detention center. Even after sentencing, someone with a short remaining term may stay in a detention center.

If you are not sure

Call the office that sent the notice (the prison’s 狱政科 or 总务科). Give the facility name and the prisoner number.

Chinese official documents and addresses always use 监狱, never the colloquial 刑务所 or the English word. Write 监狱 on the envelope.

2

Legal basis

The legal basis

Correspondence is a right set out in law, not a favour granted by the facility.

Prison Law, art. 47

A prisoner may correspond with others while serving their sentence. Letters sent and received must be inspected by the prison. Where the prison finds content that obstructs the prisoner’s reform, it may withhold the letter.

Prison Law, art. 48

A prisoner may meet relatives and guardians in accordance with the regulations.

Prison Law, art. 49

A prisoner receiving articles or money must have the prison’s permission and submit to inspection.

Detention Center Regulations, arts. 28 & 31

A person held before sentencing may correspond and meet with close relatives with the consent of the investigation body and the approval of the public security organ. Letters are inspected and withheld if they obstruct investigation, prosecution or trial.

Statutes are summarized here in English. The Chinese originals are published on the facilities’ official sites.

3

Most important

How to write the address

A Chinese address runs from the largest unit to the smallest — the reverse of the order used in English. All six elements below must be present, or the letter will not be delivered.

1〒○○○○○○
2○○省○○市○○区
3○○省○○监狱
4○监区 ○分监区
5○○○
6编号：○○○○○○○○
CHINA
  1. 1

    Postcode

    〒○○○○○○

    Six digits for the prison’s district. China does not use the 5- or 7-digit postcodes you may be used to.

  2. 2

    Province, city, district

    ○○省○○市○○区

    Copy the address exactly as it appears on the notice.

  3. 3

    Full name of the prison

    ○○省○○监狱

    Write 监狱, not “prison” and not 刑务所. Start with the province name.

  4. 4

    Prison area / sub-area

    ○监区 ○分监区

    If you leave this out the letter may never arrive. Follow the notice character for character.

  5. 5

    Prisoner’s name

    ○○○

    The simplified characters from the notice, unchanged. Pinyin alone will not be delivered.

  6. 6

    Prisoner number

    编号：○○○○○○○○

    Many prisoners share a name; a missing number is the single most common reason letters fail.

Watch out

  • Writing “prison” instead of 监狱 — 监狱 is the official term used in addresses.
  • Leaving out the prisoner number — the most common cause of non-delivery.
  • Writing the name in Pinyin only — the Chinese characters are what the prison matches.
  • Using a 5- or 7-digit postcode — China uses six digits.
  • Skipping 监区 / 分监区 — prisons hold people with identical names.
  • Addressing it in English only — delivery inside China runs on the Chinese characters.

International postal rules require the destination country in capital Latin letters on the last line. Add “CHINA” under the Chinese address. Put your own address on the back of the envelope — Chinese postal staff will only read the front.

Not confident writing the address yourself?We can prepare the envelope and post the letter from inside China on your behalf.See the writing & mailing service
4

What you can and cannot write

Prison staff read every letter. If they judge the content to obstruct reform, it is not handed over — often with no notice and no return.

Safe to write

  • Family news — children growing up, school, birthdays, holidays
  • Health and medical appointments
  • Concrete plans for daily life, words of encouragement
  • A letter in English with a Chinese translation attached

Better left unwritten

  • The case, the trial, or anything that looks like coordinating a statement
  • Instructions about appeals, petitions, media or social media
  • Complaints about the prison or its staff
  • Codes, slang or abbreviations (easily read as collusion)
  • Requests for money or instructions on sending it
  • Messages to pass on to other prisoners

If you cannot write Chinese, attach a Chinese translation. Letters in other languages may be held for translation or simply not handed over.

5

What you must not enclose

Anything enclosed can get the whole letter confiscated.

Cash or cheques

Money goes through the prison’s designated account or transfer system. Never put cash in an envelope.

Medication and supplements

Even prescribed medicine cannot be passed to the prisoner by enclosing it in a letter.

Books

Most prisons only accept books that were sent directly by a publisher or bookshop.

Electronics, SIM cards, chargers

Phones and memory cards are prohibited items (违禁品).

Tobacco, food, clothing

These need a 顾送物品 (property delivery) application and approval, and cannot go inside an envelope.

Under article 49 of the Prison Law, receiving articles or money requires the prison’s permission and inspection. Enclosing them without permission can stop the entire letter from being delivered.

6

How it travels, and how long it takes

From your mailbox to the prisoner’s hands, a letter passes several checkpoints.

  1. 1

    Posted from your country

    Use EMS or registered mail with tracking. Reaching China usually takes 3–7 days.

  2. 2

    Domestic delivery in China

    Through the post office serving the prison, then to the facility. 1–3 days.

  3. 3

    Inspection at the prison

    The letter is opened and checked at the 收发室 (mail room). This takes from a few days to about two weeks.

  4. 4

    Handed to the prisoner

    Delivered through the officer of the 监区 (prison area). Only at this point has it actually arrived.

  5. 5

    The reply

    The prisoner writes it, the prison inspects it, then it is posted. Postage is deducted from the prisoner’s account.

Expect 2–6 weeks from posting to delivery; a reply can take another 1–2 months. EMS tracking stops at “arrived in China” and never shows whether the prisoner received it. Most prisons limit correspondence to about one or two letters a month, so getting a single letter through reliably matters more than sending many.

7

What else you can do besides writing

Other forms of contact exist, but each requires the facility’s own procedure.

Sending money (顾送款)

Use the account or transfer system the prison designates. The family may need to be registered in advance.

Visits

For relatives and guardians. Bring your passport and proof of relationship (birth certificate, marriage certificate, household register); a Chinese translation is often required. Most prisons require a booking.

Video visits

Some provinces offer them for distant relatives. Availability differs from facility to facility.

Phone calls (亲情电话)

The prisoner can call registered family numbers. The numbers must be registered in advance.

Practice differs at every facility. Confirm directly with the prison before you travel or send money.

8

Where English speakers go wrong

Most failed letters from abroad fail on the name, not on the address — Chinese characters are the identity the prison matches.

Writing the name in Pinyin only

A name written only in Latin letters will not reach the prisoner. Copy the characters from the admission notice; if it has none, ask the prison to look the name up from the date of birth.

Converting to traditional characters

Mainland prisons use simplified characters: 高橋 → 高桥, 渡辺 → 渡边, 齋藤 → 斋藤. Do not reproduce Japanese or traditional forms.

Getting the relationship wrong on the envelope

No “Mr”, “Mrs” or “Dear” on the envelope or at the top of the letter. A Chinese letter starts with the name and a colon: ○○○：

Writing the date the English way

Chinese letters end with the year first: 2026年10月19日, not 19/10/2026.

Using a 5- or 7-digit postcode

China uses six digits. The postcode belongs to the prison’s district, not to the province capital.

Sending an English-only address

Delivery inside China is done from the Chinese characters. An English-only address is usually returned or lost.

9

Chinese templates you can copy

Replace the ○ placeholders. You can copy these and print them as they are.

Envelope (front)
〒○○○○○○
○○省○○市○○区
○○省○○监狱
○监区 ○分监区
○○○
编号：○○○○○○○○

CHINA

Write the sender’s address on the back. “CHINA” always goes on the last line.

Letter body
○○○：

你好。最近身体好吗？
家里一切都好，请不用担心。

（your message here）

天气变冷了，注意身体。
我们等你回来。

○○○
○○○○年○月○日

Keep it short and specific. One page is safest.

○○○：
The name, then a colon. There is no “Dear” in a Chinese letter.
你好。最近身体好吗？
Hello. How is your health these days?
家里一切都好，请不用担心。
Everyone at home is well — please don’t worry.
（your message here）
Your main message, in Chinese. Replace this line.
天气变冷了，注意身体。
It has turned cold — take care of yourself.
我们等你回来。
We are waiting for you to come home.
○○○ / ○○○○年○月○日
Your name and the date, year first.
10

Frequently asked questions

I cannot write any Chinese. Will a letter in English arrive?

Attach a Chinese translation. Without one the officer may not be able to read it, and delivery can be delayed or the letter returned. Even with a translation, the facility may ask for its own.

How long does it take?

Usually 2–6 weeks from posting to delivery. It depends on how long the prison spends on inspection.

Will I get a reply?

It depends on the prisoner’s willingness and the balance on their account. A reply can take another 1–2 months.

Can I confirm the letter arrived?

Broadly, no. EMS tracking shows “arrived in China” but never the handover. Calling the facility sometimes works.

Can I enclose photographs?

Photographs can be enclosed. Like the letter itself they are inspected, and inappropriate content is not handed over. Avoid negatives, film and instant prints; a few ordinary prints are safest. Limits differ by facility, so keep the first letter modest.

Can I enclose cash?

Never. Money is sent through the account or transfer system the prison designates.

I do not know the prisoner number.

It is printed on the admission notice (入监通知书). If you cannot find it, ask the facility to look it up by name and date of birth.

The letter came back, or nothing has arrived.

Check the six address elements again. Errors in 监区／分监区 and the prisoner number are the most common causes.

Can you write the Chinese letter for me?

Send us the text in English and we will produce the letter in simplified Chinese and address the envelope, then post it. See the section below.

11

SERVICE

Letter writing, posting and receiving

If preparing a Chinese letter and envelope is the hard part, we can handle it end to end. Send the text in English; we produce the letter in simplified Chinese, address the envelope with all six elements, and post it from inside China. Replies can be received at a Chinese address, scanned and sent to you.

Why post — and receive — inside China

International mail is not slow in itself. The delays, and the letters that never arrive, happen after the letter enters China — on the last leg. This service moves that leg onto the domestic network.

2–6 weeks

Delays and returns start inside China

Posted from abroad, the international leg may take only days; what you cannot predict is the forwarding inside China, the sorting at the prison mail room, and how a return is handled. Posted inside China, the letter travels the ordinary domestic route and can be tracked to the end.

3–4 weeks round trip

The round trip drops by more than half

A letter is not a one-way transaction. Counting the wait for a reply, posting abroad and receiving abroad can take two to three months. Posted and received inside China, three to four weeks is realistic.

One return = 1–2 months

A small mistake costs one to two months

A letter missing the prisoner number or the 监区 will not arrive. Posting from abroad, you find out one to two months later — and returns often never reach an overseas sender address. Posted inside China, it comes back in days and can be corrected and reposted the same day.

About 1/5 the postage

The longer you write, the more the cost gap matters

International EMS runs roughly CNY 70–200 per letter; domestic registered mail is about CNY 10. One letter a month adds up to thousands of yuan a year (writing fee separate).

Figures are typical ranges, not promises. Because prison mail rooms sort in batches, domestic delivery still varies by one to two weeks. Using this service does not shorten the prison’s internal inspection or hand-over time.

Compared with posting from abroad yourself

  • Reaches the prison

    From abroad2–6 weeks
    In China1–2 weeks

  • Missing address or number

    From abroadDiscovered after 1–2 months; returns rarely reach you
    In ChinaReturned in days; fixed and reposted the same day

  • Tracking and loss

    From abroadInternational and domestic legs handled separately
    In ChinaOne domestic tracking number end to end; reposted if lost

  • Postage per letter

    From abroadCNY 70–200 (EMS, by weight)
    In ChinaAbout CNY 10 (registered) + writing fee

  • Language and format

    From abroadYou translate; items are easily missed
    In ChinaSimplified Chinese and all six elements checked before posting

  • Receiving the reply

    From abroadYou need an address that accepts international mail
    In ChinaCollected at a fixed address in China, scanned and sent to you

Prices are typical as of October 2026; actual rates depend on weight, region and contents.

Most common

Writing and posting

Send your text in English and we translate it into simplified Chinese, write it out, address the envelope (postcode, 监区, prisoner number) and post it inside China. You do not have to deal with international mail.

If you are waiting for an answer

Receiving the reply

We provide a receiving address in China, collect the prison’s reply, and send you a scan (PDF or photos). Forwarding the original can be arranged.

Get in touch

Email

Best for longer text and attachments. Write in English.

jianxintong@bixiaozha.com

Send an email

WeChat (WeCom) support

The fastest channel if you already use WeChat. Send your text as it is.

Chat on WeChat
WeChat official account

WeChat official account

Scan the QR code to follow 监信通.

WeChat mini program

WeChat mini program

Scan to draft a letter online and check its status.

Fees and turnaround depend on length and number of pages — ask first, there is no obligation. Note: we cannot guarantee that a letter is handed over or answered. The prison’s decision always prevails.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Practice differs from one prison or detention center to another; follow the instructions of the facility concerned. Laws and public information were checked in October 2026.