China Visa-Free Policy 2026
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As travel to China grows more popular, more international visitors than ever are discovering the country’s openness and diversity. To make cross-border travel even easier, China has introduced a range of visa-free policies, including the following:
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Unilateral 30-Day Visa-Free Policy
China operates a unilateral visa-free policy for eligible countries, letting ordinary passport holders enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges, or transit — with a maximum stay of 30 days.
Who is eligible for the 30-day visa-free policy to China?
The list above currently covers 50 countries: Brunei has no expiry date, Russia is valid until September 14, 2026, and the remaining 48 countries are valid until December 31, 2026.
240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy lets citizens of 57 eligible countries transit through 65 designated ports in 24 provinces (including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong) without a visa. You must hold a confirmed ticket to a third country or region and depart within 240 hours; the stay period starts at 00:00 on the day after arrival. Route requirement: you must travel from Country A → China → Country C (a third country). Travelling directly to and from the same country (for example, USA → China → USA) is not permitted.
· 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 also implemented a 24-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from all countries, available at all its open exit-entry ports.
Travellers holding valid international travel documents and confirmed connecting tickets who transit through China by international flight, ship, or train to a third country or region are exempt from visa requirements, provided their stay in China does not exceed 24 hours and they remain within the port area. Those who wish to leave the port must apply for a temporary entry permit at the exit-entry border inspection authorities.
Regional Visa-Free Policies in China
30-Day Visa-Free Policy for Foreigners Entering Hainan Province
Holders of ordinary passports from 61 countries may enter Hainan Province and stay for up to 30 days without a visa for short-term purposes such as tourism, business, visits, family reunions, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sports events, and similar activities. The policy does not apply to those entering for work or study.
61 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, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam
Scope: whole Hainan Province only (travel to mainland China is not permitted)
Friendly Reminder: If you need to stay longer in Hainan or travel to other parts of China for legitimate reasons, you must apply for a foreigner visa or permit — with the necessary supporting documents — at the Exit and Entry Administration of Hainan’s Public Security Bureau before your current stay expires.
For the countries listed above that have signed mutual visa-exemption agreements with China, the terms of those agreements apply. Travellers who also qualify under other Chinese visa-free policies may choose whichever arrangement suits them best.
6-Day Visa-Free Travel from Hong Kong & Macao to Guangdong (Group Tours Only)
Foreign citizens from countries that have established diplomatic relations with China and who are already in the Hong Kong or Macao Special Administrative Regions may join tour groups organized by travel agencies legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao, using their ordinary passports. They may stay for up to 144 hours in ten Guangdong cities: Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan, and Zhuhai. This regional visa-free policy requires participants to enter and exit as a group via Hong Kong or Macao, and travel is limited to designated areas of Guangdong Province.
15-Day Visa-Free Policy for Foreign Cruise Tour Groups
Foreign tour groups of two or more travellers arriving by cruise ship and hosted by a travel agency registered in China may enter without a visa at designated cruise ports: Tianjin, Dalian (Liaoning), Shanghai, Lianyungang (Jiangsu), Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang), Xiamen (Fujian), Qingdao (Shandong), Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong), Beihai (Guangxi), and Haikou and Sanya (Hainan). They may stay for no more than 15 days, must continue on the cruise to the next port until the ship leaves China, and may only travel within the coastal provinces (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhejiang) and Beijing.
6-Day Visa-Free Policy for ASEAN Tourist Groups Entering Guilin and Xishuangbanna
Tourist groups of two or more ordinary-passport holders from any of the ten ASEAN member states — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam — may enter and exit China visa-free under the following conditions:
· Entry into Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province: the group must enter and exit through Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, or Mohan Highway Port, and may stay within the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture for a maximum of six days.
· Entry into Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: the group must enter and exit through Guilin Airport, and may stay within the administrative region of Guilin for a maximum of six days.
In both cases, the group must be organized and accompanied by a travel agency registered in China, and all participants must enter and leave China together as part of the group.
Mutual Visa-Free Agreements
China has signed mutual visa-free agreements with many countries covering diplomatic, service, or ordinary passports, generally permitting stays of 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, please visit the official website of China’s National Immigration Administration or call the Immigration Administration service hotline: +86 12367
Eligible travellers may stay in China without a visa from the date of entry until 24:00 on the 30th calendar day.
Please note that visitors planning to stay longer than 30 days should apply for a visa matching their purpose of stay at a Chinese embassy or consulate in advance. If you need to extend your stay beyond 30 days for appropriate and sufficient reasons after entering visa-free, you must apply for a stay permit at the exit and entry administration of China’s public security authorities.
Eligible travellers may enter China visa-free multiple times. There is currently no limit on the number of entries or total days of stay — however, visa-free visitors must not take part in activities inconsistent with their stated purpose of entry.
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?
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 (9 countries): Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam
Participating Ports and Regions: the policy covers 65 ports of entry across 24 provinces, including, but not limited to: