China visa-free entry or 240-hour transit: which applies in 2026?
By the MyChinaTrip team · checked 17 oct 2026Use the 30-day visa-free scheme for a qualifying visit, including a return trip. Use 240-hour transit when your eligible passport and onward journey to a different country or region meet its rules.
您好，我想确认这次适用的入境政策。这里是我的护照、入境和离境行程及住宿信息。请问我应该办理哪种入境手续，最晚哪一天离境？谢谢！
Meaning: Please help confirm the entry policy for this trip. Here are my passport, arrival/departure itinerary and accommodation details. Which procedure should I use, and what is my latest exit date?
At a glance
- 30 days: tourism, business, family/friend visits, exchanges or transit; counted from the day after entry. Passport valid throughout the intended stay. [1]
- 240 hours: ordinary passport, at least three months’ document validity, confirmed onward itinerary to a third country/region, permitted ports and areas. The clock starts at 00:00 the day after entry. [3] [4]
- Expiry: 48 of the 50 unilateral countries have permission through 31 December 2026; Russia through 31 December 2027; Brunei has no announced end date. The cited 240-hour policy has no announced sunset. [1] [2] [3]
What to do next
- Find your passport below. If the 30-day route covers your nationality, purpose and dates, use it: you need not add an artificial onward stop. For example, an eligible British tourist can fly London–Shanghai–London.
- For transit, write the route as A → mainland China → B. A and B must be different countries or regions. Paris–Shanghai–Paris fails that route test; Paris–Shanghai–Tokyo passes the route test, subject to the other conditions. Compare the places immediately before and after the mainland stop.
- Book the confirmed onward journey and check every mainland stop against the permitted areas below. Prepare your passport, transport confirmation and accommodation details; request the appropriate entry procedure at border inspection. Submitting an arrival card alone is not transit permission.
- Calculate the departure deadline. Entry on 26 September starts the 240-hour clock on 27 September at 00:00: ten days ends at midnight after 6 October. Under the 30-day rule, that entry allows 30 calendar days from 27 September through 26 October.
30-day visa-free nationality list
50-country 30-day list: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Uruguay. The expiry split above applies to ordinary passports under this unilateral scheme. [1]
240-hour transit nationality list
57-country 240-hour list: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam. The United States is on this list, not the unilateral 30-day list. [3]
Where 240-hour travellers may stay
Whole jurisdictions: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Shaanxi. Limited areas: Shanxi—Taiyuan/Datong; Heilongjiang—Harbin; Jiangxi—Nanchang/Jingdezhen; Guangxi—Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, Laibin; Sichuan—Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya’an, Meishan, Ziyang; Yunnan—Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu’er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang. Cross-province visits within these areas are allowed.
For your route: Beijing–Shanghai is within the listed areas. A Chengdu stop does not make all of Sichuan available: Jiuzhaigou is outside its listed cities. Choose a qualifying entry route covering your intended journey, or change that side trip. [5]
The 65 eligible entry ports
The following is transcribed from NIA’s current table; “passenger port” retains the table’s scope, rather than promising that every terminal in that city qualifies. Guangdong permits exit through all its open ports; the table does not give that exception to every province.
Beijing: Capital and Daxing airports. Tianjin: Binhai airport, Tianjin passenger port. Hebei: Shijiazhuang Zhengding airport, Qinhuangdao passenger port. Liaoning: Shenyang Taoxian and Dalian Zhoushuizi airports, Dalian passenger port.
Shanghai: Hongqiao and Pudong airports, Shanghai passenger port. Jiangsu: Nanjing Lukou, Sunan Shuofang, Yangzhou Taizhou airports, Lianyungang passenger port. Zhejiang: Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Ningbo Lishe, Wenzhou Longwan, Yiwu airports; Wenzhou and Zhoushan passenger ports.
Anhui: Hefei Xinqiao and Huangshan Tunxi airports. Fujian: Fuzhou Changle, Xiamen Gaoqi, Quanzhou Jinjiang, Wuyishan airports, Xiamen passenger port. Shandong: Jinan Yaoqiang, Qingdao Jiaodong, Yantai Penglai, Weihai Dashuipo airports, Qingdao passenger port.
Henan: Zhengzhou Xinzheng airport. Hubei: Wuhan Tianhe airport. Hunan: Changsha Huanghua and Zhangjiajie Hehua airports. Guangdong: Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao’an, Jieyang Chaoshan airports; Nansha, Shekou, Zhongshan passenger ports; Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal; Hengqin and Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge ports; West Kowloon Station Port of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link.
Hainan: Haikou Meilan and Sanya Phoenix airports. Chongqing: Jiangbei airport. Guizhou: Guiyang Longdongbao airport. Shaanxi: Xi’an Xianyang airport. Shanxi: Taiyuan Wusu airport. Heilongjiang: Harbin Taiping airport. Jiangxi: Nanchang Changbei airport.
Guangxi: Nanning Wuxu, Guilin Liangjiang, Beihai Fucheng airports, Beihai passenger port. Sichuan: Chengdu Shuangliu and Tianfu airports. Yunnan: Kunming Changshui and Lijiang Sanyi airports, Mohan Railway Port. [5]
If your situation is different
Your passport is on neither list: bilateral agreements or a regional scheme may still apply. Use Check your passport above to find the bilateral or regional rule for your nationality and route. If neither a separate exemption nor transit covers the trip, arrange the appropriate visa before departure. Work, study and news reporting require their own approvals and visas under these schemes.
An ordinary Indian passport is not on either list. For a tourist stay that needs a visa, use the Chinese mission's application route for your legal residence. In Delhi, appointments have not been required since November 2023, and short-term tourist visa applicants are exempt from fingerprint collection through 31 December 2026. Complete the current online application and physical passport-submission steps before travelling; a fingerprint exemption is not a visa or a passport-submission exemption. [1] [3] [6] [7]
You only remain airside: the separate 24-hour direct-transit policy covers all nationalities with valid travel documents and confirmed onward transport, without leaving the restricted area. Leaving it requires temporary entry permission; a short connection does not automatically grant a city visit.
Common mistakes
- Confusing residence with nationality: these lists concern the passport you hold, not where you live.
- Using different airports in the same foreign country as A and B: the transit test is different countries or regions, not airport names.
- Treating 240 hours as permission to travel anywhere: retain only the listed inland areas, even when a domestic ticket is available.
- Using an old Russia end date or assuming a 2027 extension for everyone: the embassy FAQ separates Brunei and the other 48 countries, while the later MFA announcement extends Russia through 2027.
Quick questions
Can I enter and leave through different eligible cities?
Yes, provided the transit itinerary and stay remain within the permitted areas and exit rules. Cross-province visits are expressly allowed.
Can I book the transit onward ticket after arrival?
No. Confirmed onward dates and itinerary must be in place when you apply for temporary entry.
Can I use 30-day entry repeatedly?
The MFA FAQ allows multiple qualifying entries and currently sets no numerical entry limit. Each visit must still meet its permitted purpose; this is not permission to work or live indefinitely.
Can I plan a visit exceeding 30 days?
Obtain the appropriate visa in advance. The MFA distinguishes an intended longer stay from a later justified need to apply to local exit-entry authorities for a stay permit.