With the growing popularity of travel to China, an increasing number of foreign visitors are experiencing the openness and diversity of this country. To further facilitate personnel exchanges between China and other nations, China has formulated a series of visa-free policies, including:
Unilateral 30-Day Visa-Free Policy
China implements a unilateral visa-free policy for eligible foreign countries, allowing ordinary passport holders to enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges, or transit purposes, with a maximum stay of 30 days.
Who are eligible for the 30-day VISA-FREE policy to China?
Europe (35 countries): France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Russia, United Kingdom
Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (7 countries): Brunei, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain.
America (6 countries): Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Canada.
How long will the visa waiver be effective?
Currently, the above list includes 50 countries, with Brunei having no deadline, Russia valid until Sep 14, 2026, and the other 48 valid until Dec 31, 2026.
How to calculate the duration of stay of 30 days?
Foreign nationals eligible for a visa waiver may stay in China continuously without a visa from the date of entry to the 30th calendar day until 24:00.
Please note that foreign nationals planning to stay in China for over 30 days shall apply for visas corresponding to their purposes of stay in advance at Chinese embassies or consulates. If you have to stay longer than 30 days for appropriate and sufficient reasons after entering China without a visa, you shall apply for stay permits to the exit and entry administrations of public security authorities of China.
Foreign nationals eligible for the visa waiver can enter China without a visa for multiple times. Currently there is no restriction on the number of entries or total days of stay, but those who enjoy visa-free travel to China shall not engage in activities inconsistent with their purposes of entry.
240-hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
China's 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy allows citizens from 55 eligible countries to transit through 65 designated ports across 24 provinces (including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and more) without a visa. It requires a confirmed ticket to a third country/region within 240 hours. The stay duration begins at 00:00 the day after arrival.
Route Requirement: You must travel from Country A → China → Country C (Third Country). You cannot travel directly from and to the same country (e.g., USA → China → USA is not allowed).
55 eligible countries:
Europe (40 countries): Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
North America (2 countries): Canada, United States
South America (4 countries): Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico
Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (7 countries): Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates
Participating Ports and Regions: The policy covers 65 ports of entry across 24 provinces, including, but not limited to:
- Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province:
- Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang Provinces:
- Guangdong Province (including Guangzhou, Shenzhen):
- Other areas: Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hainan, and Guizhou.
See the official full list: Visa-Free Transit Policies
24-hour visa-free transit policy
China has implemented a 24-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from all other countries around the world at all its accessible exit-entry ports.
Foreign nationals holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets with confirmed seats, who intend to transit via China by international flights, ships, or trains to third countries or regions, are exempt from visa applications, provided that their stay periods in China will not exceed 24 hours and that they will remain within the corresponding ports. Those who plan to leave the ports must apply for temporary entry permits at the exit-entry border inspection authorities of the corresponding ports.
Regional Visa-free Policies in China
30-Day Visa-free Policy for Foreigners Entering Hainan Province
Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from 59 countries may enter and stay within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days without a visa for short-term stays for purposes associated with tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sports competitions, etc. The policy does not apply to those who intend to enter for working or studying.
59 Countries: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine
Scope: Whole Hainan Province only (cannot travel to mainland China)
Friendly Reminder: If you wish to continue staying in Hainan or travel to other regions within China due to legitimate reasons during your stay, you must apply for a foreigner visa or permit at the Exit and Entry Administration of the Public Security Bureau of Hainan Province before your stay expires, providing the necessary supporting documents.
For the 59 countries listed above, those that have signed a mutual visa exemption agreement with China will follow the terms of that agreement. Additionally, those who meet the criteria of other visa exemption policies in China may choose to proceed according to the foreigner’s preference.
6-Day Visa-Free Travel from Hong Kong & Macao to Guangdong (Group Tours Only)
Foreign citizens who have arrived in Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and have established diplomatic relations with China can take ordinary passports to join tour groups organized by travel agencies legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao, and stay for 144 hours in 10 cities in Guangdong Province, including Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. The 144-hour visa-free policy for foreigners from Hong Kong and Macao to enter Guangdong is a kind of regional visa-free policy. Foreign tourists must travel in and out of the group from Hong Kong and Macao, and can only travel in a specific area of Guangdong Province.
15-day Visa-Free Policy for Foreign Cruises Tour Groups
Foreign tour groups (two or more persons) who take a cruise and are hosted by a travel agency registered in China can enter the country without visa from the following cruise ports, including Tianjin, Dalian (Liaoning), Shanghai, Lianyungang (Jiangsu), Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang), Xiamen (Fujian), Qingdao (Shandong), Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong), Beihai (Guangxi), Haikou and Sanya (Hainan), and stay for no more than 15 days. The tour group must take the cruise to the next port until the cruise leaves China. The scope of activities is coastal provinces (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhejiang) and Beijing.
6-day Visa-Free Policy for Tourist Groups from ASEAN Countries Entering Guilin, and Xishuangbanna
Any tourist group (consisting of two or more persons holding ordinary passports) from any of the ten ASEAN member states—namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—may enter and exit China visa-free under the following conditions:
- For entry into Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province: The group must enter and exit through Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, or Mohan Highway Port. The group may stay within the administrative region of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture for a maximum of six (6) days.
- For entry into Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: The group must enter and exit through Guilin Airport. The group may stay within the administrative region of Guilin for a maximum of six (6) days.
In both cases, the tourist group must be organized and accompanied by a travel agency registered in China. The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group.
Mutual Visa-Free Agreements
China has established mutual visa-free agreements with numerous countries for diplomatic, service, or ordinary passports, allowing stays generally up to 30 days.
See the official full list: List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries
For further information or consultation, please visit the website of Chinese National Immigration Administration, or call the Immigration Administration Service Hotline: +86 12367