Nationwide short stays
50 countries
Ordinary passport holders from the current visa-free list can enter for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, exchange visits, or transit.
Planning
China visas,without the guesswork.
The current China entry rules foreign travellers actually need, checked against official government and visa-centre sources on March 16, 2026.
50-country30-day visa-free entry
55-country240-hour transit
59-countryHainan-only entry
At A Glance
The short version.
The big recent change is that Canada and the United Kingdom joined China's nationwide 30-day visa-free program on February 17, 2026. The rest of the framework below is what matters most for typical short-stay travellers right now.
Transit without a visa
24h / 240h
All nationalities can use the 24-hour transit rule. Passport holders from 55 countries can use the 240-hour rule if they continue to a third country or region.
Hainan only
59 countries
Hainan has its own 30-day visa-free route for short stays if you are staying in the province rather than touring the mainland more broadly.
If none apply
L visa
Most leisure travellers outside those pathways should expect to apply for a tourist visa before departure.
Quick Checker
Start with the route that probably applies to you.
This tool is a planning shortcut, not a legal ruling. It was aligned with official sources on March 16, 2026and covers the main current pathways foreign travellers use.
Quick check
Start with your passport country.
Enter the nationality on the passport you plan to use so we can compare it against China's current visa-free and transit policies.
- This checker was last aligned with official sources on March 16, 2026.
- It covers nationwide visa-free entry, bilateral short-stay waivers we could verify, 24/240-hour transit, and Hainan-only entry.
- If your case is unusual, treat the result as a planning guide and confirm with the nearest Chinese mission.
Nationwide Visa-Free
If your passport is on the 50-country list.
This is the cleanest route for many visitors: no visa application before departure, 30 days in China, and all standard ports open to foreigners. Russia is currently confirmed through September 14, 2026. The other 48 trial-country nationalities in the current scheme are confirmed through December 31, 2026, while Brunei continues under its separate arrangement.
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The current nationwide visa-free policy covers short stays for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchange visits, and transit.
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The 30-day period is counted from the day after entry.
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The official FAQ currently says there is no limit on the number of entries while the policy is active.
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You can depart from any country or region; you do not need to fly in from your passport country.
Europe
AndorraAustriaBelgiumBulgariaCroatiaCyprusDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLiechtensteinLuxembourgMaltaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUnited Kingdom
Asia
BahrainBruneiJapanKuwaitOmanSaudi ArabiaSouth Korea
Oceania
AustraliaNew Zealand
Americas
ArgentinaBrazilCanadaChilePeruUruguay
Transit
If you are only passing through China.
Transit rules are useful, but they are stricter than full visa-free entry. The key difference is that your onward ticket must take you to a third country or region, and your movement is limited to the approved regions for the policy.
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24-hour transit without a visa is available to passengers of all nationalities at ports open to passenger traffic, as long as they continue onward within 24 hours.
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240-hour transit without a visa is currently available to passport holders from 55 countries for up to 10 days.
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The 240-hour route requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, not back to the country you just came from.
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Movement is limited to the areas and ports covered by the current transit policy, so this route is not the same as full nationwide visa-free entry.
Europe
AlbaniaAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUnited Kingdom
Americas
ArgentinaBrazilCanadaChileMexicoUnited States
Asia
BruneiIndonesiaJapanQatarSingaporeSouth KoreaUnited Arab Emirates
Oceania
AustraliaNew Zealand
Bilateral Treaties
Some passports qualify outside the headline 50-country program.
China also has bilateral short-stay waivers with a smaller set of countries. They matter because a traveller can miss the unilateral 50-country program but still enter visa-free under a treaty rule. The exact stay cap depends on the passport country.
Albania
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Antigua and Barbuda
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Armenia
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Azerbaijan
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Bahamas
Up to 30 days per visit.
Barbados
Up to 30 days per visit.
Belarus
Up to 30 days per visit, with a cumulative stay not exceeding 90 days per calendar year.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Dominica
Up to 30 days per visit.
Ecuador
Up to 30 days per visit.
Fiji
Up to 30 days per visit.
Georgia
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Grenada
Up to 30 days per visit.
Kazakhstan
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Maldives
Up to 30 days per visit.
Mauritius
Up to 60 days per visit.
Qatar
Up to 30 days per visit.
Samoa
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
San Marino
Up to 90 days per visit.
Serbia
Up to 30 days per visit.
Seychelles
Up to 30 days per visit.
Singapore
Up to 30 days per visit.
Solomon Islands
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Suriname
Up to 30 days per visit.
Thailand
Up to 30 days per entry, with no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Tonga
Up to 30 days per visit.
United Arab Emirates
Up to 30 days per visit.
If You Need A Visa
The cleanest tourist-visa workflow.
If none of the visa-free or transit routes apply, most leisure travellers should expect to use an L visa. The core path is straightforward, but the exact supporting documents can still vary by mission.
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Use the official online visa application system first, then follow the submission process for the Chinese embassy, consulate, or visa centre that serves your place of residence.
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For a tourist visa, your passport should usually have at least six months of validity remaining and at least two blank visa pages.
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Typical L-visa evidence is a round-trip booking plus hotel reservations for the whole stay, or an invitation letter from the host in China.
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Local missions can ask for extra documents, especially if you were born in China, held Chinese nationality before, or have previous Chinese visas in old passports.
Official Sources
What this page is actually based on.
We checked these sources on March 16, 2026. Because entry policy can still change quickly, this page should be treated as a planning guide, not the final ruling you use at the airport.
NIA FAQ on visa-free entry into China
Current 50-country nationwide visa-free list, allowed purposes, stay counting, entry frequency, and document guidance.
Open official sourceMFA announcement adding Canada and the United Kingdom
Confirms that Canada and the United Kingdom joined the visa-free program from February 17, 2026 through December 31, 2026.
Open official sourceNIA policy interpretation on 24-hour and 240-hour transit visa-free entry
Explains the 24-hour rule for all nationalities and the 240-hour rule for 55 countries, including onward-ticket and third-country requirements.
Open official sourceNIA policy interpretation on Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry
Confirms the 59-country Hainan program, 30-day stay cap, and permitted short-stay purposes.
Open official sourceMFA table of mutual visa exemption agreements
Official table used to verify bilateral ordinary-passport and valid-passport visa waivers that still apply outside the unilateral 50-country list.
Open official sourceOfficial China visa application process
Official visa-centre process flow for completing the online form, booking, and submitting documents.
Open official sourceOfficial tourist (L) visa document guide
Passport validity, blank-page requirement, application form, photo, and typical itinerary or invitation documents for tourist visas.
Open official sourceNeed A Human Read
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