China visa-free entry: the 30-day list and the 240-hour transit

Which option fits your passport

China has two separate visa-free schemes, and they work very differently. Start here, then read the section that applies to you.

Who can visit China visa-free for 30 days

The National Immigration Administration (NIA) list, last updated February 17, 2026, covers ordinary passport holders from 50 countries:

• Europe (35): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
• Asia (7): Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
• Americas (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay

The UK and Canada joined on February 17, 2026, and Sweden on November 10, 2025. The United States, Mexico, the Czech Republic and Lithuania are not on the list. Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia aren't either, but each has its own two-way visa-exemption agreement with China.

What the 30 days cover

The policy covers business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits and transit. The Chinese Embassy in the UK says that includes sports events, conferences, exhibitions and study tours, for tour groups and independent travelers alike. Work, study and journalism still need a visa.

• How the days are counted: from 00:00 on the day after you arrive. Land on May 10 and day one is May 11, so you must leave by 23:59 on June 9.
• Passport: it must be an ordinary passport. Emergency and temporary travel documents don't qualify. The UK and Canadian governments advise at least six months of validity, and the UK adds two blank pages.
• No advance registration: you don't apply or declare anything beforehand. The embassy recommends carrying proof of your plans, such as your air tickets and hotel bookings, and Canada's travel advice says to be ready to show proof of onward travel.
• Repeat visits: each entry gets its own 30 days. The embassy's FAQ says there is currently no cap on the number of entries, as long as what you do matches the permitted purposes.
• Staying longer: if illness or another good reason keeps you past 30 days, apply to the local Public Security Bureau exit-entry office for a stay permit before your time runs out.

When it ends, and the 2027 question

For 48 of the 50 countries, the policy runs until 24:00 Beijing time on December 31, 2026. Russia's was extended on May 20, 2026 to December 31, 2027, and Brunei's has no end date.

As of October 28, 2026, China had not said whether the policy continues in 2027. It has renewed the scheme each year since the trial began on December 1, 2023 with France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. The last two renewals were announced on November 22, 2024 and November 3, 2025, so a decision around November is likely, but it isn't guaranteed. If your trip starts on or after January 1, 2027, or runs past it, check the NIA list again before you buy flights.

How the 240-hour visa-free transit works

This is the visa-free option for Americans. Nationals of 57 countries can enter without a visa and stay up to 240 hours (10 days) while traveling on to a third country or region. The list was last updated on August 20, 2026, when Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added:

• Americas (6): United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile
• Asia (9): Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
• Europe (40): every European country on the 30-day list except Andorra and Liechtenstein, plus Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Serbia and Ukraine

The conditions, from the NIA's November 2025 announcement:

1. An ordinary passport valid for at least three more months.
2. A confirmed onward ticket by air, rail or sea, with a fixed date and seat, leaving China within 240 hours for a third country or region.
3. Entry through one of the 65 designated ports, and staying inside the permitted areas.
4. An arrival card for temporary-entry foreigners, filled in online or on arrival.

The 10 days are counted from 00:00 on the day after you arrive: land on June 1 and you must be gone by 23:59 on June 11. Tourism, business, visits and family visits are allowed. Work, study and reporting need a visa.

The third-country rule

The leg into China and the leg out must connect two different countries or regions. Chicago-Beijing-Tokyo works. Chicago-Beijing-Chicago doesn't, because you return to where you came from. Hong Kong and Macao count as separate regions, so New York-Shanghai-Hong Kong works, while Hong Kong-Shanghai-Hong Kong does not. The exit leg can be a train, such as the high-speed service to Hong Kong.

Where you can arrive and travel

The 65 ports sit in 24 provincial-level regions. Most are international airports, for example Beijing Capital and Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao'an, Xi'an Xianyang, Chengdu Tianfu and Shuangliu, Chongqing Jiangbei, Kunming Changshui, Guilin Liangjiang, Zhangjiajie Hehua, Hangzhou Xiaoshan and Harbin Taiping. Land and rail ports include West Kowloon station and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Since December 17, 2024 you may travel across provinces inside the permitted areas, so Beijing, then Xi'an, then out of Shanghai on one 10-day transit is fine. Eighteen regions are covered in full: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Shaanxi. Six are covered in part:

Tibet, Xinjiang, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Jilin are not covered at all, so transit travelers who want to see Lhasa or Dunhuang need a visa instead.

Why travelers get turned away

China's consulate in Montreal lists four situations that rule you out: a passport with less than three months left, a Chinese visa refusal stamp in your passport, a record of illegal entry, stay or work in China within the past five years, or any other legal bar to entry. The other common problems are itinerary mistakes:

• A round trip back to the country you flew in from.
• An onward ticket that is unconfirmed, open-dated, or leaves after day 10.
• Arriving at a port that isn't on the list, or planning stops outside the permitted areas.
• A passport that isn't on the 57-country list, such as an Indian or South African one.

Carry a printout of your onward booking and the NIA policy page in case check-in staff ask, and allow extra time at the airport.

Everyone else: the L tourist visa

If neither scheme fits, apply for an L (tourist) visa through the Chinese embassy, consulate or visa center that serves where you live. Applications start in China's online visa application system (COVA) at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA.

How it works for applicants in the US as of October 2026:

1. Fill in the form online and upload your passport photo page, photo and proof of residence in your consulate's district.
2. Wait for the preliminary review. When the status reads "Passport to be submitted," you or an agent hand in the passport at the visa office. No appointment is needed, but plan on going in person or using an agent: the Los Angeles consulate, for one, doesn't accept mail.
3. Regular processing takes about four business days after you hand it in. Express service costs $25 more.
4. The fee for US citizens is $140, a reduced rate that runs until December 31, 2026.

US tourist applicants don't need flight bookings, hotel reservations or an itinerary. Your passport needs more than six months of validity and blank visa pages, and the Los Angeles consulate suggests applying one to two months before you travel. In the UK, applicants aged 14 to 70 apply online and then attend a visa application center in London, Manchester, Belfast or Edinburgh.

Be accurate on the form. Since September 15, 2026, a State Council regulation allows immigration to bar foreigners who give false information on a visa application or at the border for one to five years.

The online arrival card

Since November 20, 2025, every foreign traveler can fill in China's arrival card online before landing: at s.nia.gov.cn/ArrivalCardFillingPC, in the NIA 12367 app, or through the official WeChat and Alipay mini programs. It is free, and the NIA has warned about fake sites that charge a fee. Do it in the day or two before your flight, once your hotel and flight details are final, and keep the confirmation on your phone.

If you skip it, scan the QR code or use the self-service kiosks in the immigration hall, or fill in a paper card. Passengers in 24-hour direct transit who stay in the airport, cruise passengers who stay with their ship and group visa holders are exempt.

Two smaller options

• 24-hour direct transit: travelers of any nationality can change planes without a visa if they stay inside the airport's transit area and hold a confirmed onward ticket leaving within 24 hours.
• Hainan only: citizens of 61 countries, including the US, can visit Hainan Province visa-free for up to 30 days if they enter through a Hainan port and stay on the island province.

Once entry is sorted, set up payments and your phone and apps before you fly, and check the best months to go. If you'd rather have a local team build the route around your entry rules, tell us your dates.