Do you need a visa to visit China?

For a short trip, most travellers fall into one of three cases:

• 30-day visa-free entry if your ordinary passport is covered by China’s unilateral visa-free policy or a mutual visa exemption agreement, and you’re visiting for tourism, business, family or similar short-term reasons.
• 240-hour visa-free transit if your passport is on the transit list and you’re travelling through China between two different countries or regions, on a confirmed onward ticket, within set ports and areas.
• A visa for everything else: longer stays, work, study or reporting, a passport on neither list, or a route that doesn’t meet the transit conditions.

If your passport qualifies for both visa-free options, the 30-day visa-free entry is usually simpler: it has no onward-route or area conditions. Either way, eligibility means you don’t need a visa in advance. Border officers still decide whether to admit you on arrival.

The lists and conditions below were checked against National Immigration Administration (NIA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Chinese embassy notices on 30 October 2026.

Want to check a specific route? Use the visa-free and 240-hour transit checker alongside the official sources below.

Work it out in four steps

1. Passport. Find your nationality in the lists below. Both visa-free policies apply to ordinary passports only. Travel documents, temporary and emergency passports don’t qualify. Diplomatic and service passports follow separate agreements.
2. Purpose. Tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges and transit fit both policies. Work, study and news reporting need a visa, however short the stay.
3. Length of stay. Up to 30 days fits visa-free entry; up to 240 hours (10 days) fits transit. Anything longer needs a visa.
4. Full route. For visa-free entry, a return trip is fine. For transit, write out where you fly in from, your entry port, every place you’ll stay, your exit port and your next destination, then check each against the transit conditions.

Where that leaves you:

• On a 30-day list, staying up to 30 days for a permitted purpose: use visa-free entry.
• Only on the transit list (Czech Republic, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Ukraine, the United States and Vietnam): use transit if every part of your route qualifies; otherwise apply for a visa.
• On neither list, staying longer, or travelling to work or study: apply for a visa.

Which passports qualify

All three lists cover ordinary passports only. Many nationalities appear on more than one, so check each list.

30-day visa-free entry: unilateral policy (50 countries)

• Stay: up to 30 days per entry
• Purpose: business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchanges, transit
• Valid until: 31 December 2026 for 48 countries; 31 December 2027 for Russia; no end date for Brunei

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

The policy also covers sports events, conferences, exhibitions and study tours such as summer camps, provided the stay is no more than 30 days. Minors have the same conditions as adults. You can travel from any country and enter through any port open to foreigners, and there’s currently no limit on how many times you use it.

As of 30 October 2026, no extension beyond 31 December 2026 had been announced for the 48 countries. If your trip runs into 2027, check for a new notice before booking, or apply for a visa.

Visa-free entry: mutual exemption agreements (29 countries)

• Stay: usually up to 30 days per entry; limits vary by agreement
• Purpose: short visits; work, study and reporting need a visa
• Valid until: no fixed end date while the agreement is in force

Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, Qatar, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

These are bilateral agreements, so the limits vary. Most allow up to 30 days per entry, and several add a cap of 90 days in any 180-day period. Albania, Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina allow up to 90 days in 180 days; Belarus allows 30 days per entry and 90 days a year. Mauritius has a 60-day allowance; San Marino’s agreement uses three months. Ecuadorian ordinary passports are covered for stays of up to 30 days, even though Chinese travellers currently need a visa for Ecuador. Ecuador isn’t on the 240-hour transit list.

240-hour visa-free transit (57 countries)

• Stay: up to 240 hours, only in the permitted areas
• Purpose: tourism, business, visits, family visits, while travelling on to a third country or region
• Valid until: no end date announced

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added on 20 August 2026.

Not on any list

If your nationality isn’t listed above (for example India, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria or Türkiye), plan on applying for a visa. Hainan Province has its own 30-day visa-free entry for 61 nationalities, including the Philippines, but you must enter, stay and leave within Hainan. The NIA’s regional visa-free policies cover Hainan and a few group-tour and cruise arrangements.

How the two options differ

Both clocks start at midnight after you arrive. Enter on 3 March at 14:00, and your time starts at 00:00 on 4 March. On transit you must leave by 23:59 on 13 March; on 30-day visa-free entry, by 23:59 on 2 April.

Ports and permitted areas for transit

These are the places where you can enter and stay under 240-hour transit. You can move between them and leave through a different listed port from the one you arrived at, as long as you stay within the permitted areas and the 240-hour limit. In Guangdong, you can leave through any open port in the province.

Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Tibet aren’t covered. Only the ports above count for transit entry: arriving at another port, such as a land crossing from Hong Kong at Lo Wu, means you need a visa or another visa-free route.

What to carry

For visa-free entry: your ordinary passport, plus proof that matches your purpose, such as a return or onward ticket, hotel bookings or an invitation letter. The embassy FAQ recommends these, though no prior registration is needed.

For 240-hour transit: your ordinary passport, the confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, and your accommodation details. You’ll also need any visa required by your next destination. Tell the airline at check-in that you’re using 240-hour transit, and ask for it at the border inspection counter when you arrive.

For both, complete the arrival card on paper or through the NIA’s online service, and keep copies of your bookings offline.

Route examples

These examples apply the rules as checked on 30 October 2026. A route of the form “country A to China to country B” is only the start; the ports, the places in between and the timing all count.

Qualifies: US passport, Los Angeles to Tokyo via Shanghai

• Arrives from: Los Angeles, United States
• Enters at: Shanghai Pudong Airport, 3 March at 14:00
• In China: Shanghai, then Suzhou (Jiangsu) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang) by train
• Leaves from: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, 12 March
• Next stop: Tokyo, Japan
• Policy: 240-hour visa-free transit

US passports are on the transit list but not on either 30-day list, so transit is the only visa-free option. The United States and Japan are different countries, Pudong is a listed port, and Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are all permitted areas, so moving between them is allowed. The clock runs from 00:00 on 4 March, and the 12 March flight is within the 23:59 13 March deadline.

Qualifies: Mexican passport, Madrid to Seoul via Beijing and Xi’an

• Arrives from: Madrid, Spain
• Enters at: Beijing Capital Airport
• In China: Beijing, then a high-speed train to Xi’an (Shaanxi) and back
• Leaves from: Beijing Daxing Airport, eight days later
• Next stop: Seoul, South Korea
• Policy: 240-hour visa-free transit

Mexico is on the transit list. Spain and South Korea are different countries; Capital and Daxing are both listed ports; Beijing and the whole of Shaanxi are permitted areas.

Qualifies: Indonesian passport, Jakarta to Hong Kong via Guangdong

• Arrives from: Jakarta, Indonesia
• Enters at: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
• In China: Guangzhou and Shenzhen
• Leaves from: a Shenzhen land crossing into Hong Kong, six days later
• Next stop: Hong Kong
• Policy: 240-hour visa-free transit

Indonesia is on the transit list, and Hong Kong counts as a separate region from Indonesia. Baiyun is a listed port, Guangdong is a permitted area, and in Guangdong you can leave through any open port.

Qualifies: British passport, London return via Chengdu

• Arrives from: London, United Kingdom
• Enters at: Chengdu Tianfu Airport
• In China: Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou, then Xi’an and Beijing
• Leaves from: Beijing Capital Airport, 18 days later
• Next stop: London, United Kingdom
• Policy: 30-day visa-free entry

This route wouldn’t work as transit: it returns to the same country, lasts longer than 240 hours and includes Jiuzhaigou, which is outside the permitted area in Sichuan. But British passports are on the unilateral visa-free list, which has no route or area conditions. The trip fits as long as it’s under 30 days and ends by 31 December 2026, unless the policy is extended.

Doesn’t qualify: US passport, New York return via Beijing

• Arrives from: New York, United States
• Enters at: Beijing Capital Airport
• In China: Beijing, seven days
• Leaves from: Beijing Capital Airport
• Next stop: New York, United States
• What applies instead: a tourist (L) visa

The trip is short enough, but it’s a return to the same country, so it isn’t transit. US passports aren’t covered by 30-day visa-free entry. Booking the return via another city in the United States wouldn’t change that.

Doesn’t qualify: US passport, Hong Kong to Bangkok via Lo Wu

• Arrives from: Hong Kong, after a flight from Tokyo
• Enters at: Lo Wu land crossing into Shenzhen
• In China: Shenzhen and Guangzhou, five days
• Leaves from: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
• Next stop: Bangkok, Thailand
• What applies instead: enter at a listed port, or get a visa

Hong Kong and Thailand are different, and Guangdong is a permitted area, but Lo Wu isn’t one of the 65 transit entry ports. The same trip would qualify if the traveller entered on the high-speed train at West Kowloon station or via the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, both of which are listed.

Doesn’t qualify: Czech passport, Seoul to Bangkok via Chengdu and Jiuzhaigou

• Arrives from: Seoul, South Korea
• Enters at: Chengdu Tianfu Airport
• In China: Chengdu, then Jiuzhaigou
• Leaves from: Chengdu Tianfu Airport, seven days later
• Next stop: Bangkok, Thailand
• What applies instead: a tourist (L) visa

The ports, timing and onward country all work. Jiuzhaigou is the problem: it’s in Ngawa prefecture, which isn’t one of the 11 permitted cities in Sichuan. Czech passports aren’t on the 30-day lists, so a visa is needed to include it. Dropping Jiuzhaigou for Leshan or other permitted cities would make the route qualify.

Doesn’t qualify: Indian passport, London to Tokyo via Beijing

• Arrives from: London, United Kingdom
• Enters at: Beijing Capital Airport
• In China: Beijing, three days
• Leaves from: Beijing Capital Airport
• Next stop: Tokyo, Japan
• What applies instead: a tourist (L) visa, or 24-hour transit without leaving the airport if the connection is short

The route has the right shape for transit, but India isn’t on the 240-hour list, so the route doesn’t matter.

24-hour transit

Every nationality can transit for up to 24 hours without a visa on a connecting ticket with a confirmed seat to a third country or region, provided they stay in the port’s restricted area. To leave the airport during those 24 hours, you need a temporary entry permit from the border inspection at that port. Ask your airline whether your connection needs you to pass through immigration.

If you need a visa

Most short trips use one of these categories:

• L: tourism
• M: business and trade
• Q2 or S2: a short family visit, depending on whether your relative is a Chinese citizen or a foreigner living in China
• G: transit, if your route doesn’t meet the visa-free transit rules

Work (Z), study (X) and journalism (J) have their own categories and require documents from your employer, school or media authority in China.

To apply:

1. Find the Chinese embassy or consulate responsible for where you live. Applications are usually made where you’re a citizen or legal resident.
2. Check whether it takes applications through a Chinese Visa Application Service Center. Many do, and the centre’s page for your city lists documents, fees and how to book.
3. Complete the China Online Visa Application (COVA) form if your embassy or centre uses it, then book an appointment.
4. Submit your passport, photo and supporting documents, such as flight and hotel bookings or an invitation letter. Some applicants need to give fingerprints in person.

Processing times and fees depend on your location and visa type. Leave a few weeks before your flight, and more at busy times. An agency can help with forms, but the visa office makes the decision.

If you’ve entered visa-free and need to stay longer for a genuine reason, such as illness, apply to the local public security exit-entry office before your permitted stay ends. It isn’t a routine extension.

Before you fly

Check your passport against the lists again when you book, and a few days before departure: lists and end dates change. If anything about your trip is unclear, the NIA’s 12367 service line answers questions in English (+86 12367 from outside China).

Hotels register their foreign guests as part of check-in. If you’re staying in a private home, registration within 24 hours is your responsibility. See arrival and registration for what to arrange with your hotel or host. For phone access, payments and the preparation order, continue to Start here.