What happens when a trip crosses a visa-free policy expiry date?

At a glance

• MFA FAQ2 gives the policy's validity period, while FAQ10 gives an admitted visitor 30 calendar days counted from the next day. Read together, these rules allow a stay begun within the policy period to cross its end date. This is the basis for the answer, rather than an announcement extending the policy. [1]
• For the current 48-country group with a 31 December 2026 policy end date, admission on 31 December makes 1 January day 1 and 30 January day 30. Leave by the actual deadline granted for your admission. [1]
• Russia's current unilateral-waiver end date is 31 December 2027; Brunei has no announced end date. Use the passport-specific period, not one universal sunset. [1] [2]
• A fresh mainland entry after the policy period needs a separately valid visa, waiver or other entry basis. Leaving for Hong Kong and returning in January is a new entry, even if the earlier 30-day period had not run out. [1]
• A stay beyond the admitted 30 days needs the appropriate stay permission; MFA FAQ11 directs visitors with a legitimate need to the public-security exit-entry authority. [1]

What to do next

1. Before buying a trip that crosses a published policy end date, identify the exact passport rule and intended entry date. Keep Russia, Brunei and the other current unilateral-waiver countries separate rather than applying one headline expiry to everyone.
2. Distinguish three dates in the itinerary: the policy's eligible-entry cutoff, the actual arrival/admission date and the permitted departure deadline. Use the MFA stay-counting rule for the relevant route and leave practical recovery time before the final lawful departure.
3. If the planned entry falls after the published period, obtain a confirmed applicable extension, another qualifying entry route or the appropriate visa before travelling. Do not book on the assumption that a policy will be renewed because it was extended previously.
4. If entry is within the valid period and the stay crosses New Year, carry the dated policy and full itinerary and keep the admission record. If the officer grants a different deadline, resolve that exact date with border inspection or NIA12367 before making a conflicting departure plan. Follow the stay actually granted rather than treating the policy sunset as a reason to guess a new exit date.
5. Review any later re-entry separately. A side trip to Hong Kong followed by a mainland return in January is a new entry decision, not a continuation of the earlier mainland admission.
6. After a flight change, compare the revised admission date and departure with both rules again. A delay across the entry cutoff and a delay beyond an already granted stay require different solutions.

If your situation is different

You plan to enter on the last published day: consider a margin that can absorb a flight delay. If the plane arrives after the eligible-entry period, the original booking date does not establish the same permission.

You hold a Russian ordinary passport: use the current Russia-specific 2027 end date and the normal stay conditions rather than copying the 2026 date for the other group.

You hold a Brunei ordinary passport: the cited unilateral rule has no announced sunset, but the passport, purpose and stay conditions still apply to the actual visit.

You qualify for 240-hour transit instead: assess the immediate third-country route, ports, document and permitted area independently. Do not add a nominal onward ticket without making the full itinerary meet that policy.

Common mistakes

• Confusing the policy's entry cutoff with every traveller's exit deadline: keep the dates separate.
• Assuming an extension before it is announced: secure an applicable route for the actual entry date.
• Counting arrival as day 1 under the ordinary next-day rule: calculate the calendar carefully.
• Treating a January mainland return as part of the December admission: assess the new entry.

Quick questions