After one of the longest and strictest Covid-19 travel policies in the world, China is coming back strong by rolling out a number of initiatives to help reconnect the People’s Republic with the rest of the world, especially through implementing unilateral visa-free policies for dozens of nations around the world.
With new announcements coming up every few weeks, here is a rundown of all the visa-free entry schemes tourists can look for when visiting China.
1. Unilateral visa exemptions (30 days)
The move started in November last year, with only 6 countries that were offered visa-free access to China for stays of up to 15 days on a trial basis that was only supposed to last one year. Now, all the parameters of the policy have expanded.
More countries have been gradually included in the “trial”, the allowed length of stay has been increased to 30 days and the availability of the pilot has been extended until 31 December 2025 for all countries, regardless of when they were added to the scheme.
Since November 2023, the list of nations enjoying visa-free access to China has reached 37, mostly countries from Europe. Joined by Brunei, which had received the unilateral visa-exemption earlier, in July 2023, the total thus comes up to 38.
| Visa-exempt countries to China | ||||
| Andorra | Denmark | Ireland | Monaco | Romania |
| Australia | Estonia | Italy | Montenegro | Slovakia |
| Austria | Finland | Japan | Netherlands | Slovenia |
| Belgium | France | Latvia | New Zealand | South Korea |
| Brunei | Germany | Liechtenstein | North Macedonia | Spain |
| Bulgaria | Greece | Luxembourg | Norway | Switzerland |
| Croatia | Hungary | Malaysia | Poland | |
| Cyprus | Iceland | Malta | Portugal | |
2. Hainan province (30 days)
Even more nations enjoy visa-free entry to Hainan, an island province in the south of China. Holders of passports from 59 countries can stay in the region for up to 30 days if they arrive at one of the two main airports, in Sanya or Haikou, and can show proof of an already purchased return ticket. Besides the two airports, seaports that feature immigration kiosks can also process visa-free arrivals.
3. Cruise ship passengers (15 days)
Besides seaports in Hainan, 11 other ports around China offer visa-free arrival for passengers of international cruise ships. The policy allows tourist groups, comprising two or more people, who travel by cruise ship and are organized by Chinese domestic travel agencies, to stay in the country for up to 15 days. The tourist group must remain with the same cruise ship until its next port of call.
| Cruise ports in China | ||
| Beihai (Guangxi) | Qingdao (Shandong) | Wenzhou (Zhejiang) |
| Dalian (Liaoning) | Sanya (Hainan) | Xiamen (Fujian) |
| Guangzhou(Guangdong) | Shanghai | Zhoushan (Zhejiang) |
| Haikou (Hainan) | Shenzhen (Guangdong) | |
| Lianyungang (Jiangsu) | Tianjin | |
4. Tour groups from Hong Kong or Macau to Guangdong province (6 days)
Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, along with Shantou, without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao first and then enter Guangdong Province as part of their tourist groups organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two special administrative regions.
The exemption applies for up to 6 days and for groups that enter and exit the Chinese mainland thorough: Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai.
5. Transit (24 hours to 6 days)
5.1. Up to 6 days
Foreign nationals from 54 countries are currently eligible for 3-6 days transit visa-free policies which are effective at 31 ports in 23 cities of 18 provinces in China. Passengers from these countries holding valid international travel documents and interline tickets with confirmed dates and seats, who are going to transit to third countries or regions via China within specific time frames, can apply for visa-free transit at the entry/exit border inspection authorities in the designated visa-free transit city ports.
Except Andorra, Lichtenstein, Malaysia, the Netherlands and South Korea, all the countries included in the unilateral visa-free policy are eligible for the transit visa. In addition to those, nationals from 19 more countries can get the transit visa: Albania, Argentina, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechia, Lithuania, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Ukraine, The United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom and The United States.
5.2. 24 hours
Lastly, in accordance with international practices, China has a 24-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals of multiple countries at all international ports of entry. Any passenger holding interline tickets with confirmed seats to transit to a third country or region via China by international flights, sea vessels or trains does not have to apply for a visa if their stay period in China is less than 24 hours and they do not leave the port of entry. In the case where the passenger concerned needs to leave the port, a temporary entry permit from the entry/exit border inspection authority at the port is required.
