China visa-free entry: the 30-day list and the 240-hour transit

Mainland China now lets citizens of 50 countries arrive without a visa and stay up to 30 days. The list has grown in steps since late 2023, and in February 2026 it added two of the largest markets that had been left out: the United Kingdom and Canada. The scheme is temporary and, for most countries, ends on 31 December 2026 unless China extends it again.

The United States is still not on the list. American travelers can use a separate rule, the 240-hour visa-free transit, if they are flying on to a third country. Everyone else, including anyone who wants to work, study or report, needs a visa from a Chinese embassy or visa center before the trip.

The 30-day exemption is unilateral: China grants it without asking for the same in return. It covers ordinary passports only, and it covers short visits for business, tourism, seeing family or friends, exchange visits and transit. You do not apply for anything. You arrive, show your passport and your arrival card, and the officer admits you for up to 30 days.

The official list is on the National Immigration Administration's unilateral visa-free countries page, dated 17 February 2026. The extension to the end of 2026 for the earlier group of countries is set out in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs notice on extension of the visa-free policy, published in November 2025.

The exemption is for mainland China. Hong Kong and Macau run their own entry rules, and a trip that goes Hong Kong, then Shenzhen, then back is two separate border crossings into two separate systems. The stay is counted from the day after you enter, so the 30 days begin on the second day. Multiple entries are allowed, and Chinese official guidance says there is currently no cap on the number of entries or total days, but you may not do anything that does not fit the purpose you entered for.

The NIA list has 35 European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, the Nordic countries, most of central Europe, Russia and the United Kingdom. From Oceania it has Australia and New Zealand. In Asia and the Gulf it has Brunei, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. In the Americas it has Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Canada.

The UK and Canada joined at 00:00 Beijing time on 17 February 2026. The Chinese embassy in London's notice on the visa waiver for the UK and Canada gives the end date as 24:00 on 31 December 2026. The notice speaks of ordinary passport holders from the two countries, and Chinese official guidance says travel documents other than ordinary passports do not qualify, so if you hold anything else, ask the embassy before you book.

Diplomatic and official passports fall under separate agreements. Countries that have a mutual visa exemption agreement with China follow that agreement's own terms, which can differ from the unilateral scheme. If your country is not named on the NIA page, assume you need a visa until a Chinese embassy tells you otherwise.

For travelers whose country is not on the 30-day list, the most useful rule is visa-free transit. Citizens of 57 countries, including the United States, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia and the UAE, can spend up to 240 hours, or 10 days, in China without a visa if they are passing through on the way to somewhere else.

The details are on the NIA's transit visa-free policy page. The important words are third country or region. A flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai and back to Los Angeles does not qualify. Los Angeles to Shanghai, then Shanghai to Tokyo or Seoul, does. The NIA wording is third country or region, so if your onward leg is to Hong Kong or Macau, confirm with the airline or a Chinese embassy before you rely on it.

You must stay inside the permitted areas, which are set by province and are listed with the ports on the NIA page. Tourism, business, visits and family trips are allowed. Work, study and journalism still need a visa in advance. The NIA counts the stay from 00:00 on the day after you enter, so check your exit flight against that count rather than against the hour you landed. The NIA also lists a separate 24-hour transit rule at every open port for travelers who stay inside the port's restricted area.

Regional schemes

There are also regional rules. Hainan Island allows stays of up to 30 days for citizens of 61 countries, including the US, for short trips that exclude work and study, and you must stay within Hainan province. Cruise groups at 13 cruise ports (15 days), ASEAN tour groups to Guilin and Xishuangbanna (6 days), and tour groups organized in Hong Kong or Macau for the Greater Bay Area or Hainan (6 days) have their own shorter group exemptions. The NIA publishes them on its regional visa-free entry page.

There is no application for either exemption, and so there is nothing to buy. If a website offers to sell you a China visa-free permit or a fast-track approval for the 30-day scheme, it is not an official channel. The only thing you pay for on the visa-free route is the flight.

Airlines may check your eligibility before boarding, and the transit rule rests entirely on your onward ticket. Keep your onward booking on your phone and on paper, with the flight number and date. If you are on the 30-day scheme, official guidance recommends carrying documents such as air tickets and accommodation reservations as proof of your purpose, even though the rule does not require them.

If you need more than 30 days, or you plan to work, study or report, apply for a visa. The embassy or consulate for your country sets the application route, and its website links to the right visa center. Fees and processing times vary by nationality and change, so check the current figures on the embassy site rather than an older guide.

On arrival you fill in a paper or digital arrival card and queue for foreigners' immigration. The officer checks that your nationality and passport type qualify, and the border inspection authority decides whether to admit you. Under the transit rule, expect the officer to want to see your onward ticket.

Overstaying is treated seriously. If a flight is canceled and you risk running past 30 days or 10 days, official guidance is to apply for a stay permit at the exit and entry administration of the local public security authority, and to do it before the deadline, not after. For a longer trip that crosses into Hong Kong or Macau and back, treat each re-entry as a new crossing and check your allowed stay again at each border.

Plan your practical setup before you land, since several apps and services you rely on at home may not work the same way in China. Our connectivity guides cover roaming and eSIM options, and our travel insurance guides cover medical cover for Asia trips.

China has added countries to the unilateral scheme in waves since late 2023. In November 2025 it extended the scheme for the earlier group to 31 December 2026 and added Sweden. On 17 February 2026 it added the United Kingdom and Canada, and in May 2026 it extended Russia's exemption to 31 December 2027.

No general decision on 2027 was found on official pages on 3 October 2026. If your trip is in early 2027, book flexible, check the NIA list again in December, and have a visa plan if the list changes. For more on the country itself, start at our China guide.

Skip the visa-free route if you want to stay longer than 30 days, if you will work, study or report, or if your passport is not an ordinary one. Skip it too if your trip is booked for the weeks around the end of 2026 and cannot be changed, because the rule may change at the deadline and a visa is the only document that does not depend on it. Anyone who has had an entry refused or a visa problem in China before should ask an embassy rather than assume the exemption applies.

The mistake to avoid is treating the exemption as a booking guarantee. Eligibility is decided at the border, so keep your return or onward ticket, your accommodation details and a valid passport easy to reach. Check the passport validity against your whole stay, not just the entry date.