China visa-free countries: passport lists, days and conditions

Mainland China has several visa-free entry schemes. Ordinary-passport holders from 50 countries qualify for unilateral visits of up to 30 days; bilateral agreements give other passports 30, 60, 90 days or 3 months with agreement-specific limits. Separately, 57 nationalities can use 240-hour transit only with a qualifying third-country or third-region itinerary, designated ports and permitted travel areas.

Verified 8 October 2026. The unilateral nationality list is dated 17 February 2026; the transit policy is dated 20 August 2026. This page concerns foreign passports entering mainland China, including Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. Hong Kong and Macau require separate entry checks.

Which China visa-free scheme fits your trip?

Scheme	Stay	Main condition
Unilateral ordinary-passport exemption	Up to 30 days	Listed nationality, permitted visit purpose, policy active on your travel date
Bilateral ordinary-passport exemption	Agreement-specific	Correct document, purpose and per-visit/cumulative limits
240-hour visa-free transit	Up to 10 days	Listed nationality, third country/region, eligible ports and permitted areas
24-hour transit	Up to 24 hours	Onward international ticket; permission needed to leave the restricted port area
Regional/group arrangements	Scheme-specific	May require an agency, group, particular origin, port or region

Visa exemption is based on your passport nationality and document type, not where you live. A residence permit or visa for another country does not turn an ineligible passport into an eligible one. Existing Chinese residence permits and permanent-residence documents have separate rules.

China 30-day visa-free countries: complete unilateral list

Region	Ordinary-passport nationalities — up to 30 days
Europe	Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand
Asia	Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Americas	Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay

The NIA nationality list covers ordinary passports for business, tourism, visits to relatives or friends, exchange visits and transit. Work, study and news reporting require the appropriate authorization and visa. Diplomatic, service, temporary or emergency documents must be checked under their own rules.

Policy expiry dates and how the 30 days are counted

Nationality group	Published policy end date
Brunei	No fixed implementation end date stated
Russia	31 December 2027
Other 48 countries in the table	31 December 2026

These dates come from the current embassy FAQ, which updates the older Russian expiry date. Do not assume the 48-country exemption will continue into 2027 without a further official announcement. The allowed stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after entry. For example, entry on 8 October gives 9 October as day one of the 30-day period; follow your actual immigration record.

Eligible visitors may arrive from any country or region, including Hong Kong or Macau, through ports open to foreign travellers subject to applicable exceptions. General 30-day visitors do not need a third-country transit itinerary. Carry a valid ordinary passport covering the stay, accommodation and departure arrangements, and evidence of the visit purpose. Children need their own qualifying documents. See the embassy FAQ on passport validity, ports and documents.

Bilateral visa-free countries and different stay limits

The following covers ordinary-passport visitor agreements, not agreements limited to diplomats, officials or organized groups. Check the current MFA agreement list alongside the NIA stay-duration table. The NIA duration table predates some 2025 agreements, so their newer notices are linked below.

Stay / cumulative limit	Ordinary-passport nationalities
90 days in any 180 days	Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
60 days	Mauritius
3 months	San Marino
30 days; maximum 90 days per year	Belarus
30 days; maximum 90 days in any 180 days	Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Uzbekistan
30 days; check the individual agreement for cumulative limits	Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, Qatar, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Suriname, Tonga, United Arab Emirates

A 30-day single-visit allowance does not cancel a cumulative cap. For the final row, read the exact agreement rather than assuming every nationality has the same 90-in-180 rule. For Belarus, the NIA table states a 90-day annual limit; for Albania, Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina it states 90 days within 180 days. Mauritius is 60 days and San Marino is 3 months.

Newer 30-day / 90-in-180 arrangements: Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Samoa. Malaysia's agreement requires at least six months of passport validity; do not apply the unilateral FAQ's validity rule universally to bilateral visitors.

The MFA list notes that Chinese ordinary-passport holders now need advance visas for Ecuador. That is the outbound Chinese traveller direction; do not automatically reverse it to describe Ecuadorian passport holders entering China.

240-hour visa-free transit: 57 countries, conditional entry

The NIA policy dated 20 August 2026 lists 57 nationalities, 65 designated ports and permitted areas in 24 provincial-level regions:

Region	Eligible ordinary-passport nationalities
Europe	Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
North America	Canada, United States
Latin America	Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico
Oceania	Australia, New Zealand
Asia	Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam

You need an ordinary passport and a confirmed onward ticket with a departure date and seat to a different third country or region. Entry and departure must use eligible ports, and travel must stay within the permitted areas. The nationality list alone does not make every airport, railway station or road checkpoint eligible. Confirm passport-validity requirements, your entire route and the authorized deadline with immigration before booking.

Route examples illustrate the third-region condition only: Hong Kong → mainland China → Macau may meet that condition because Hong Kong and Macau are distinct regions for this rule. Hong Kong → mainland China → Hong Kong does not. The first example still needs eligible nationality, ports, tickets and approval. A private car reservation alone does not establish transit eligibility.

The United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Ukraine are on the transit list but not the general 30-day unilateral list above. India and the Philippines are not on the 57-country transit list. Travellers without another applicable exemption need the appropriate visa.

24-hour transit and regional or group exemptions

24-hour transit applies to onward travel to a third country or region with valid international travel documents and confirmed flight, ship or train tickets. It permits remaining in the restricted port area; leaving that area requires a temporary entry permit, which is not guaranteed. Do not treat an airport transit exemption as permission for a Shenzhen city visit.

Hainan and qualifying Guangdong tourist groups from Hong Kong or Macau have separate arrangements. Those rules can require specific nationalities, travel agencies, group organization and geographical restrictions. They are not nationwide individual exemptions. For a Macau–mainland trip on an Indian passport, see the Indian passport entry guide.

Hong Kong and Macau residents, and travel through the Greater Bay Area

Chinese Hong Kong and Macau residents generally use the applicable Mainland Travel Permit rather than the foreign-nationality tables. Eligible non-Chinese permanent residents may apply for their separate Mainland Travel Permit; holding an HKID alone is not that permit. Taiwan residents have separate Mainland Travel Permit arrangements. Confirm the correct category and document before travelling.

For Hong Kong–Shenzhen or Macau–Zhuhai, identify the scheme first and then confirm the checkpoint. A port open to foreigners under a general exemption is not automatically a designated 240-hour transit port. Check Hong Kong visa-free conditions and Macau passport exemptions for the other borders. Plan transport with the Hong Kong–Shenzhen transfer guide.

Arrival checklist and staying longer

Confirm nationality, passport type, purpose and scheme expiry date.
Calculate both the per-visit allowance and any cumulative limit.
Prepare passport, accommodation, invitation if relevant, departure evidence and onward entry permissions.
For transit, confirm the immediate origin and next destination, ticket, ports and permitted areas.
Complete arrival formalities, check the actual stay deadline and arrange accommodation registration. Hotels normally handle registration; for private accommodation, confirm the local registration process and deadline.
If circumstances require a longer stay, approach the local exit-entry authority before permission expires. Do not assume an application or a short exit authorizes additional days.

FAQ

Is China visa-free for US citizens?

US ordinary passports are not on the general 30-day unilateral list. They are on the 240-hour transit list, which requires a qualifying onward itinerary, designated ports, permitted areas and approval. A normal return visit without another exemption requires a visa.

Can UK and Canadian citizens visit China without a visa?

Both are on the 30-day unilateral ordinary-passport list. Their published policy expiry is 31 December 2026. Confirm it remains active for your entry date and that your purpose qualifies.

Can I travel from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and back without a visa?

An eligible general 30-day or bilateral visitor may do so within the applicable rules. Hong Kong → Shenzhen → Hong Kong does not satisfy the different-third-region condition for 240-hour transit.

Does a Hong Kong or Macau exemption cover mainland China?

No. Check mainland Chinese permission independently. A Macau visa-free stay does not authorize entry to Zhuhai, Shenzhen or Guangzhou.

Are all visa-free visits 30 days?

No. Mauritius has a 60-day bilateral allowance, some agreements allow 90 days within 180 days, and San Marino is listed as 3 months. Transit and regional schemes have their own limits.

Do I need to apply online for the unilateral exemption?

The embassy FAQ says eligible unilateral visitors do not need to make an advance declaration to Chinese embassies or consulates. Arrival formalities, carrier checks and border examination still apply.

Before booking

Use the China visa-free countries list that matches your actual scheme, confirm the travel date and documents, and check both the entry and exit route. For a cross-border transfer, share your chosen checkpoint and itinerary after verifying immigration eligibility; a vehicle booking cannot provide entry permission.