China Visa-Free Entry: Do You Need a Visa?
Find the questions to check about visa-free entry, transit, documents and what you can do during your stay in China.
Do I need a visa to visit China?
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Whether you can enter China without a visa depends on which policy applies to your passport and trip. Each of the following three routes has its own eligibility rules.
Route 1: 30-day unilateral visa exemption
The source lists 50 countries. Check the list below for your country.
The arrangement is in effect through midnight at the end of December 31, 2026. If you are traveling close to that date, check whether it has been extended.
Russia is covered by a separate arrangement through December 31, 2027, one year longer than this group of countries.
Route 2: 240-hour visa-free transit
The source lists 57 countries. You must meet all three conditions:
Hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country.
Enter through one of the 65 eligible ports.
Stay within the designated areas.
Route 3: Hainan's 30-day visa exemption
The source lists 61 countries. This arrangement is limited to Hainan Province and includes medical treatment as a permitted purpose.
Which list should I use?
All three lists may change when new announcements are issued. Before traveling, call 12367 to confirm whether your nationality is covered. The source lists English, Russian, Japanese, and Korean among the hotline's available languages.
What documents do I need to enter China?
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Three things decide whether you get in: a valid ordinary passport, a visa or eligibility for visa-free entry, and a completed arrival card. The other documents are only "recommended" by the authorities, but standing at the immigration counter the gap between recommended and required becomes very real.
The three things you must have
A valid ordinary passport. Ordinary matters: travel documents, temporary papers and emergency certificates cannot be used for visa-free entry.
A visa, or eligibility for visa-free entry. Which channel applies to you is covered in "Do I need a visa to visit China?"; it is not repeated here.
An arrival card. Since 20 November 2025 you can fill it in online before flying, and ports no longer force you to complete a paper form. How to fill it in: "How do I fill in the online Arrival Card?".
"Your passport needs six months of validity" is in almost every guide, but it is not China's entry rule
The official wording is that validity must cover the length of your stay in China. In other words, the passport only has to cover this trip; there is no requirement to have six months left at departure.
What actually stops people is usually not immigration but the airline check-in desk, because some carriers apply their own six-month rule. If your passport has only a few months left, ask the airline before you fly rather than finding out at the counter.
The three officially "recommended" items that you really should bring
Your ticket, and a return or onward itinerary.
A hotel booking, or the address and contact number of where you are staying in China.
A letter of invitation, for visiting family or friends or for a business visit.
The official wording is "it is recommended to carry an invitation letter, flight and hotel bookings, and other supporting documents consistent with the purpose of your visit". Why "recommended" rather than "required": what immigration actually checks is whether your stated purpose matches the channel you entered through, and the documents exist so you can prove it.
If you cannot explain what you are doing, or what you say does not match the channel, you can be refused entry.
What each of the three channels requires
30-day unilateral visa-free: passport validity covering the trip, plus proof consistent with your purpose, which for tourism means tickets and hotel bookings. No advance filing with an embassy or consulate.
240-hour transit visa-free: passport valid for at least 3 months, and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region departing within 240 hours. This one is hard: without the connecting ticket you cannot use the channel.
Entry on a visa: passport plus a valid visa, with supporting documents following the visa type.
Who actually gets turned away
Not people missing a piece of paper, but people whose purpose does not match. Visa-free and transit visa-free entry cover only business visits, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, exchange visits and transit.
Coming to work, to study or to report as a journalist falls outside the visa-free scope and requires the corresponding visa in advance. Where a statutory ground for inadmissibility applies, immigration will refuse entry in accordance with the law.
One more step after landing
Foreigners aged 14 to 70 have their fingerprints taken on arrival. Ports have self-service fingerprint stations, and the fastest clearance recorded was three minutes. For the procedure on the ground, see "What happens at border inspection, and what might I be asked?".
If you are unsure, call 12367 before you fly
The National Immigration Administration's 12367 service platform runs 24 hours a day in multiple languages. Give all four facts at once, namely nationality, passport expiry, length of stay and purpose of visit, and they can tell you which channel applies and what to watch out for, faster than scrolling through forum posts.
What can I do on a visa-free visit? Can I work or study?
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Visa-free treatment is available for only five categories of purposes: tourism, visiting relatives and friends, business negotiations, cultural exchanges, and transit. Working, studying, or conducting news interviews do not qualify as visa-free purposes.
Therefore, it is necessary to obtain a visa before departure.
The only categories of countries that can be entered without visas are these five.
Tourism and sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, business negotiations, cultural exchanges, and transit purposes. This is the complete list of permitted activities as listed by the authorities.
Anything not on this list is not allowed.
There are three categories where it is clearly not feasible.
Work, study, and news reporting. These three activities require corresponding visas to be obtained before coming to China. Engaging in these activities by entering China without the necessary visas constitutes engaging in activities that do not align with the purpose of entering the country.
The most confusing part is the business-related line.
Options include: attending meetings, discussing contracts, visiting factories, participating in exhibitions, and visiting clients. All of these activities fall within the scope of "business negotiations".
No: Engaging in manual work, on-site construction, and undertaking projects for Chinese companies while earning compensation. This is considered work-related activity, and it requires a work permit and a work-related residence permit.
Boundary cases: Remote work arrangements with employees from overseas, where the trip itself is part of a tourism activity. There are no specific regulations regarding one-on-one arrangements in current laws.
If you're not sure, please call 12367 for advice. Do not make judgments on your own.
Working in a homestay and exchanging accommodation for labor is essentially exchanging work for payment. This can lead to being considered illegal employment. This is not a situation explicitly listed by the authorities; it is our judgment, but the risks are not worth taking.
The consequences of being caught
Those who engage in activities that do not comply with immigration regulations may be ordered to leave the country within a specified period. For illegal employment, a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 yuan will be imposed.
In serious cases, the offender may be detained for more than 5 but no more than 15 days, and a fine will also be imposed.
Verification will be carried out upon entry
The border inspection will verify the reasons for coming to China. Those who cannot provide answers may be denied entry. Officials recommend carrying materials that can prove your itinerary with you: a flight ticket for the return or continuation journey, hotel reservation, and a business invitation letter.
It's not necessary to show these materials right from the start, but you should be able to present them immediately when questioned.
Those who bring their children along, please note the following:
The conditions apply to both minors and adults in the same way. There is no such thing as "more relaxed requirements for children without visas"; the passport and other requirements are the same for everyone.
What if I overstay my visa-free period? Can I extend my stay?
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First calculate your permitted stay correctly. This is the step most easily miscounted. If you have already overstayed, the source advises reporting it that day. It says any per-day fine increases with each additional day.
How to count the days
For 30-day visa-free entry, count 30 calendar days starting the day after entry. The arrival day does not count, and 30 days does not mean one calendar month. The authorities have published a case in which parents miscounted the dates and their one-year-old child was found to have stayed unlawfully.
If your permitted stay has not expired
Visa-free entry: Apply for a foreign national's stay permit at the local exit-entry administration office of the public security authority at county level or above. The permit formally authorizes additional time and can be valid for up to 180 days.
Entry on a visa: Apply at the same authority seven days before your permitted stay ends. The cumulative extension cannot exceed the stay originally granted on the visa.
In a map app, search for the city's exit-entry administration or the district's exit-entry service hall, replacing XX with the place name. Bring your passport, proof of accommodation registration, and departure flight ticket.
At a hotel, ask reception for the registration record. The source says you must register within 24 hours of checking into a homestay or a friend's home and can do this on your phone. See the accommodation registration guide.
Failure to register can result in a fine.
Approval is discretionary
The exit-entry authority reviews and decides applications. Apply before the last day, with a valid reason and complete documents.
If you have already overstayed
Go in that day, explain the situation, and follow the authorities' instructions. The source describes fines as calculated by the number of days overstayed. Delaying does not resolve the overstay, which can also be detected when you leave.
An unlawful stay can lead to a warning. In serious cases, the fine is CNY 500 per day up to CNY 10,000, or detention for 5–15 days.
You may be deported and barred from reentry for 1–5 years from the date of deportation.
Fines must be paid at a designated bank within 15 days, rather than in cash on the spot.
Do not rely on a border run
The source cautions against leaving and reentering to reset the clock, including same-day trips to Hong Kong or Macao. Repeated short exits and entries may lead border officers to scrutinize your purpose.
Use the formal route above.
Call 12367 if unsure
The National Immigration Administration's hotline offers English, Russian, Japanese, and Korean. The source suggests giving your passport number and asking how to calculate your stay. It also points overstayers to this number for guidance if they wish to seek leniency.