China 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy

From December 17th, 2024, 72-hour visa free and 144-hour visa-free transit policy are extended to 240 hours (10 days). At the same time, 21 ports of entry and exit have been added for visa-free transit individuals, further expanding the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers. Individuals from 55 eligible countries, including Russia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada, traveling from China to a third country (region), can enter visa-free through any of the 65 open ports in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and stay within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers for no more than 240 hours.

Passport holders of 55 Countries and Areas Can Enjoy the 240-hour Visa-free Access to China:

Continents	Number	Countries or Regions
In Europe	40 countries	Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Norway.
In America	6 countries	the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile
In Oceania	2 countries	Australia & New Zealand
In Asia	7 countries	South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia.

In the Following Ports of Entry, You Can Get a Visa Exemption for 240 Hours:

Foreign nationals entering China through the visa-free transit policy can make cross-province travels within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers in these 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities).

List of Ports and Allowed Areas for Visa-Free Transit Travelers under the 240-Hour Visa Transit Policy

No.	province-level administrative division/region	Eligible Ports	Where You Can Visit
1	Beijing	Beijing Capital International Airport	Beijing Municipality
2	Beijing	Beijing Daxing International Airport	Beijing Municipality
3	Tianjin	Tianjin Binhai International Airport	Tinajin Municipality
4	Tianjin	Tianjin Port (Passenger)	Tinajin Municipality
5	Hebei	Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport	Hebei Province
6	Hebei	Qinhuangdao Port (Passenger)	Hebei Province
7	Shanghai	Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport	Shanghai Municipality
8		Shanghai Pudong International Airport
9		Shanghai Port (for passenger transport)
10	Jiangsu	Nanjing Lukou International Airport	Jiangsu Province
11		Lianyungang Port (for passenger transport)
12		Su'nan Shuofang International Airport
13		Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport
14	Zhejiang	Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport	Zhejiang Province
15		Wenzhou Longwan International Airport
16		Yiwu Airport
17		Ningbo Lishe International Airport
18		Wenzhou Port (for passenger transport)
19		Zhoushan Port (for passenger transport)
20	Anhui Province	Hefei Xinqiao International Airport	Anhui Province
21	Anhui Province	Huangshan Tunxi International Airport	Anhui Province
22	Guangdong Province	Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport	Guangdong Province(Exits available at all open ports across the province)
23		Nansha Port (for passenger transport)
24		Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
25		Shekou Port (for passenger transport)
26		Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
27		Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal
28		Zhongshan Port (Passenger)
29		Hengqin Port
30		Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port
31		West Kowloon Station Port of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link
32	Liaoning Province	Shenyang Taoxian International Airport	Liaoning Province
33		Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport
34		Dalian Port (for passenger transport)
35	Shandong Province	Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport	Shandong Province
36		Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport
37		Yantai Penglai International Airport
38		Weihai Dashuipo International Airport
39		Qingdao Port (for passenger transport)
40	Henan Province	Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport	Henan Province
41	Chongqing Municipality	Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport	Chongqing Municipality
42	Yunnan Province	Kunming Changshui International Airport	A total of 9 cities and autonomous prefectures: Kunming, Lijiang, Yuxi, Pu'er, Chuxiong, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Honghe and Wenshan
43		Lijiang Sanyi International Airport
44		Mohan Railway Station
45	Sichuan Province	Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport	A total of 11 cities: Chengdu, Leshan, Deyang, Suining, Meishan, Ya'an, Ziyang, Neijiang, Zigong, Luzhou and Yibin
46	Sichuan Province	Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
47	Shaanxi Province	Xi'an Xianyang International Airport	Shaanxi Province
48	Fujian Province	Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport	Fujian Province
49		Fuzhou Changle International Airport
50		Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport
51		Wuyishan Airport
52		Xiamen Port (for passenger transport)
53	Hubei Province	Wuhan Tianhe International Airport	Hubei Province
54	Hunan Province	Changsha Huanghua International Airport	Hunan Province
55	Hunan Province	Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport	Hunan Province
56	Hainan Province	Haikou Meilan International Airport	Hainan Province
57	Hainan Province	Sanya Phoenix International Airport	Hainan Province
58	Jiangxi Province	Nanchang Changbei International Airport	Nanchang and Jingdezhen
59	Shanxi Province	Taiyuan Wusu International Airport	Datong and Taiyuan
60	Guangxi	Nanning Wuxu International Airport	A total of 12 cities: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, and Laibin
61		Guilin Liangjiang International Airport
62		Beihai Fucheng Airport
63		Beihai Port(Passenger)
64	Guizhou Province	Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport	Guizhou Province
65	Heilongjiang	Harbin Taiping International Airport	Harbin City

Remark: the blue words are newly added ports, provinces, permitted stay areas.

Am I Eligible for 240-hour Visa-free Transit in China?

1. The applicant must be a citizen of one of the above 55 countries that are eligible for the visa-free transit policy

2. The applicant must hold a valid international travel document (with a validity of at least three months) and meet the requirements for entering a third country (region).

3. The applicant must hold interline passenger tickets or other documents with a specified date and seat to a third country(region) within 240 hours, complete the Arrival Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners, and cooperate with checks and inquiries by exit-entry border inspection authorities.

Required Documents

Your valid passport or other international travel document
An onward air ticket to the third country with confirmed seat and date
A valid visa to the third country (if necessary)
A completed entry/exit application card

Procedure – Six Steps to Apply for 240-hour Transit Visa Exemption

The carrier must be notified before arrival so that they can convey your request to the immigration office for processing
Fill in the entry/exit application card
Apply for 240 hours of transit permit on arrival. After your 240-hour free transit request is approved, the official will affix a stop seal on your passport to show the length of time allowed.
Claim your luggage
Go through customs procedures
Procedures finished, you may leave the airport

Note: If a passenger must go visit another city or can't leave the country in 240 hours, he/she must apply for an ordinary China visa at the local public security bureau. Or they will be fined.

How to calculate the duration of 240 hours?

The stay period of 240-hour transit visa-free foreigners is calculated from 0:00 the next day after entry. For example, when a foreign visitor enters China on December 18th, 2025, the stay period starts from 0:00 on December 19th, 2025, and he/she can stay in the visa-free areas for up to 10 days, that is, leave China before 24:00 on December 28th.

Note: If you need to stay in China for more than 240 hours due to force majeure and other reasons, you should apply to the exit-entry administration department of the public security organ for the corresponding stay certificate as required.

240-hour Convenient Visa to Guangdong Province

240-hour Convenient Visa to Guangdong Province's 10 cities begins to be carried out in late 2000. it offers simplified entry and exit procedures to passengers who have just visited Hong Kong and Macau and allows them to stay for not longer than 240 hours (10 days) without China visa. For almost two decades, the policy has provided great convenience for billions of passengers and benefits a lot to promote the tourism development of China's Pearl River Delta region.

Eligible Entry Ports (Cities) in Guangdong Province

The ten cities are Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou and Shantou.

China's 240-hour Convenient Visa Requirements

To be eligible for this convenient visa to enter Guangdong Province, the applier must:

Be from the countries or regions that have diplomatic relations with China
Hold a valid passport
Join a group tour arranged by a registered travel agency in Macau or Hong Kong
Travel with a group of minimum 3 people and maximum 43 people
Enter and exit at the designated ports (see above stated)
Arrive and depart together with the same group
Stay and visit the designated geographic areas, and are not allowed to visit any other places

Application Procedures

When entering Guangdong Province via the designated ports, passengers applying 240-hour Convenient Visa need not fill in the arrival/departure card, and will be released after checking the passports and the list of names of tour group members. The entire process is as follows:

1) Your Hong Kong or Macau travel agency submits the name list of all group tour members to a registered travel agent in Guangdong Province for the 240-hour Convenient Visa application.

2) The travel agency in Guangdong Province then will submit the application documents to the offices of designated ports of entry.

3) It normally takes about one working day for the processing.

4) The eligible applicants then may enter and exit the designated ports, and stay in the designated cities.