China's 240-hour visa-free transit: 57 countries, 65 ports

Citizens of 57 countries can stay in China for 240 hours — 10 days — without a visa, as long as they are travelling on to a third country and already hold the ticket. You apply at the border when you land, not in advance.

The eligible list, as of 20 August 2026: 40 European countries (all 27 EU member states, plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Monaco, Russia, Ukraine and others), the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and nine in Asia — South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the UAE, Qatar, Indonesia, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan.

1. Check your passport

It needs at least three months of validity remaining. You are refused if it carries a Chinese visa refusal stamp, or if you have a record of illegal entry, stay or work in China within the last five years.

2. Book the onward ticket before you fly

You need a confirmed onward ticket with a date and a seat, leaving within 240 hours, to a country or region different from the one you arrived from. Singapore → Shanghai → Singapore does not qualify. Singapore → Shanghai → Seoul does. A printout or an online itinerary both work. Arriving without the ticket booked means no temporary entry permit.

3. Apply at the border

Any of the 65 designated ports works — Beijing Capital and Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Guangzhou Baiyun, Chengdu Tianfu and the rest. Fill in the arrival card (there is an online version, or you get a paper one on the plane), then follow the signs to the 240-hour transit channel. The officer issues a temporary entry permit sticker, which also serves as your hotel check-in document. No embassy, no appointment, and approval happens on the spot.

Insurance is not a condition of the permit, and the permit gives you no medical cover in China. compare all

4. Stay inside the permitted areas

Cross-province travel is allowed across the 24 regions covered. Three are restricted: Shanxi covers only Taiyuan and Datong, Jiangxi only Nanchang and Jingdezhen, Guangxi only 12 named cities. Anhui, Guizhou and Hainan are whole-province. Leaving the permitted area or overstaying counts as illegal residence and will follow you into future visa applications. Work, study and news reporting need a proper visa.

5. Count the clock from midnight

The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after you arrive, so your arrival day is effectively free. Land on 1 September and you must be out by 24:00 on 11 September. Depart from any of the 65 ports, plus any open port in Guangdong.

One last check before you rely on this: China's separate unilateral visa-free scheme gives ordinary passport holders from many of the same countries — France, Germany, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil — 30 days with no onward ticket and no transit requirement. It runs to 31 December 2026 unless extended.

Last checked: 2026-09-10