China visa-free entry and 240-hour transit: who qualifies and how it works

Do I need a visa for China in 2026?

Maybe not. As of October 2026, ordinary passport holders from 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most EU countries, can visit mainland China for up to 30 days without a visa. Citizens of 57 countries, including the United States, can stay up to 240 hours without a visa when they are passing through China to a third country or region. Travelers without another applicable visa exemption need a visa, and so does anyone coming to work, study or report the news.

Which rule fits depends on your passport and your route. Use the table to find your starting point, then read the matching section below.

Which countries get 30-day visa-free entry?

The foreign ministry's FAQ, as published by the Chinese Embassy in the US and last updated in 2026, lists these 50 countries. Canada and the UK were the latest additions, on February 17, 2026.

• Europe (35): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom.
• Asia-Pacific (5): Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea.
• Middle East (4): Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia.
• Americas (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay.

End dates differ. Brunei has no end date, and Russia's arrangement was extended on May 20, 2026 to December 31, 2027. The other 48 countries are covered until December 31, 2026. The last extension for that group was announced in early November 2025, and as of late October 2026 no extension into 2027 had been announced, so check again before you book a trip for next year.

The 30 days are counted from the day after you arrive. You can enter several times, and the FAQ says there is currently no limit on the number of entries or total days, as long as each visit fits the permitted purposes. Your passport must be valid for at least the length of your stay; emergency and temporary travel documents do not qualify. Officers can ask why you are visiting, so carry proof such as a return or onward ticket, hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

How does 240-hour visa-free transit work?

The 240-hour rule, 过境免签 (guòjìng miǎnqiān), is for people passing through mainland China on the way somewhere else. Since August 20, 2026 it covers 57 countries:

• Europe (40): all 27 EU countries, plus Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
• Americas (6): the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.
• Asia (9): South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam.
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand.

According to the Beijing government's official FAQ, you also need:

• An ordinary passport valid for at least three months, and permission to enter the country you are flying on to.
• A confirmed onward ticket (date and seat) leaving mainland China for a third country or region within 240 hours. Hong Kong and Macao count: the Beijing government confirms that a Busan–Beijing–Hong Kong trip qualifies, even on two different airlines.
• Entry through one of the 65 eligible ports, which include the main international airports in Beijing and Shanghai, plus some seaports and rail ports such as West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong (added November 5, 2025).
• A completed arrival card and an inspection by border officers, who make the final decision on the spot.

A round trip such as Los Angeles–Shanghai–Los Angeles does not qualify, because you are not continuing to a third country or region. The clock starts at 00:00 on the day after you arrive: land at 3 p.m. on May 1 and you must leave by 23:59 on May 11. You can leave from any eligible port, not just the one you arrived at.

Where can you go during a 240-hour transit?

You can travel between 24 provinces and municipalities, but only inside the permitted areas. They include Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, Shaanxi, Chongqing and Hainan. In some provinces only certain cities count, according to the official list published by China Daily:

Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Tibet are outside the scheme. If your route goes there, you need a visa or 30-day visa-free entry instead. The National Immigration Administration publishes the current ports and areas.

What to carry and what happens at the border

Keep these where you can show them without mobile data: your passport, your onward or return ticket, your hotel bookings, and the confirmation of your arrival card. A printout or offline screenshot is fine.

1. Check your routeMatch your passport and your exact itinerary against the current lists. For 240-hour transit, check that every city you plan to visit is inside a permitted area.
2. Fill in the arrival cardSubmit it online before you fly (see the next section). It saves time in the immigration hall.
3. Check in with your airlineTell the agent you are entering visa-free or on 240-hour transit and have your onward ticket ready, because airlines check documents before boarding.
4. Go through immigrationOfficers check your passport, purpose and tickets. For 240-hour transit, the temporary entry permit and the entry check are now handled at the same counter. Answer simply: why you are visiting, how long you are staying and where.
5. Register where you stayHotels register you automatically when you show your passport at check-in. If you stay with friends or in a private home, you or your host must register within 24 hours; since September 21, 2026 you can do it online in the NIA 12367 app or mini program.
6. Leave on timeLeave before your deadline. Overstaying is treated as illegal stay, and extensions are only possible for serious reasons through the local exit-entry office.

Expect a few short questions, and a few words of Mandarin help if the officer switches to Chinese. Practice the exchange in the Immigration Questions lesson, and the Customs Declaration lesson if you carry medicine or gifts. Keep your hotel address in Chinese ready with the address card.

How do I fill in China's arrival card online?

Since November 20, 2025, foreigners can submit the arrival card, 入境卡 (rùjìng kǎ), online before the trip on the NIA arrival card website, in the NIA 12367 app, or in the NIA 12367 mini program inside WeChat or Alipay. If you can't do it in advance, you can scan a QR code in the immigration hall, use a kiosk there, or fill in a paper card.

Some travelers are exempt, including passengers making a 24-hour direct transit without leaving the airport transit area, people entering through e-channels, members of groups entering on group visas or group visa-free schemes, and cruise passengers staying on the same ship. Since November 5, 2025, ten more airports, including Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao and Wuhan, let 24-hour connecting passengers skip immigration if they stay airside.

Need Wi-Fi to do it on arrival? Shanghai Pudong lets you scan your passport on the Wi-Fi login page, and Beijing Daxing's BDIA-FREE-WIFI accepts a photo of your passport page. The Airport Help Desk lesson covers asking for Wi-Fi, a SIM card or cash, and the eSIM and SIM card guide covers staying connected after that. At the hotel, the Hotel Check-in lesson walks you through the passport registration.

Common mistakes that cause problems at the border

• Relying on a list from a blog or an old forum thread. The official lists changed in February, May and August 2026 alone.
• Assuming the 30-day and 240-hour lists are the same. The United States and Mexico are on the transit list but not the 30-day list; Peru and Saudi Arabia are on the 30-day list but not the transit list.
• Booking a 2027 trip on the 30-day rule without checking whether the December 31, 2026 end date has been extended.

How can I confirm the rules before I travel?

Treat this page as a starting point, not a guarantee. Entry is always decided by the border officer, and the official lists change often. Before you book, check:

• The National Immigration Administration news page for the latest announcements on transit countries, ports and areas.
• The website of the Chinese embassy or consulate for your country, which posts notices on visa-free entry.
• The 12367 immigration hotline (+86 12367 from abroad), which runs around the clock and offers English by voice menu.
• Your airline, which can tell you what it needs to see at check-in.