The visa policy of mainland China sets out the conditions that a foreign citizen must satisfy in order to travel to, enter, and remain in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. Several categories of visas are available, depending on the purpose and length of stay. Chinese visas are issued outside China by Chinese diplomatic missions, and within China by the exit and entry administrations (EEAs) of county-level public security bureaus (PSBs) under the guidance of the National Immigration Administration. Visa exemptions exist for citizens of certain countries, based on bilateral agreements and unilateral decisions.
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan maintain independent visa policies, so foreign nationals traveling to these regions must apply for separate visas if not exempt. As the PRC government claim all three regions as inalienable territories of China under the One China principle, permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau and citizens of Taiwan may only travel to mainland China with a Mainland Travel Permit, rather than a passport or visa.
For the purposes of this policy, traveling to one of these regions is counted as exiting mainland China, and foreigners will pass through customs and immigration and receive an exit stamp when departing for these regions. When re-entering mainland China from one of these regions, a foreigner whose visa entries have been exhausted must obtain a new visa, and those with multiple-entry visas or visa-free privileges will have their entry date and stay duration reset, and their passport will receive a fresh entry stamp.
Visa exemption Ordinary passports
Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries may travel to China without a visa as long as their visit does not last longer than the visa-free period listed below, unless they are allowed to extend their stay:
Permanent regime:
90 days 1 11
60 days
30 days 1 1
21
1
1
11
1
1
Temporary regime (until 31 December 2026):
30 days European Union member states (except the Czech Republic and Lithuania)
Temporary regime (until 31 December 2027):
30 days
1 - No more than 90 days within any 180-day period. 2 - No more than 90 days within a calendar year.
Date of visa changes22 July 1985: San Marino (90 days) 1 July 2003: Brunei, Singapore (unilateral, 15 days; suspended Singapore from 1 July to 19 September 2008; suspended both from 28 March 2020 to 26 July 2023) 1 September 2003: Japan (unilateral, 15 days; suspended from 28 March 2020 to 30 November 2024) 26 June 2013: Seychelles 31 October 2013: Mauritius 12 February 2014: Bahamas 14 March 2015: Fiji 10 June 2015: Grenada 18 August 2016: Ecuador (Temporarily suspended unilaterally by Ecuador) 19 August 2016: Tonga 15 January 2017: Serbia 1 June 2017: Barbados 14 June 2017: Mauritius (extension to 60 days) 16 January 2018: United Arab Emirates 29 May 2018: Bosnia and Herzegovina (90 days) 10 August 2018: Belarus 21 December 2018: Qatar 19 January 2020: Armenia (90 days)Armenia, China to lift visa requirements in January, Xinhua, 31 December 2019. 1 May 2021: SurinameImportant notice on mutual visa exemption between China and Suriname, Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Suriname, 1 May 2021. 19 September 2022: Dominica 17 February 2023: Maldives 18 March 2023: Albania (90 days) 10 November 2023: Kazakhstan 1 December 2023: France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Spain (unilateral, 15 days) 9 February 2024: Singapore (bilateral, 30 days) 1 March 2024: Thailand 14 March 2024: Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Switzerland (unilateral, 15 days) 11 May 2024: Antigua and Barbuda 28 May 2024: Georgia 1 July 2024: Australia, New Zealand, Poland (unilateral, 15 days) 15 October 2024: Cyprus, Greece, Portugal, Slovenia (unilateral, 15 days) 8 November 2024: Andorra, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Slovakia, South Korea (unilateral, 15 days) 30 November 2024: Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania (unilateral, 30 days); all other unilateral waivers also extended to 30 days 28 December 2024: Solomon Islands 2 April 2025: Samoa 1 June 2025: Uzbekistan (bilateral); Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay (unilateral) 9 June 2025: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain (unilateral) 16 July 2025: Azerbaijan 17 July 2025: Malaysia (bilateral) 15 September 2025: Russia (unilateral) 10 November 2025: Sweden (unilateral) 17 February 2026: Canada, the United Kingdom (unilateral)
Future changes China has signed visa exemption agreements with the following countries, but they are not yet in force:
Country Duration of stay Visa exemption agreement signed on TBA 29 March 2021
Non-ordinary passports Passports for public affairs
Holders of passports of the following countries endorsed "for public affairs" may travel to China without a visa:
1 ** 2
3
* – Visa exemption also for holders of ordinary passports. 1 – Visa exemption applies to both "Passport For Public Affairs" and "Passport For Official Trip". Visa exemption also applies to collective passports for public affairs. 2 – For seafarers and crew members. 3 – Visa exemption applies to both "Passport For Public Affairs" and any normal passport that contains an 'AB stamp', for a maximum stay of 90 days.
Diplomatic, official/service and special passports
Under reciprocal agreements, holders of diplomatic, official, service, consular, special passports or laissez-passers of the following countries may travel to China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days (unless otherwise noted):
ASEAN member statesD O/S European Union member states not listed belowD LP 1D D S 1 D S D S D O 1 D O D S 1 D S D O D Sp 2 D O D O D S D S D O D S D O S D O D S LP D S 3 D S D S D S D S D O D O D S D S D S D O LP D O S D S LP D S 2 D O S D S D O Sp D Sp D O D O Sp D S 3 D S D S D S D O D SD S D O D S D O D O S D S LP D D S D S Sp D O 4 D S D S D O D S Sp 1 D S D O D Sp D S D O D D S Sp D S LP D S D O S D S 3 D S LP D S D S D O D O D S D S D S D S Sp 3 D S D O D O D O D S D S D S D S D 1 D S Sp D O D D S C D SD Sp D S LP D S Sp D S LP D S D S D O D S 2 D S Sp D S Sp D S D S D S D S D S Sp LP D S LP D O D S D O D Sp D O D O Sp D S D 2 D S D S D S D S D O D O D Sp D S Sp D S D S D S D O 4 D S D D S D S D S
D – Diplomatic passports O – Official passports S – Service passports C – Consular passports Sp – Special passports LP – Laissez-passers 1 – 90 days within any 180-day period (unless otherwise noted). 2 – 90 days 3 – 60 days 4 – Visa exemption for holders of official passports only when accompanying a government minister on an official visit.
Other visa exemption Tour groups Holders of ordinary passports of the following countries do not need a visa for China when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies: 30 days
Seafarers and crew members Holders of seafarer passports and crew member certificates of the following countries may travel to China without a visa: * * 1 * – Visa exemption also for holders of ordinary passports 1 – Only when serving on board for public affairs
APEC Business Travel Card Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the code "CHN" on the back of the card may enter China without a visa for business trips for up to 60 days.
ABTCs are issued to citizens of:
* - Visa-exempt in general.
ABTCs are also issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong, however permanent residents with Chinese nationality are required to use their Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Resident instead. Only holders of non-Chinese passports can use the card to enter mainland China.
Similarly, although Taiwan is a member of this program, its citizens are also not allowed to use ABTCs to enter mainland China. They are instead required to use their Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Resident.
Visa-free transit There are two types of transit-without-visa (TWOV) programs in mainland China: the 24-hour TWOV, available to passengers of most nationalities at most ports of entry, especially for airside transit; and the 240-hour (10 days) TWOV, available for certain nationalities and only through designated ports of entry.
240-hour visa-free transit (10 days) China permits 240‑hour visa‑free transit for citizens of 57 countries who enter and exit via eligible ports and continue to a third country or territory within 240 hours. The arrival and onward destinations must be different.
Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are treated as separate destinations. It is therefore permitted to transit between Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan via Mainland China under this policy.
Cross-mode transit (air, rail, sea, land), inter-provincial travel within the 24 eligible provinces and direct-administered municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing), and departing from a different port than the port of entry, are permitted. The calculation of the 240‑hour period begins at 00:00 on the day after arrival, so in practice the authorized stay may be longer than 240 hours.
To use the policy, travelers must enter and depart mainland China through eligible ports, hold a passport valid for at least three months after arrival, and have an onward ticket or required visa for their next destination. For air departures, travelers must show a confirmed ticket leaving within 240 hours (10 days). For land or rail departures, proof of onward travel or booking may be required.
Inbound and outbound transportation must arrive at and depart directly from any eligible port of entry. Travel to or from a U.S. territory (such as Guam) doesn't qualify unless a flight includes a third country or Hong Kong/Macao/Taiwan stopover.
Eligible travelers receive a temporary entry permit indicating conditions of stay such as the stay duration. The stay duration typically begins at 00:00 the day after arrival, with exceptions for some ports. Valid Chinese visa holders and visa exempt passengers can also elect to enter under this scheme.
Ineligible individuals include those with short-validity passports (less than 3 months left, or less than the passport validity required for entry into a third country), Chinese visa refusal stamps, past immigration or local law violations, failure to register with local authorities, or inadmissibility under Chinese law. Ship crews are also excluded (they benefit from a separate policy). Working illegally, overstaying, or cancelling original ticket without justifications may result in a five-year ban from visa-free transit.
Eligible countries European Union member states**
*1
* – Visa-exempt in general (except citizens of the Czech Republic and Lithuania, who are visa-exempt only for transit). 1 – For British citizens only.
Eligible ports 240-hour visa-free transit allows arrival and departure through the following border crossing ports:
Airports (47) Beihai Beijing – Capital Beijing – Daxing Changsha Chengdu – Shuangliu Chengdu – Tianfu Chongqing Dalian Fuzhou GuangzhouGuilin Guiyang Haikou Hangzhou Harbin Hefei Huangshan Jinan Jieyang KunmingLijiang Nanchang Nanjing Nanning Ningbo Qingdao Quanzhou Sanya Shanghai – HongqiaoShanghai – Pudong Shenyang Shenzhen Shijiazhuang Taiyuan Tianjin Weihai Wenzhou WuhanWuxi Wuyishan Xiamen Xi'an Yangzhou Yantai Yiwu Zhangjiajie Zhengzhou
Seaports (14) Beihai Dalian Lianyungang Nansha PazhouQinhuangdao Qingdao Shanghai Shekou TianjinWenzhou Xiamen Zhongshan Zhoushan
Railways (2) Mohan railway station – Laos side: Boten West Kowloon station – Hong Kong side: West Kowloon
Land (2) Hengqin – Macau side: Hengqin HZMB Zhuhai Port – Hong Kong and Macau side: HZMB Hong Kong Port/Macau Port
Eligible areas to stay
Different from the previous policy, foreign nationals entering China through the visa-free transit policy can make cross-province travels within the eligible areas for visa-free transit travelers in these following areas: