China Visa-Free Entry & the 240-Hour Transit Rule

The short answer. China has opened up dramatically since 2023. Two doors matter:

1. Unilateral visa-free entry — citizens of a rotating list of countries (most of the EU, Australia, New Zealand, and others) can enter for short tourist stays (typically 30 days) with no visa at all.
2. 240-hour visa-free transit — citizens of 50+ countries, including the US, UK, and Canada, get up to 10 days when transiting through China to a different country or region than the one they arrived from.

⚠️ This is the fastest-changing rule in China travel. Country lists and end dates are extended or revised several times a year. Treat this page as a map, and confirm against the National Immigration Administration — China's official source for entry policy — or your local Chinese embassy before booking.

• Enter through any port, stay up to the allowed period (typically 30 days), leave. No paperwork beyond a passport valid 6+ months.
• Purpose can be tourism, business, family visits, or transit.
• If your passport is on the list, this is strictly better than the transit rule — use it.

The rules that trip people up:

• You must be going A → China → B, where B ≠ A. Flying New York → Shanghai → New York does not qualify. New York → Shanghai → Tokyo does. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as different destinations from mainland China for this purpose.
• You need a confirmed onward ticket leaving within 240 hours, shown at check-in and immigration.
• Entry is allowed at 60 designated ports, and you may move between the approved regions — which now cover most provinces travelers care about — but not outside them.
• The clock starts at 00:00 the day after entry, so in practice you get up to 10 days.
• At immigration, use the dedicated 240-hour transit counter and fill in the arrival card.

1. Round trips don't qualify for transit. The single most common rejection.
2. Booking the onward flight after arrival. Airlines can deny boarding without it.
3. Assuming Tibet is included. Tibet always requires a separate Tibet Travel Permit and a booked guide — visa-free entry does not change this. See Yamdrok Lake for how Tibet trips actually work.
4. Overstaying the window. Days are counted strictly; exit delays are your problem, so don't book the onward flight at hour 239.

The standard L (tourist) visa process has also gotten easier: many embassies have dropped appointment requirements and fingerprinting for short stays, and processing runs about a week. Apply through the official Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) for your country — not third-party "expediters" that resell the same slots.