China visa policy 2026: do you need a visa?
Most travelers from Europe, Oceania, Japan, South Korea, the Gulf and much of Latin America can now visit China without a visa. Here is every option, with the full country lists and rules.
Last checked 8 October 2026 against announcements from the National Immigration Administration (NIA) and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Pick a country to see which entry options apply to an ordinary passport.
Your options at a glance
| Option | Stay | Who | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-day visa-free entry | Up to 30 days | 50 countries | All of mainland China |
| Mutual visa exemption | Usually 30 days per stay | 29 countries | All of mainland China |
| 240-hour visa-free transit | Up to 10 days | 57 countries, on the way to a third country | 24 provinces, via 65 ports |
| 24-hour direct transit | Up to 24 hours | Every nationality | Airport city only |
| Hainan 30-day entry | Up to 30 days | 61 countries | Hainan Island only |
| Group schemes | 6–30 days | Tour groups on specific routes | Set regions |
| Tourist (L) visa | Usually 30–60 days per entry | Everyone else, or longer stays | All of mainland China |
1. 30-day visa-free entry (50 countries)
Holders of ordinary passports from these countries can enter China without a visa and stay up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit.
The rules
- 30 days, counted from 00:00 the day after you arrive. If you land on 1 May, your last permitted day is 31 May.
- Any open port. You can arrive and leave by air, sea or land at any port open to foreigners, and travel anywhere in mainland China.
- Not for work, study or journalism. Those need the right visa in advance.
- Ordinary passports only. Emergency travel documents and diplomatic or service passports don't qualify.
- Hong Kong and Macau have their own immigration. A trip there doesn't reset your 30 days if you are still within the same stay; ask us if you plan to enter mainland China twice.
- Officers may ask for your return or onward ticket and where you are staying. Keep them on your phone.
| Added | Countries |
|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | Brunei (no end date) |
| Dec 2023 | France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain |
| Mar 2024 | Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg |
| Jul 2024 | Australia, New Zealand, Poland |
| Oct 2024 | Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia |
| Nov 2024 | Norway, Slovakia, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan |
| Jun 2025 | Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain |
| Sep 2025 | Russia (extended to 31 Dec 2027) |
| Nov 2025 | Sweden |
| Feb 2026 | United Kingdom, Canada |
Not on this list: the United States, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Mexico, among others. Their citizens can still use 240-hour visa-free transit.
2. Mutual visa exemption (29 countries)
These countries have a permanent two-way agreement with China. Ordinary passport holders can usually stay up to 30 days per visit. Some agreements also cap the total, typically at 90 days in any 180-day period.
Exact limits differ by agreement. Check yours with us or on the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs list before planning a long stay.
3. 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit (57 countries)
Citizens of these 57 countries can spend up to 240 hours in China without a visa when they are travelling between two other countries or regions. This is how American, Mexican, Czech and Lithuanian travelers usually visit without a visa. Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added on 20 August 2026.
The rules
- Third country or region. You must fly out to somewhere other than where you came from. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as separate regions.
- Confirmed onward ticket with a fixed date and seat, leaving within 240 hours.
- Passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your arrival date.
- Designated ports. Arrive and leave through one of the 65 ports below. Entry and exit ports can be different.
- Permitted areas only. You can move between all 24 provinces in the scheme, but not outside them.
- Tell the airline at check-in that you are using visa-free transit, and ask for the transit stamp at immigration.
- The 240 hours start at 00:00 the day after arrival.
| Valid | Not valid |
|---|---|
| New York → Beijing → Tokyo | New York → Beijing → New York |
| London → Shanghai → Hong Kong | London → Shanghai → (no onward ticket) |
| Seoul → Chengdu → Bangkok | Sydney → Guangzhou → Sydney via a domestic stopover |
The 24 provinces and their ports
Flying into one of these ports lets you stay within the 24-province area for up to 10 days.
| Province | Designated ports |
|---|---|
| Beijing | Capital (PEK), Daxing (PKX) |
| Tianjin | Binhai Airport (TSN), International Cruise Home Port |
| Hebei | Shijiazhuang (SJW), Qinhuangdao Seaport |
| Shanghai | Pudong (PVG), Hongqiao (SHA), Port International and Wusongkou cruise terminals |
| Jiangsu | Nanjing (NKG), Sunan Shuofang (WUX), Yangzhou Taizhou (YTY), Lianyungang Port |
| Zhejiang | Hangzhou (HGH), Ningbo (NGB), Wenzhou (WNZ), Yiwu (YIW), Wenzhou and Zhoushan cruise ports |
| Anhui | Hefei (HFE), Huangshan (TXN) |
| Fujian | Xiamen (XMN), Fuzhou (FOC), Quanzhou (JJN), Wuyishan (WUS), Xiamen Wutong Port, Xiamen Cruise Terminal |
| Shandong | Qingdao (TAO), Jinan (TNA), Yantai (YNT), Weihai (WEH), Qingdao Cruise Home Port |
| Guangdong | Guangzhou (CAN), Shenzhen (SZX), Jieyang Chaoshan (SWA), Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, Hengqin, Zhongshan, Guangzhou Pazhou and Nansha, Shenzhen Shekou |
| Guangxi | Guilin (KWL), Nanning (NNG), Beihai (BHY), Beihai Passenger Terminal |
| Hainan | Haikou (HAK), Sanya (SYX) |
| Liaoning | Shenyang (SHE), Dalian (DLC), Dalian Cruise Port |
| Heilongjiang | Harbin (HRB) |
| Shaanxi | Xi'an (XIY) |
| Shanxi | Taiyuan (TYN) |
| Henan | Zhengzhou (CGO) |
| Hubei | Wuhan (WUH) |
| Hunan | Changsha (CSX), Zhangjiajie (DYG) |
| Jiangxi | Nanchang (KHN) |
| Chongqing | Jiangbei (CKG) |
| Sichuan | Chengdu Tianfu (TFU), Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) |
| Guizhou | Guiyang (KWE) |
| Yunnan | Kunming (KMG), Lijiang (LJG), Mohan Railway Station |
4. 24-hour direct transit (all nationalities)
Anyone with a confirmed connecting ticket can stay up to 24 hours without a visa when changing planes at a Chinese international airport. Some airports let you leave the airport and visit the city; others require you to stay airside. Check with your airline.
5. Hainan 30-day visa-free entry (61 countries)
The tropical island province of Hainan has its own scheme. Citizens of 61 countries can fly directly into Hainan (Haikou, Sanya or Boao) and stay up to 30 days anywhere on the island, for tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, conferences or sports events.
The list covers all 57 transit countries plus Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan and the Philippines. You must stay within Hainan; to visit the rest of China you need another eligible option.
6. Group schemes
| Scheme | Who | Stay |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong / Macau groups to the Pearl River Delta | Foreign tourists in a group organised by a registered Hong Kong or Macau agency | Up to 6 days in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou (and Shantou) |
| Hong Kong / Macau groups to Hainan | Groups of 2 or more organised by a Hong Kong or Macau agency | Up to 144 hours |
| ASEAN groups to Guilin | Groups of 2 or more from the 10 ASEAN countries, through an approved Guilin agency | Up to 6 days |
| ASEAN groups to Xishuangbanna | Groups of 2 or more from ASEAN countries, entering via Xishuangbanna Gasa Airport or Mohan | Up to 6 days |
| Cruise groups | Groups of 2 or more arriving by cruise ship and staying with it, at 13 cruise ports | Up to 15 days, in coastal provinces and Beijing |
7. Tourist (L) visa
If none of the options above fits, apply for an L visa before you travel. Good news for 2026:
- No fingerprints for short-term visas (tourism, business, family visits, transit, stays up to 180 days), including multiple-entry visas, for applications submitted up to 31 December 2026.
- Reduced visa fees, about 25% lower than the 2023 standard, until 31 December 2026. Visa centre service fees are charged separately.
- Simpler documents in some countries. In the US, for example, tourist applicants generally no longer need to submit flight bookings, hotel reservations or invitation letters.
How to apply
- Fill in the online application form on the Chinese Visa Application Service Center site for your country. The system accepts entry dates up to 90 days ahead.
- Upload a passport scan and a recent photo.
- Submit your passport at the visa centre (or by post where offered). Processing is usually about 4 working days, with express options.
You need a passport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages. When you book with us, we send a confirmed itinerary and hotel list to support your application.
8. Online arrival card
Since 20 November 2025, foreign travelers can fill in the arrival card online before landing, instead of on paper at the airport. It is free.
- Use only official channels: the NIA website (s.nia.gov.cn), the NIA 12367 app, or the NIA mini-programs in WeChat and Alipay.
- Have ready your passport, flight number and address in China.
- Not filled in? You can still do it at the airport by QR code or on paper.
- Beware of fake websites charging a fee. The official service never charges.
9. At the border and during your stay
- Immigration takes your fingerprints and photo. It takes a few minutes; queues are longest at Beijing and Shanghai in the morning.
- Carry your passport every day. Hotels, trains and many sights check it.
- Hotels register foreign guests with the police automatically. If you stay in a private home, you must register at the local police station within 24 hours. We arrange this for you.
- Don't overstay. Overstaying can mean fines, detention and a future entry ban. If plans change, contact us before your permitted stay ends.
How we help
Send us your nationality, your flight route and your dates. Your advisor confirms which option applies, plans the route to fit, and sends the documents you need. On WhatsApp: +852 4662 0557, or email plan@jctrav.com.
Sources
National Immigration Administration of China (en.nia.gov.cn), announcement of 20 August 2026 on 240-hour transit and Hainan; Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcements on visa-free extensions (November 2025, May 2026); Shanghai Municipal Government visa pages; NIA guidance on online arrival cards (November 2025). Policies change often: always confirm with the NIA or your nearest Chinese embassy before travelling.