Visas and Entry

The paperwork wall is lower than it has ever been: dozens of nationalities can now visit mainland China for up to 30 days with only a passport, and citizens of many more can stop over for up to 10 days on 240-hour visa-free transit. Work out which route applies to your passport, meet its conditions exactly, and confirm the current rules with the National Immigration Administration (nia.gov.cn) before you fly. The visa checker walks you through it.

30-day visa-free entry to China: which passports qualify

Ordinary passport holders from the countries below can enter mainland China without a visa and stay up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges, or transit. This is a “unilateral” policy, meaning China grants it without a matching agreement.

• European Union: all EU member states except the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
• Rest of Europe: Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (British citizens).
• Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.
• Asia-Pacific: Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
• Middle East: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Canada and the United Kingdom joined the list on 17 February 2026. Russian citizens also have 30-day visa-free entry under the same kind of arrangement.

Check before you go: China’s unilateral 30-day visa-free policy is currently set to run until 31 December 2026 (Russia’s until 31 December 2027). If your trip falls near or after that date, confirm with the National Immigration Administration (nia.gov.cn) or your nearest Chinese embassy whether the policy has been extended before you book.

The 30 days are a maximum per entry. Visa-free entry does not cover work, study or journalism; those need the matching visa.

Permanent mutual visa exemptions for China

Some countries have a mutual visa-exemption agreement with China, so their citizens enter visa-free in both directions with no set end date. Stay limits depend on the agreement:

• 30 days: Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Serbia, the Maldives, Brunei and several others.
• 60 days: Mauritius.
• 90 days: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and San Marino.

These agreements can carry their own conditions, such as a cap on total days per period. Check the details for your passport on nia.gov.cn or with a Chinese embassy.

240-hour visa-free transit in China: rules and how to use it

China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit is open to citizens of 57 countries. They include the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, the Czech Republic and Lithuania, as well as most, but not all, of the countries on the 30-day list: Andorra, Bahrain, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Oman, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay are not on the transit list. The visa checker shows what applies to your passport. It suits travelers whose passport doesn’t qualify for 30-day entry, as long as the trip is a stopover between two other places.

The 240-hour transit rules:

1. Different origin and destination. You must arrive from one country or region and leave for a different third country or region. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as separate regions. United States → Beijing → Seoul qualifies; United States → Beijing → United States does not. Beijing → Hong Kong as the onward leg qualifies.
2. Confirmed onward ticket with a departure within 240 hours. Carry it printed or saved offline.
3. Designated ports. Enter and leave through any of 65 designated ports. They include 47 airports, among them Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao, Xi’an Xianyang, Chengdu Shuangliu and Chengdu Tianfu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chongqing. You may enter at one port and leave from another.
4. Permitted areas only. Stay within the 24 provincial-level areas that allow transit, including Beijing, Shanghai, Shaanxi (Xi’an) and Sichuan. In Sichuan only listed cities, such as Chengdu and Leshan, are covered.
5. Passport validity of at least three months.

The 240 hours typically start at 00:00 on the day after you arrive, so arriving early in the day effectively gives you a bonus partial day.

How to use 240-hour transit in practice:

• At check-in, tell the airline you are using “visa-free transit” to China and show your onward ticket. Airline staff sometimes don’t know the policy, so have the details ready.
• At immigration, look for the transit or 240-hour lane and show your passport, onward ticket and arrival card.

Check before you go: The transit country list, the ports and the permitted areas change from time to time. Check the current lists on nia.gov.cn, or use the visa checker.

A separate 24-hour direct transit without a visa is available to most nationalities when you connect to an international flight within 24 hours.

Who needs a Chinese visa, and how to apply

If your passport isn’t covered by 30-day visa-free entry, a mutual exemption, or your route doesn’t fit 240-hour transit, you need a visa. For tourism that is the L (tourist) visa.

1. Apply at a Chinese embassy or consulate, or at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center in your country.
2. Expect to provide a completed application form, a passport photo, your passport, and supporting documents such as flight and hotel bookings or an itinerary.
3. Allow enough time for processing and for submitting fingerprints in person where required.

Check before you go: Fees, processing times and document lists vary by country and change. Check the website of the Chinese embassy or visa center that serves your area.

Passport validity and what China immigration asks

Your passport should be valid well beyond your trip. Six months of validity from arrival is the safe standard, and many airlines and visa applications expect it. Have at least one blank page, and note that 240-hour transit requires at least three months.

At China immigration, an officer checks your passport and arrival card and may ask a few short questions in English:

• Why you are visiting (tourism, business, family).
• How long you are staying.
• Where you are staying. Have your first hotel’s name and address ready.
• When and how you are leaving. Show your return or onward ticket.

Keep printed or offline copies of your hotel booking and onward ticket. Answer simply and consistently with your entry route.

Most foreign visitors aged 14 to 70 have their fingerprints taken on entry, either at a self-service machine before the desk or at the counter, and a photo is taken. Follow the on-screen prompts in English.

The online arrival card for China

Since 20 November 2025, foreigners can fill in China’s arrival card online before travel. The online arrival card is free and available through official channels only:

• The National Immigration Administration website, s.nia.gov.cn.
• The “NIA 12367” app.
• The official NIA mini programs in WeChat or Alipay.

Beware of look-alike websites that charge a fee for the arrival card; the official one costs nothing. If you don’t fill it in beforehand, you can complete the arrival card on arrival by scanning a QR code, at a kiosk, or on a paper card in the immigration hall. For immigration questions, the national immigration service hotline is 12367.

China customs basics

After immigration and baggage claim you pass through customs. Use the green channel if you have nothing to declare and the red channel if you do.

• Cash: large amounts of cash in RMB or foreign currency must be declared.
• Food and plants: fresh fruit, meat, seeds, plants and soil are restricted; leave them at home.
• Medicines: bring personal medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of your prescription. Some medicines legal at home, including certain strong painkillers and ADHD drugs, are controlled in China.
• Prohibited items: drugs, weapons and material considered harmful.

Check before you go: Cash declaration thresholds and duty-free allowances for alcohol, tobacco and goods change. Check the current rules on the official China Customs website (customs.gov.cn) before you pack.

Police registration for foreigners in China

Every foreigner in China must be registered with the local police at each place they stay. Hotels that accept foreign guests do this automatically when they scan your passport at check-in, so in a hotel you don’t need to do anything extra.

If you stay in a private home, such as with friends or family, you must register with the local police station within 24 hours of arrival. Your host can usually help; bring your passport and the host’s details. Procedures vary by city, so ask your host or the local police station how it works there. See Hotels and registration. In an emergency, call 110 for the police.