Visa & Entry

Pick the right door in one minute

Start with where you are going and where you are coming from. If you hold a passport from one of the 50 visa-free countries and your trip is 30 days or less, the unilateral scheme is almost always the simplest. If your passport is not on that list but you are passing through China en route to a third country, the 240-hour transit scheme may work. If you only want Hainan, its own scheme has a wider country list. If none of these fit, apply for a visa before you fly.

• 30-day visa-free: 50 countries, any region of mainland China, tourism/business/family/transit
• 240-hour transit: 57 countries, 24 provincial regions, must exit to a third country or region
• Hainan 30-day: 61 countries, Hainan Province only
• L visa: everyone else, or longer stays, or work/study purposes

The 30-day visa-free scheme

China’s unilateral visa-free policy allows ordinary passport holders from 50 countries to enter mainland China for up to 30 days without a visa. It covers tourism, business, family visits and transit. The UK and Canada were added on 17 February 2026. The United States and India are not included. Most arrangements currently run to 31 December 2026; Russia’s runs to 31 December 2027; Brunei has no announced end date. “Ordinary passport” matters: emergency, diplomatic and service passports follow different rules. The 30 days are counted from the day after entry, and the stay cannot normally be extended — if you want longer, apply for a visa before you travel.

• UK and Canadian ordinary passports: visa-free from 17 Feb 2026 through 31 Dec 2026
• US and Indian passports: not eligible for the 30-day scheme
• Tourism, business, family visits and transit are allowed; work, study and journalism are not
• No extension of visa-free stay for tourism — plan to leave within 30 days

The 240-hour (10-day) transit scheme

If you are flying through China on the way to a third country or region, you may be able to stay up to 240 hours without a visa. As of 20 August 2026 the scheme covers 57 countries and 65 ports across 24 provincial-level regions. You must arrive at a designated port, hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, and stay inside the permitted area. The US is eligible; India is not. A round trip that returns you to the country you came from does not qualify — the onward destination must be a third country or region. Tourism, business, visits and family visits are allowed during the transit stay; work, study and journalism are not.

• 57 countries, 65 ports, 24 provincial-level regions (from 20 Aug 2026)
• Onward ticket must be to a third country or region, not back to your origin
• Stay inside the permitted region shown on arrival — the 240 hours is not a nationwide pass
• Use the official NIA port list to check that your arrival and departure points qualify

Hainan’s separate 30-day scheme

Hainan has its own visa-free arrangement for ordinary passport holders from 61 countries, allowing up to 30 days in Hainan Province. The US, UK and Canada are included; India is not. You may enter at any open Hainan port. This is not a back door to the mainland: the permission is limited to Hainan, and leaving the province without a separate visa is an overstay. It suits a beach-and-resort trip, not a Beijing–Shanghai itinerary.

If you need a visa

Most tourists who are not visa-free apply for an L (tourist) visa. Apply through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center for your country, usually one to two months before travel. You will need a passport with blank pages, a photo, an application form, flight and hotel bookings, and sometimes an invitation letter or proof of funds. Biometrics and an interview may be required. An M visa covers business, Q for family visits, X for study and Z for work. Use the visa type that matches what you will actually do — entering on a tourist visa to work is a serious violation.

• L tourist visa: the default for leisure travel
• Apply 1–2 months ahead; peak-season appointments fill up
• Bring printed flight, hotel and itinerary documents to the appointment
• Check your passport validity — most airlines and border officers expect at least six months

At the border

Expect fingerprint collection, a short interview at the counter and questions about your onward plans. Carry printed copies of your hotel booking and return or onward ticket, even if everything is on your phone. Visa-free travellers should be ready to show the scheme they are using — for transit, the third-country ticket; for Hainan, the Hainan booking. Do not overstay. Penalties can include fines, detention and a re-entry ban, and they complicate future visa applications.

Registration, Hong Kong and other edge cases

Hotels register foreign guests with the police automatically at check-in. If you stay in a private home, you must register at the local police station within 24 hours with your passport, the host’s ID and proof of the address. Hong Kong and Macau have separate immigration systems: a mainland visa or visa-free entry does not automatically let you enter them, and a Hong Kong visa does not let you enter the mainland. Tibet requires a separate Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed agency, even if you entered China visa-free. Carry your passport at all times — it is your ID for trains, hotels and many attractions.