Visa-Free Entry to China: 30-Day, Transit & Mutual Exemption

slug: visa-free-entry title: "Visa-Free Entry to China: 30-Day, Transit & Mutual Exemption" section: visa summary: "China has no single "visa-free" rule. Find out which of the three schemes — 30-day unilateral, 240-hour transit, or mutual exemption — applies to your passport." lastVerified: "2026-06-28" officialSourceUrl: "https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html"

There is no single "visa-free" policy for China, and no "7-day" rule. Depending on your nationality and your itinerary, one of three separate schemes may let you enter without applying for a visa in advance. Each has different eligible countries, stay lengths, and conditions — so the first step is working out which one applies to you.

The Three Visa-Free Schemes

30-day unilateral visa-free — China lets passport holders from 50 countries enter for up to 30 days, no onward-ticket requirement. This is the main scheme for tourists from eligible countries.
240-hour (10-day) transit visa-free — for travellers passing through China to a third country, available to a broader list of 55 nationalities.
Mutual visa exemption — bilateral agreements (e.g. Singapore, Thailand, the UAE) that waive visas in both directions.

Every figure on this page is sourced from China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) and Chinese embassy notices — see the Sources section at the end. Always re-check before you book.

1. 30-Day Unilateral Visa-Free

Source: Countries covered by 30-day unilateral visa exemption

Under the unilateral scheme, ordinary-passport holders from eligible countries can enter mainland China for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges, or transit — with no visa and no advance application (NIA country list).

Eligible countries

Source: Countries covered by 30-day unilateral visa exemption

As of 17 February 2026, the NIA lists 50 countries (official list):

Europe (35): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Asia (7): Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Saudi Arabia.

Americas (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.

Oceania (2): Australia and New Zealand.

Common Mistakes

The United States is not on the unilateral list. US passport holders must use the 240-hour transit scheme (see below) or apply for a visa.
The Czech Republic and Mexico are not on the unilateral list either — check carefully if you assumed otherwise.
The United Kingdom and Canada were added in February 2026 (NIA list).
The UAE is covered by a mutual exemption agreement, not this scheme — see the Mutual Visa Exemption section below.

How long you can stay

Source: Countries covered by 30-day unilateral visa exemption

The 30 days are counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter — your arrival day does not count (NIA). Across multiple trips, the cumulative stay must not exceed 90 days within any 180-day period.

Validity dates

Source: Extension of unilateral visa-free policy to 31 Dec 2026

The unilateral programme currently runs through 31 December 2026 for most countries (Chinese embassy notice). Russia's arrangement is a separate bilateral trial that runs through 14 September 2026. These are trial periods that China has repeatedly extended — confirm the current end date for your nationality before you travel.

Ports of entry

Source: Countries covered by 30-day unilateral visa exemption

The unilateral policy applies at all ports open to foreign nationals — air, sea, and land — unless a specific regulation says otherwise. If your passport qualifies for the 30-day scheme, you can in principle enter overland (this is different from the transit scheme, which is effectively limited to designated air and sea ports). Confirm your specific crossing on the NIA website before relying on a land border.

2. 240-Hour Transit Visa-Free

Source: 240-hour transit visa-free policy

If your nationality is not on the 30-day list, or your trip is a stopover on the way somewhere else, the 240-hour (10-day) transit scheme may apply. It is open to 55 nationalities (including the United States), but it requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region and entry through one of the designated ports (Chinese embassy notice).

We cover the eligibility list, the qualifying cities and regions, the stay rules, and how to claim it at the border in our dedicated guide:

3. Mutual Visa Exemption

Source: Bilateral mutual visa exemption agreements

China has bilateral visa-exemption agreements with a number of countries that waive short-stay visas in both directions. Prominent examples for ordinary passports include Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates (typically up to 30 days per stay). The exact duration and conditions are set by each agreement.

Because these are negotiated country by country, there is no single combined list — check your nationality with the NIA or your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate before booking.

Entry Conditions (All Schemes)

Passport: A valid ordinary passport. There is no NIA rule requiring six months' validity beyond your departure date for the unilateral scheme; for the 240-hour transit scheme your passport must have at least 3 months of validity (embassy notice). Diplomatic, service, and special passports may follow different rules.
Purpose: Tourism, business, family/friend visits, exchanges, and transit are all permitted. Work, study, journalism, or research requiring approval are not — those require the corresponding visa, regardless of nationality.
Onward ticket: Required for the 240-hour transit scheme (it must show travel to a third country/region). Not formally required for the 30-day unilateral scheme, though officers may still ask about your plans.
Hotel/police registration: Register your stay within 24 hours of arrival — hotels do this automatically; if you stay in a private home or rental you must register at the local police station yourself.

Not for Work or Study

None of these schemes permit employment, enrolling in a course of study, journalism/media work, or government-approval research. Doing any of these without the correct visa is a serious immigration violation.

Verify Before You Book

Eligible-country lists and validity dates change with little notice and have been revised several times in 2024–2026. Confirm your nationality's current status on the NIA official website (or with a Chinese embassy) within two weeks of booking. The NIA site has an English section; for Chinese-only pages, use your browser's translation feature.

Sources

All policy details on this page were verified on 2026-06-28 against the following official sources. Each fact paragraph above carries an inline source marker — click it to jump to the relevant authority page.

Sources:NIA — Countries covered by 30-day unilateral visa exemption NIA — Bilateral mutual visa exemption agreements Embassy of China — Extension of unilateral visa-free policy to 31 Dec 2026 Embassy of China — 240-hour transit visa-free policy Embassy of China — Russia bilateral visa-free trial arrangement Beijing Government — Visa-free transit ports update (Nov 2025)