Visa-free entry to China by passport: who qualifies

Updated 2026-10-16: Wildfire near Mongolia-China border in Inner Mongolia, 2,000 firefighters deployed.

Whether you need a visa for China comes down to your passport and your itinerary. Ordinary passports from 50 countries enter visa-free for up to 30 days under China's unilateral policy; nationals of 57 countries can use the 240-hour visa-free transit instead; and 29 countries have mutual exemption agreements with China. Everyone else applies for a visa before flying.

Route	Who qualifies	Stay	Conditions
Unilateral visa-free	Ordinary passports from 50 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Canada and the UK	30 days	Business, tourism, family or friend visits, exchanges, transit. Enter at any open port.
Mutual visa exemption	29 countries, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Serbia and the UAE	30 days, or 90 days in any 180 for Thailand, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Antigua and Barbuda	Terms set by each agreement.
240-hour visa-free transit	57 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Indonesia	10 days	Onward ticket to a third country with a confirmed seat and date. Enter through one of 65 ports in 24 provinces and stay inside the permitted areas.
24-hour transit	All nationalities	24 hours	Onward ticket required. You cannot leave the port's restricted area without a temporary entry permit.

If your passport is on the 50-country list

The 30 days are counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter. You can enter more than once, and there is currently no cap on the number of visa-free entries or total days per year. No advance declaration to an embassy or consulate is needed. Most of these arrangements expire on 31 December 2026; Brunei's has no expiry date. Sweden was added on 10 November 2025.

If you hold a US, UK or Canadian passport

The 30-day list does not cover US passports. The 240-hour transit does, provided you are genuinely passing through: you arrive in China from one country and leave for a third, with a booked onward ticket. You may travel across the permitted areas in the 24 eligible provinces, but not outside them. Work, study and news reporting are excluded from both routes.

What to carry

A passport valid for the duration of your intended stay is required. Temporary or emergency travel documents do not qualify for visa-free entry. Border officers may ask for hotel bookings, return tickets or an invitation letter. Since 20 November 2025 you can submit the arrival card online before you land, or fill one in at the airport.

Visa-free entry does not lower the cost of a hospital stay, and Chinese hospitals generally expect payment up front. A policy covering medical treatment and evacuation is worth arranging before you fly.

If you would rather weigh the options yourself, compare the main options first.

If you want to stay longer than 30 days, apply for the right visa before you travel; extensions after arrival are handled by the exit-entry administration of the local public security bureau. China's National Immigration Administration runs a 24-hour hotline on +86-12367 in English.

Last checked: 2026-10-16