Hainan visa-free rules: 61 countries, 30 days, no visa

Ordinary passport holders from 61 countries can enter Hainan without a visa and stay 30 days. That covers tourism, business and trade, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, and sports competitions. Work, study and news reporting are excluded and need a visa applied for before you fly. Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added on 20 August 2026, bringing the list to 61; counting bilateral and unilateral agreements as well, 88 nationalities can now reach the island visa-free.

Which visa-free route applies to you

Route	Who it covers	Stay	Where you can travel
Hainan 30-day entry	Ordinary passports from 61 countries	30 days	Hainan province only
240-hour transit	57 countries, transiting to a third country with a confirmed onward ticket	240 hours	All of Hainan plus the permitted areas of 23 other provinces
24-hour transit	Any nationality	24 hours	The port's designated area, unless you obtain temporary entry permission

The 61-country list includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Kazakhstan, the UAE, Qatar and most of the EU and the Balkans. Hainan's rules sit alongside China's nationwide ones, so if you qualify under more than one you choose which to use.

Entering under the 30-day rule

1. Fly in from outside mainland China. A direct international flight from your own country works; if yours has none, route through a third country, Hong Kong or Macau first.
2. Use an open port. Airports: Haikou Meilan, Sanya Phoenix, Qionghai Boao. Seaports: Haikou, Sanya, Yangpu, Qinglan, Basuo.
3. Skip the paperwork. Border inspection admits you on your ordinary passport. There is no advance declaration and no travel-agency registration.
4. Register your address. Hotels do this when you hand over your passport. In a private stay, you or your host must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival.

Medical treatment is one of the permitted reasons to come, which is also a reminder that Hainan's hospitals bill foreign patients in full. A short travel medical policy costs less than a single clinic visit, so compare all the main policies before you book the flight.

Staying legal

The 30 days start at 00:00 on the day after you arrive. You cannot leave Hainan for the rest of mainland China without a stay permit from the provincial exit-entry authority, and Hainan's service pages ask you to apply at least seven days before your visa-free stay ends. Anything needing prior approval — employment, study, journalism — requires a visa obtained before travel.

Last checked: 2026-09-16