Everything You Need to Know about Visa for Travel to China: Visa-free, Transit Without a Visa, Tourist Visa, L Visa, Port Visa, Visa on Arrival, and APEC Business Travel Card

chinatravelcollect
Sep 30, 2025
11 min read

Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Double check the website of China NIA (National Immigration Administration) or Chinese embassy/ consulate of your region to confirm your eligibility before departure!

Check your passport expiration date (we recommend to arrive at least 3 months before your passport expires).

Visa For Travel to China - Different Entry Schemes

There are several entry schemes to travel to China for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchanges, or transit. In this article, we bring you the most up-to-date and accurate China travel visa/ entry scheme info. You will find policy explanation of each scheme and list of eligible countries under each scheme.

The current China travel entry schemes are:

Visa-Free Entry to China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan)
- Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements: 30-Day Maximum Stay
- Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements: 30 to 90 Days Stay depending on the country
24-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV)
240-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV)
30-day Visa-Free Entry to Hainan Province/ Island Only
Tourist Visa (L-visa)
Port Visa (Visa on Arrival)
APEC Business Travel Card

There are some other specific schemes allowing organized tourist groups to enter from specific ports/ airports operated by travel agencies. They are not covered in this article.

Visa-Free Entry (30 Days or More) to China

What is Visa-Free Entry (30 Days or More) to China?

You can travel within Mainland China & Hainan (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) without a visa up to 30 days or longer (under Bilateral Visa Exemption Agreements) for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchanges, or transit. You can NOT work or study, which requires appropriate visas.

The 30-day count is calculated starting from the first 00:00 (midnight) you spend in China. e.g. if you enter on Aug 12 at 21:55, day 1 would be Aug 13 and you need to exit on day 30; if you enter on Aug 12 at 00:05 (you might feel that it's still the night of Aug 11), day 1 would still be Aug 13 as you didn't spend 00:00 in China on Aug 12.

There are 47 countries listed below under the Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements and 29 countries listed below with a remark under the Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements.

Which countries are included in the Visa-Free Entry Country List to China?

Africa

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

None.

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Mauritius (30 days),

Seychelles (30 days).

Asia

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Korea (Republic of Korea).

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Armenia (Max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Kazakhstan (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Malaysia (30 days),

Maldives (30 days),

Qatar (30 days),

Singapore (30 days),

United Arab Emirates (30 days).

Europe

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

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

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Albania (Max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Azerbaijan (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Belarus (30 days - no more than 90 days per year),

Bosnia and Herzegovina (90 days within every 180-day period),

Georgia (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

San Marino (90 days),

Serbia (30 days - cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period).

North America & The Caribbean

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

None.

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Antigua and Barbuda (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Bahamas (30 days),

Barbados (30 days),

Dominica (30 days),

Grenada (30 days).

Oceania

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

Australia, New Zealand.

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Fiji (30 days),

Samoa (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Solomon Islands (30 days; cumulative max stay 90 days within every 180-day period),

Tonga (30 days).

South America

Under Unilateral Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days Maximum:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay.

Under Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements - 30 Days or More:

Ecuador (30 days), Suriname (30 days).

China NIA (National Immigration Administration) Links:

List of Countries Covered by Unilateral Visa Exemption Policies
Details of Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements

24-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV)

What is 24-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) to China?

You can transit through China to third countries or regions (it can NOT be the country you depart from and it can NOT be another airport inside China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) and you may stay in China for no more than 24 hours without a visa. If you need to leave the airport (to stay in a hotel overnight within 24 hours), a temporary entry permit could be obtained at the immigration. If your connecting flight leaves on the same day, it's unlikely to obtain an entry permit to exit the airport in practice.

Who is eligible for 24-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) to China?

Anyone who holds valid international travel documents of any country/ region + onward international flight/ship/train tickets to third countries or regions.

Examples of eligible journeys:

Barcelona - Guangzhou - Singapore: eligible, Spain - China transit - Singapore.

London - Chengdu - Tokyo - London: eligible, UK - China transit - Japan - UK.

San Fransisco - Beijing - Hong Kong - San Fransisco: eligible, US - China transit - Hong Kong - US. Note that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are defined as third regions by China NIA.

Lisbon - Shanghai - Macau - Lisbon - eligible, Portugal - China transit - Macau - Portugal. Note that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are defined as third regions by China NIA.

Sydney - Guangzhou - Taipei - Sydney - eligible, Australia - China transit - Taiwan - Australia. Note that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are defined as third regions by China NIA.

Los Angeles - Seoul - Shanghai - Osaka - Los Angeles: eligible, US - South Korea - China transit - Japan - US.

Paris - Beijing - Berlin - Paris: eligible, France - China transit - Germany - France.

Copenhagen - Shanghai - Stockholm: eligible, Denmark - China transit - Sweden.

Examples of ineligible journeys:

Los Angeles - Chengdu - Shanghai - Tokyo: ineligible - two transits inside China.

Los Angeles - Beijing - San Fransisco: ineligible - round trip between US and China, no third countries or regions involved in between.

Los Angeles - Seoul - Shanghai - Seoul - Los Angeles: ineligible - round trip between South Korea and China, no third countries or regions involved in between.

Paris - Beijing - Lyon - Berlin: ineligible - round trip between France and China, no third countries or regions involved in between.

Milan - Hong Kong - Shanghai - Hong Kong - Milan: ineligible - round trip between Hong Kong and Shanghai, no third countries or regions involved in between. Note that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are defined as third regions by China NIA.

240-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV)

What is 240-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) to China?

You can transit in China to third countries or regions (it can NOT be the country you depart from and it can NOT be another airport inside China, excluding Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) without a visa up to 240 hours (not equal to 10 days) through any of the designated 60 airports & ports in 24 provinces/ regions (see below) - you must enter China through those 60 airports and ports, and you can only visit some cities within those 24 provinces/ regions. You are allowed to travel in between those cities within the 24 provinces/ regions.

Under this entry scheme, within the designated areas, you can engage in activities like traveling, business, visiting family or friends, transit within the permitted period. You can NOT work or study, which requires appropriate visas.

There are only two schemes now for Transit Without a Visa (TWOV): 24-hour and 240-hour. Any other lengths you see on social media or some websites are incorrect and outdated.

The 240-hour count is calculated to minutes. You would normally receive a paper note from Immigration when you enter China detailing at what time you must exit. If you don't receive any note, please note down your entry time and make sure to exit within 240 hours. If your connecting flight to third countries or regions leaves much sooner than within 240 hours, you may receive an entry permit with a shorter stay.

Who is eligible for 240-Hour Transit Without a Visa (TWOV) to China?

Anyone who holds valid international travel documents of the 55 countries below + onward international flight/ship/train tickets to third countries or regions.