Pick your passport. See every entry path that applies — 30-day visa-free, 240-hour transit, Hainan — each rule checked against official pages, with the date we checked it. Rules changed 6+ times since 2024; most guides are already wrong.
01Source checkedOfficial entry rulesLoading review date …See what changed →
Results assume an ordinary passport. Diplomatic, official and service passports follow separate agreements — check with your nearest Chinese embassy.
Entry path map
Every legal entry path on one page
The checker above locates your passport and route. The map below stays open so you can see the whole field: which path fits, what it means for the trip, where it breaks, and what to do next.
Clear answer: if your ordinary passport is on China’s unilateral list, this is the simplest visa-free path for a normal mainland China trip.
Trip impactRound trips are fine. You can travel across mainland China, not only one port city.
PrepareOrdinary passport, hotel or first address, trip dates, and a screenshot of the official country list.
Where it breaksPolicy windows can end; airline systems can lag; work, study and journalism are outside this visitor path.
Next stepRun the checker, save the official list, and re-check the week you book and the week you fly.
Why ports are not the main question here
This is a country-list entry path, not a designated-port transit scheme. Your passport and stay purpose matter more than the port. That is why the 65-port checker belongs to 240-hour transit, not to this card.
Why an exit plan still helps
The rule is visa-free entry, not a promise that every airline desk will feel relaxed. A return or onward plan, first hotel address, and official-source screenshot reduce check-in friction.
Clear answer: if your country has an ordinary-passport mutual visa exemption with China, the checker treats it separately from the unilateral list.
Trip impactUsually up to 30 days per entry for tourism, visits, business or transit. Some agreements may have cumulative limits.
PrepareOrdinary passport, first address, exit plan, and the MFA agreement row for your country.
Where it breaksSpecial passport types, non-visitor purposes, or treaty limits that differ by country.
Next stepUse the checker result, then open the MFA agreement list if your stay is long or repeated.
Why this is not just another copy of the 30-day list
The unilateral list is a time-window policy China can expand or extend. Mutual visa-free entry comes from country-by-country agreements, so it needs a separate source and a separate card.
Clear answer: this is a 10-day transit permission for eligible passports traveling A → mainland China → B, where B is a different country or region.
Trip impactYou need an eligible passport, a confirmed onward ticket, eligible entry and exit ports, and a route that is genuinely moving on.
PrepareOnward ticket with date and seat, hotel address, passport valid at least 3 months, NIA page screenshot, and your port/area check below.
Where it breaksRound trips, non-designated ports, missed onward timing, excluded regions, or a route built from online anecdotes instead of the rule.
Next stepIf any stop is outside the permitted zone, use a tourist visa or change the route before booking.
Why this is transit, not a tourist visa
The permission is tied to a route and a deadline: you enter through a listed port, stay inside the permitted zone, and leave for a third country or region within 240 hours. It is generous, but it is not a blank 10-day tourist visa.
Why some regions are outside this path
Some excluded regions are borderland or frontier areas; some involve long-standing security, ethnic, religious, historical, or border-related sensitivities. This does not mean those places are impossible or unsafe to visit. It means they are not covered by this visa-free transit path.
Safer alternative: if your itinerary includes Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Jilin, or any place outside the 24-region zone, do not build the trip on 240-hour transit. Get a regular tourist visa or change the route.
Clear answer: eligible passports can use Hainan’s regional visa-free path for Hainan Province only.
Trip impactGood for a Hainan-only trip. It does not carry you into the rest of mainland China.
PrepareDirect arrival into Hainan from outside mainland China, accommodation details, and current official confirmation.
Where it breaksMainland add-ons, outdated English pages, or assuming Hainan rules equal nationwide rules.
Next stepIf you want Beijing, Shanghai, Yunnan or anywhere outside Hainan, use another path.
Source caveat: this page keeps the Hainan card visible, but the current source set is medium confidence. Re-check before booking any Hainan-specific route.
Clear answer: if the checker finds no visa-free path, or your route is too complex for the route-based paths, the regular tourist visa is the safer planning lane.
Trip impactMore paperwork up front, but fewer route constraints once issued.
PrepareApplication, itinerary, passport, photo, supporting documents, and enough time before flying.
Where it breaksRelying on unofficial “visa-on-arrival” promises, applying too late, or mixing visa-free assumptions into a visa-required trip.
Next stepUse the official Visa Application Center for your region. For a sensitive or unusual route, choose certainty over cleverness.
Where real trips still get messy
Airlines may be the first border
Traveler reports show that check-in staff may consult airline databases before you ever reach China. Keep the official rule page and onward ticket ready; if needed, ask staff to check the transit rule in their system.
Hotel registration can fail in ordinary ways
Reports captured in 2025-2026 point to hotels or rentals struggling with foreign-passport registration, even when a booking platform looked fine. This is not an entry-path permission issue, but it can affect your first night.
5 things people get wrong
“I have a return ticket, so I can use the 10-day transit.”
The 240-hour transit requires moving on to a third country or region. US → Shanghai → US doesn’t qualify. US → Shanghai → Tokyo does. So does US → Shanghai → Hong Kong. (On the 30-day visa-free list, round trips are fine.)
“Hong Kong is China, so it doesn’t count as leaving.”
For the 240-hour transit, the official rule uses country / region. Hong Kong / Macao / Taiwan do count as third regions, so mainland → HK can be a valid onward leg. Once you leave mainland China, that transit stay is over; you only come back if the next route qualifies again on its own.
“My 30 days / 240 hours start when I land.”
No — the clock starts at 00:00 the day after you land. Your arrival day is free, on both the 30-day visa-free entry and the 240-hour transit. Land at 09:00 on July 1: the 240 hours count from 00:00 July 2. Use the calculator in your result card above.
“Visa-free means I can go anywhere in China.”
Depends on the path. The 30-day visa-free entry covers all of mainland China. On the 240-hour transit you can move across all 24 permitted regions — you're not locked to your entry city — but Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Jilin are not in the zone, and a few regions open only specific cities (Shanxi: Taiyuan and Datong; Sichuan and Yunnan: named cities only). Hainan visa-free means Hainan only. The 240-hour map card above lists every eligible port and region.
“Registration is the hotel’s problem.”
Only if you stay in a hotel — they register you automatically at check-in. In an Airbnb, or staying with friends? You must register at the local police station within 24 hours of arrival. This applies on every entry path, visa or visa-free.
Niche group policies
These rules change. Get a heads-up.
Get the offline arrival pack now, plus a short email when a verified change affects trip preparation. Check this page again for passport-specific rules.
