Can You Enter China Without a Visa?

A note before you dig in. The country and port lists below are long. They live on this website, not in the full guide, because most of the 100+ countries and 60+ ports covered by these schemes won't apply to you — and padding the guide with reference data you don't need isn't what you're paying for. The guide is for planning the trip. This page is for the one-time check: does China's current policy cover your passport? Confirm your route here, then move on.

Rules change, sometimes at short notice. Always verify directly with the National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn) before booking. This page reflects the official FAQ published on 16 February 2026 via visaforchina.cn, and is current as of April 2026. I'll update it as China announces changes — but the week before you travel, check the NIA site yourself.

This is general guidance, not visa advice. I'm based in China and I travel this system. I'm not a visa adviser. If your situation is unusual, speak to your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate.

Quick check — is your country on a list?

Type your country name to see which routes apply.

Which route is yours?

• Ordinary passport from one of the 50 countries on the unilateral list, staying 30 days or fewer, for tourism / business / visiting people → 30-day visa-free (Section 1 below).
• Passport from one of 55 TWOV countries AND travelling onward to a different country within 10 days → 240-hour TWOV (Section 2).
• US, Indian, Mexican, or other non-listed passport, visiting China directly → L visa (Section 4) — or TWOV if you're genuinely transiting.
• Staying more than 30 days, or coming to work / study / journalism → L / M / F or work visa (Section 4).

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1. 30-day visa-free entry — 50 countries

If you hold an ordinary passport from one of the 50 countries listed below, you can enter China for up to 30 days without applying for a visa in advance. Turn up at the airport with the right paperwork and you're in.

Who qualifies

Notable absentees: United States, India, Mexico, South Africa, most of Africa and Southeast Asia. If that's your passport, skip to Section 2 (TWOV) or Section 4 (L visa).

When these agreements expire

• Brunei: no expiry
• Russia: 14 September 2026
• All other 48 countries: 31 December 2026

The scheme is a unilateral trial by China, announced in stages since late 2023. The December 2026 expiry is the critical date in your calendar. Beyond that, assume the rules may have changed and reverify before booking.

What you can use it for

• Tourism
• Business — meetings, trade, client visits, site visits
• Visiting friends or family
• Exchange visits
• Transit
• Conferences, exhibitions, trade shows
• Sports competitions
• Study tours and summer/winter camps (short-term only)

What you cannot use it for

• Paid work of any kind
• Long-term or formal study (enrolment in a degree or course)
• Journalism or media work
• Anything your embassy would classify as requiring a work, student, or journalist visa

If what you're actually doing smells like earning money in China or formal enrolment, visa-free won't cover you. Get the right visa.

How the 30 days are counted

The clock starts at 00:00 on the day after you arrive, and runs for 30 calendar days. Day of arrival doesn't count.

Need longer? Two options:

1. Get a visa before you come. Much easier.
2. Apply for a stay permit inside China to the local Public Security Bureau's exit-and-entry administration. Possible for genuine reasons (illness, flight cancellation, emergency), but not guaranteed and not routine.

Overstay is serious. Fines, detention, deportation, and a mark on your record that will complicate future Chinese visas. Don't test it.

What you need at the border

1. Valid ordinary passport, valid for at least the duration of your intended stay. Diplomatic, service, emergency, or temporary travel documents are not accepted for visa-free entry.
2. Confirmed onward or return ticket within 30 days.
3. Proof of accommodation — hotel booking, or if staying with someone, an invitation letter with their contact details and address.

Have all three accessible before you land. Print copies if you're not confident your phone will connect.

Entry isn't automatic — border officers can refuse you

Holding an eligible passport gets you to the immigration counter. It doesn't guarantee you through it. Border inspection officers can ask to see your onward ticket, your hotel bookings, your invitation letter if you claim to be visiting someone. If your answers don't match your paperwork, or your purpose of travel looks like work or journalism, they can deny entry on the spot and put you on the next flight out at your own cost.

Be straightforward. Bring evidence. Match your story to your documents.

Multiple entries

No cap on the number of entries, and no cap on total days of stay across trips. But: frequent back-to-back runs (exit to Hong Kong, re-enter three days later, repeat) attract scrutiny. If the pattern looks like visa-running to live in China without a residence permit, officers can refuse you.

Arriving from anywhere, by any route

• You don't need to depart from your home country. Any country or region works.
• Air, land, and sea are all valid at ports open to foreign nationals, with some port-specific exceptions.
• Works for solo travellers and tour groups alike.
• No advance declaration to a Chinese embassy is required.

Biometrics and police registration on arrival

Expect to give fingerprints at immigration. Standard for most foreign arrivals.

You must register your address with the local police within 24 hours of arrival.

• Staying in a hotel: the hotel registers you automatically when you check in. Nothing to do.
• Staying in an Airbnb, a rental, or a friend's home: you (or your host) must register at the local police station in person, or through the city's WeChat mini-program. This is enforced. Failing to register can cause problems when you leave.

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2. 240-hour visa-free transit (TWOV) — 55 countries

TWOV — Transit Without Visa — is for travellers passing through China to a third country. Up to 10 days (240 hours) in China between flights, by land, or by sea, with no visa required.

The rule that trips people up

Your route must be Country A → China → Country C. Not Country A → China → Country A.

If you're going to China and coming back to your home country, TWOV does not cover you — you need the 30-day scheme (if eligible) or a visa. TWOV is for genuine transits: London → Shanghai → Tokyo, or New York → Beijing → Bangkok.

Worked examples — does TWOV cover you?

The 55 eligible countries

Requirements

• Valid passport with at least 3 months' remaining validity at the time of entry
• Confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, with a reserved seat, departing within 240 hours (10 days) of arrival
• Enter and exit through an approved TWOV port

What you can and can't do

Same as the 30-day scheme. Tourism, business meetings, visiting people, exchanges — yes. Work, long-term study, journalism — no.

Where you can enter — port search

60 approved TWOV ports across 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Once you're in, you can move freely between the permitted regions. This is a material improvement on the older 72-hour and 144-hour schemes, which confined you to a single city or region.

Show all 60 ports by region

Beijing

• Beijing Capital International Airport
• Beijing Daxing International Airport

Tianjin

• Tianjin Binhai International Airport
• Tianjin Port (passenger)

Hebei

• Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport
• Qinhuangdao Port (passenger)

Liaoning

• Shenyang Taoxian International Airport
• Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport
• Dalian Port (passenger)

Shanghai

• Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport
• Shanghai Pudong International Airport
• Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal

Jiangsu

• Nanjing Lukou International Airport
• Sunan Shuofang International Airport (Wuxi)
• Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport
• Lianyungang Port (passenger)

Zhejiang

• Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
• Ningbo Lishe International Airport
• Wenzhou Longwan International Airport
• Yiwu Airport
• Wenzhou Port (passenger)
• Zhoushan Port (passenger)

Anhui

• Hefei Xinqiao International Airport

Fujian

• Fuzhou Changle International Airport
• Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport
• Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport
• Wuyishan Airport
• Xiamen Port (passenger)

Shandong

• Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport
• Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport
• Yantai Penglai International Airport
• Weihai Dashuipo International Airport
• Qingdao Port (passenger)

Henan

• Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport

Hubei

• Wuhan Tianhe International Airport

Hunan

• Changsha Huanghua International Airport
• Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport

Guangdong

• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
• Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
• Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
• Zhuhai Jinwan Airport
• Nansha Port (Guangzhou, passenger)
• Shekou Port (Shenzhen, passenger)

Hainan

• Haikou Meilan International Airport
• Sanya Phoenix International Airport

Chongqing

• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport

Guizhou

• Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport

Shaanxi

• Xi'an Xianyang International Airport

Shanxi

• Taiyuan Wusu International Airport

Heilongjiang

• Harbin Taiping International Airport

Jiangxi

• Nanchang Changbei International Airport
• Jingdezhen Luojia Airport

Guangxi

• Nanning Wuxu International Airport
• Guilin Liangjiang International Airport
• Beihai Fucheng Airport
• Nanning Railway Station
• Guilin Railway Station
• Beihai Port

Sichuan

• Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
• Chengdu Tianfu International Airport

Yunnan

• Kunming Changshui International Airport
• Lijiang Sanyi International Airport
• Mohan Railway Port

Port names are transliterated from the Chinese-language official notice. If you're planning around a specific port, verify spelling and current status with your airline or the NIA before booking.

Procedure at the border

When you arrive at an approved TWOV port, complete the Arrival Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners and present it, along with your passport and onward ticket, to border inspection. You'll receive a stamp indicating your 240-hour window. Before you leave China, exit through any approved port — you don't need to leave via the same port you entered.

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3. Bilateral visa-free agreements

Separate from the unilateral 30-day scheme above, China has longstanding bilateral (two-way) visa-exemption agreements with around 30 other countries, typically covering ordinary passport holders for stays of 15 to 30 days. These are separate legal instruments and can be suspended at short notice.

Countries with bilateral mutual visa exemption include (non-exhaustive): UAE, Qatar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Maldives, Belarus, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania.

If your country isn't on the 30-day unilateral list above but you've heard of a bilateral arrangement, confirm current status with your local Chinese embassy or consulate before relying on it. The bilateral list changes and individual agreements are periodically suspended.

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4. L, M, F and other visas

If none of the above covers your situation, you need to apply for a visa through your local Chinese embassy or visa application centre.

Which visa type

• L — Tourism. Standard tourist visa. For holidays and independent travel.
• M — Commercial. For trade, business meetings, competitions, and other commercial activity. Often issued to people who could technically travel under the 30-day scheme but are staying longer, or whose purpose is more formally commercial.
• F — Exchange, visits, study tours. For academic and cultural exchanges, non-commercial performances, NGO activities, short-term (≤90 days) volunteering, religious exchanges, geographic surveying.

Other categories exist for work (Z), study (X1/X2), family residence (Q1/Q2), journalism (J1/J2), and crew. If you're in any of these situations, consult the embassy directly.

How to apply

Apply through your local Chinese embassy, consulate, or authorised visa application service centre (visaforchina.cn).

What you typically need

• Completed application form
• Passport valid for at least 6 months
• Recent passport-style photographs
• Full travel itinerary
• Confirmed hotel bookings or invitation letter
• Proof of sufficient funds (bank statements, employer letter)

Specific requirements vary by country and visa type. Check your local Chinese embassy's site for the authoritative list.

Timing

Standard processing is 5–10 working days. Expedited service is sometimes available at extra cost. Busy seasons (pre-Chinese New Year, summer) are slower. Build in at least two weeks, and longer if your itinerary is inflexible.

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If you lose your passport in China

Losing your passport after you've entered China is recoverable, but it takes work.

You can still leave China using an emergency travel document issued by your embassy or consulate in China — provided:

• Chinese border inspection authorities can verify your identity and entry record
• You have a police loss-report
• Supporting documents from your embassy check out
• You have not overstayed, and have not committed any other immigration or criminal violation

If you have overstayed or committed another violation, the border authority will handle the case under Chinese law before clearing you to exit. This can mean fines, delays, or in serious cases detention.

Immediate steps

1. Report the loss to the local police. Get a loss-report certificate — keep this safe, you'll need it.
2. Contact your embassy or consulate in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu or elsewhere. They'll issue an emergency travel document or replacement passport.
3. Take both documents to the local exit-and-entry administration to register the new document and secure an exit endorsement.
4. Present everything to border inspection on departure.

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A final note on keeping this current

China's visa policy has moved rapidly since late 2023 — Canada and the UK were added to the 30-day list as recently as February 2026. The Ministry of Commerce signalled in March 2026 that further expansions are likely. Things will continue to change.

I update this page when official changes are announced. But before you book, and again before you fly, check with the National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn) or your local Chinese embassy for the current position on your specific passport. A thirty-second check can save a cancelled trip.

Last reviewed: April 2026. Based on: Chinese Visa Application Service Center FAQ on Visa-free Entry into China, 16 February 2026; National Immigration Administration public notices. SamInChina is an independent guide — I'm not affiliated with the Chinese government or any visa service.