For visitors from abroad
Entry, visas and registration
Most visitors from Europe, Australasia, Japan, Korea and Latin America can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, and travellers from many other countries can stay up to ten days visa free when passing through to a third country. The rules change every year, so treat this page as a map and the Chinese embassy website in your country as the final word.
Checked 2026-11-01. Rules change often; confirm anything that matters with an official source before you travel.
Visa free entry for 30 days
China grants unilateral visa free entry of up to 30 days to ordinary passport holders from a long list of countries that includes most of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and several Gulf states. Business, tourism, visiting family and transit all qualify. The policy has been renewed each year and is currently published as valid through the end of 2026.
Separate mutual visa exemptions apply to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and a number of other countries. Those are permanent agreements rather than yearly renewals.
- Your passport should have at least six months of validity left on arrival.
- Thirty days means thirty calendar days counted from the day after you enter. Overstaying is fined per day and can be noted on future visa applications.
- Hong Kong and Macau have their own, more generous visa free rules, but leaving the mainland for either resets nothing: entering the mainland again starts a new 30 day stay only if you are still eligible.
The 240 hour transit rule
Citizens of 55 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and all countries on the 30 day list, can stay up to 240 hours (ten days) without a visa when transiting China on the way to a third country or region. You enter through one of 60 designated ports in 24 provinces and may move freely between those provinces.
The key condition is a confirmed onward ticket to a different country or region than the one you came from. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as different regions, so a London to Beijing to Hong Kong booking qualifies. A round trip from London does not.
- Apply at the dedicated transit counter on arrival with your passport and onward ticket. There is nothing to do before you fly, but airlines check the onward ticket at check in.
- The clock starts at 00:00 on the day after entry.
- You cannot extend a transit stay or convert it into a visa inside China.
If you need a visa
Travellers from India, most of Africa, Russia outside its trial exemption, and anyone planning more than 30 days apply for an L (tourist) visa at a Chinese embassy or visa application centre. Since 2023 the application is simpler: no fingerprints for most applicants, an online form, and in many countries an appointment within a week. You need a passport, a photo, flight and hotel bookings or an invitation, and a completed form.
Standard tourist visas allow 30, 60 or 90 days per entry. Ten year multiple entry visas are common for United States and Canadian passport holders.
At the border
Fill in the arrival card, on paper at the airport or online through the National Immigration Administration before you land. Immigration photographs everyone and takes fingerprints from most adults. Keep the part of the arrival card returned to you until you leave.
Declare cash above 20,000 yuan or 5,000 US dollars equivalent. Drones, two way radios and large quantities of medicine can be questioned; carry prescriptions in their original packaging with a doctor's letter if the drug is controlled.
Registering where you stay
Every foreign visitor must be registered with the local police within 24 hours of arriving in a city. Hotels, hostels and licensed guesthouses do this automatically when they scan your passport at check in, which is why you cannot check in without it.
If you stay in a private home, a friend's flat or an apartment rental, you or your host must visit the local police station (派出所) within 24 hours with your passport and the host's ID and property papers. Many apartment hosts do not know this. Ask before you book.
Tibet and other restricted areas
Foreign passport holders cannot travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region independently. You need a Tibet Travel Permit, issued only through a licensed agency as part of an organised tour with a guide and vehicle, and the permit is checked when you board a flight or train to Lhasa. Allow two to three weeks. Parts of Xinjiang, the border with Myanmar in Yunnan and a few military areas also require permits or are closed; the guide's city pages note when a permit applies.
Tibetan areas of Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan, including Daocheng Yading, Jiuzhaigou, Xiahe and Shangri La, are open to everyone without a permit.
Common questions
Can United States citizens enter China without a visa?
Only under the 240 hour transit rule, with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong or Taiwan. For a round trip or a stay longer than ten days, apply for a tourist visa. Ten year multiple entry visas are routine for US passports.
Do I need a printed visa or a printed onward ticket?
A visa is a sticker in your passport. For transit, a ticket on your phone is accepted at immigration, but airlines sometimes ask to see it at check in, so keep a screenshot that works offline.
Does Hong Kong count as leaving China?
For immigration purposes, yes. Hong Kong and Macau are separate immigration zones with their own visa free rules, and an onward ticket to Hong Kong satisfies the transit requirement for the mainland.
What happens if my hotel does not register me?
Licensed hotels always do. If you are told a property cannot accept foreigners, it is not licensed for foreign guests; book somewhere else rather than risk a fine at departure.