Do citizens of Austria need a visa for China?
No, for stays of up to 30 days (until 31 December 2026).
Citizens of Austria with ordinary passports can enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit, under China's unilateral visa-free policy (currently valid until 31 December 2026). Citizens of Austria are eligible for 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit when flying on to a third country or region. Citizens of Austria can visit Hainan province visa-free for up to 30 days when entering through Hainan.
Visa-free entry for up to 30 days
Citizens of Austria with ordinary passports can visit mainland China without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit, under China's unilateral visa-free policy. Work, study and journalism still need a visa.
End date: this policy currently runs until 31 December 2026. See the visa-free policy tracker for whether it will be extended.
Bring a passport valid for at least six months, your first hotel's address and your return or onward ticket, and fill in the online arrival card before you fly.
240-hour visa-free transit
Austria is one of the 57 countries eligible for 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit, which you only need for stays longer than visa-free entry allows or if that policy ends. It applies when China is a stop between two other countries or regions:
- Arrive from one country or region and leave for a different third country or region. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as separate regions, so US to Beijing to Seoul qualifies but US to Beijing to US does not.
- Hold a confirmed onward ticket departing within 240 hours, and a passport valid for at least 3 more months.
- Enter and leave through one of the 65 designated ports (47 airports, 14 seaports, 2 rail and 2 land crossings), including Beijing Capital and Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Xi'an Xianyang, and Chengdu Shuangliu and Tianfu.
- Stay within the 24 permitted provinces and municipalities; you may cross between them. Some provinces are limited to listed cities (in Sichuan, Chengdu, Leshan and nine other cities).
- The 240 hours usually start at 00:00 on the day after arrival. Tell the airline at check-in and use the visa-free transit lane at immigration.
Hainan
Visa-free stays of up to 30 days in Hainan province when you enter through a Hainan port; you cannot travel on to the rest of mainland China on this basis.
Check your exact trip: days, route and onward flight.
Open the visa checkerOfficial sources
- National Immigration Administration (NIA)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, consular service
- Online arrival card (NIA)
Rules change. Confirm with the National Immigration Administration or your nearest Chinese embassy before you book.