Abstract: The issue of conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is a common concern of the international community. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 69/292 on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), and decided to formulate a new legally binding agreement (BBNJ International Agreement) within the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Environmental impact assessments (EIA) become an important part of BBNJ International Agreement. This paper hackles current major human activities and existing EIA in ABNJ and combines the international and regional environmental impact assessment framework and major countries’EIA practices for the study of EIA screening mechanism of important human activities in ABNJ. Focused on the analysis of the“significant adverse impact” as the threshold for the initiation of EIA, the EIA screening criteria applicable to ABNJ are clarified based on three important factors, i.e. project site selection, project characteristics and project impact. At last, a preliminary discussion on the scope of applicable activities for EIA in ABNJ is discussed based on comprehensive analysis of different types of activities. Also, a plan is proposed for the list of activities applicable for EIA in ABNJ.