China 240-hour visa-free transit: who qualifies and who doesn't

Updated 2026-10-17: First exhibits clear customs for ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

Yes — if you hold an ordinary passport from one of the 57 eligible countries, you can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) in mainland China without a visa, entering through any of 65 designated ports in 24 provincial-level regions. The requirement is that you arrive from one country or region and leave for a different one, holding a confirmed onward ticket with a seat and a date.

Before you build a trip around it: travellers from a separate list of countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and others — already get 30 days visa-free for business, tourism and transit until 24:00 on 31 December 2026. If one of those is your passport, the transit rule is a worse deal. It is US, UK, Canadian, Mexican and Indonesian passport holders who actually need it.

The route rule is where people get refused

Border inspection reads your journey as A → China → B, and B must differ from A. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as separate regions for this test, which makes them useful exit points. London → Shanghai → Tokyo qualifies. London → Shanghai → Hong Kong qualifies. London → Shanghai → London does not, and neither does Hong Kong → Shanghai → Hong Kong.

A stopover where you never clear immigration does not create a third country. Fly Hong Kong → Guangzhou by ferry, then Guangzhou → Canada with a change of planes in Hong Kong, and the itinerary reads as Hong Kong → Guangzhou → Hong Kong.

How the 240 hours are counted

The clock starts at 00:00 on the day after you arrive, not at the moment you land. Land at 06:00 on 1 July and your onward flight must be scheduled to leave by 23:59 on 11 July — in practice 258 usable hours.

At the airport

The arrival card can be completed online before you fly, through the National Immigration Administration's 12367 app or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs, since 20 November 2025; paper cards remain available at the port. Follow the 240-hour transit signage at immigration and present your passport (valid at least three months), your onward booking and an accommodation address.

Hotels register foreign guests for you. If you are staying with friends or in an apartment, you register at the local police station within 24 hours of entry. Travel is limited to the permitted area attached to your entry port, and those areas are not the whole country — Shanxi covers Taiyuan and Datong only, Jiangxi covers Nanchang and Jingdezhen. Work, study and news reporting require a visa.

The policy grants entry and nothing else — no medical cover, no repatriation. A short policy for the ten days is worth the cost if you are hiking or riding between cities; compare all the options before you book flights.

Last checked: 2026-10-17