China Transit Visa Free: The Complete 240-Hour Guide

Official NIA policy link

China’s transit visa-free policy has been completely overhauled. If you’re planning a layover or stopover, the short answer is this: citizens of 55 countries can now enter China without a visa and stay for up to 10 days (240 hours), crossing provinces freely across 24 regions and 65 ports of entry. No pre-registration. No embassy appointment. Everything is handled on arrival.

This guide covers the current policy in full, including the complete port list, eligibility rules, what you can do during your stay, and how the system evolved to where it is today.

How the Current System Works

China operates a tiered transit system. As of December 2024, only two tiers remain active:

The previous 72-hour and 144-hour tiers were retired in December 2024 when they were merged and upgraded into the current 240-hour framework.

Who Qualifies for the 240-Hour Policy

Citizens of the following 55 countries are eligible:

Europe (40): 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

Americas (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, United States

Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand

Asia (7): Brunei, Indonesia (added June 12, 2025), Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates

Beyond nationality, you must also meet these conditions:

• Passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned stay
• Confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region — not back to your country of departure — with a fixed date and seat number
• No record of illegal stay, unauthorized work, or entry violations in China in the past 5 years
• Itinerary stays within the 24 approved provincial-level regions

The 24-Hour Baseline (All Nationalities)

If your country isn’t on the 55-country list, the 24-hour tier still applies. Under this rule, any traveler with a valid travel document and confirmed onward ticket may transit without a visa — provided they remain within the port’s restricted zone for no more than 24 hours. Those who need to leave the port area must request a temporary entry permit from the border inspection authority on arrival.

Complete Port List: All 65 Entry Points

Article #11 contained the full port table, which is the most useful reference for travelers choosing a routing. Here it is in full, updated to reflect the November 2025 expansion to 65 ports:

Travelers may move freely across provinces within these 24 approved regions. Regions not included: Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Always confirm your planned destinations are within the approved zones before booking.

How to Apply on Arrival

No pre-registration or online application is required. The entire process happens at the port.

1. Arrive at an eligible port of entry
2. Follow airport signage to the immigration hall
3. Join the lane marked “Transit Visa-Free” (labeling varies by airport)
4. Present your passport and confirmed onward ticket
5. Receive a transit stamp showing your permitted duration

Accommodation registration: Hotels register guests automatically. If staying in a private home or rental, you must register at the local Public Security Bureau (PSB) within 24 hours of arrival.

Important: Your onward ticket must show a confirmed date and seat number at the time of entry. Buying it after arrival does not satisfy the requirement.

What You Can and Cannot Do

Permitted during the 240-hour stay:

• Tourism, sightseeing, and leisure activities
• Business meetings, supplier visits, trade fair attendance
• Visiting family or friends
• Cross-province travel within the 24 approved regions

Still requires a visa:

• Paid employment or contract work
• Academic enrollment or formal study
• Journalism and news reporting

10-Day Itinerary Ideas

China’s high-speed rail network makes multi-city travel fast and affordable within the 240-hour window.

• Beijing → Xi’an → Shanghai (8 days): Forbidden City, Terracotta Army, The Bund
• Chengdu → Xi’an → Beijing (9 days): Giant Panda Base, ancient city walls, Great Wall
• Beijing → Xi’an → Guilin → Shanghai (10 days): a full north-to-south sweep
• Shanghai → Hangzhou → Suzhou (4–5 days): classical gardens, West Lake, canal towns
• Guangzhou → Shenzhen → Zhuhai (3–4 days): for business travelers attending Canton Fair or factory visits

Key Rules to Know

• Clock starts at midnight: The 240-hour countdown begins at 00:00 on the day after arrival, not at landing time. Arriving at 8pm on May 1 means the clock starts May 2 at midnight.
• Third-country rule is strict: Your itinerary must be Country A → China → Country B, where A and B are different countries outside mainland China. Returning to your departure country is not permitted.
• Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as third destinations. A route like USA → Shanghai → Hong Kong is fully valid.
• No annual cap: There is no stated limit on how many times per year you can use the policy, as long as each use meets all requirements.
• No published end date: Unlike earlier trial measures, the 240-hour policy has no expiration date, suggesting it is a permanent framework.

A Brief History: How We Got Here

Understanding the retired tiers explains why the current system is structured the way it is.

72-hour tier (retired December 2024): Covered only three cities — Changsha, Guilin, and Harbin — for citizens of 53–54 countries. Province-crossing was not allowed. Useful as a starting point, but limited in scope.

144-hour tier (retired December 2024): The more widely used option. Twenty cities and 39 ports were covered, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Kunming, Xi’an, and Chongqing across 19 provinces. Six days was workable for a short trip, though province-crossing remained restricted.

On December 17, 2024, China’s National Immigration Administration merged both tiers into a single 240-hour framework, expanding ports from 39 to 60, provinces from 19 to 24, and permitting province-crossing for the first time. A further expansion in November 2025 brought the port count to 65 and added Indonesia as the 55th eligible country in June 2025.

References

Beijing Municipal People’s Government. (2024). Q&A on Visa-Free Transit Policy for Foreigners. https://wb.beijing.gov.cn/en/express/202403/t20240306_3581418.html

China State Council. (2025). China widens visa-free access in latest opening-up move. https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202511/04/content_WS69094ae0c6d00ca5f9a07472.html

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States. (2025). China Extends 240-hour Visa-Free Transit Policy Coverage to 55 Countries. https://us.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/zj/qz2021/202412/t20241217_11495647.htm

National Immigration Administration of China. (2025). Transit Visa-Free Policy. https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html