visa-free checker

“do i need a visa for china?” used to have a boring answer: yes. since late 2023, china has been adding visa-free countries at a pace that makes most blog posts outdated within a few months, so we built the thing we kept wishing existed. pick your passport, get a straight answer, and see exactly which rule you’re using.

check your passport

the result link is shareable. send it to whoever you’re traveling with, or screenshot it for the airline desk (more on why below).

the three ways in without a visa

there isn’t one “visa-free list.” there are three different schemes, and which one you’re on changes how long you can stay and when it expires.

1. the 30-day unilateral list (48 countries). china lets these passports in for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges and transit. no onward ticket rule, no fee. it started with france, germany, italy, the netherlands and spain on dec 1, 2023, grew in waves through 2024 and 2025, added sweden on nov 10, 2025, and added the uk and canada on feb 17, 2026. the whole list is currently set to run through dec 31, 2026.

2. mutual visa exemption agreements (29 countries). these are two-way treaties, like singapore, thailand, malaysia, the uae, qatar, kazakhstan and serbia. most allow 30 days per entry (armenia’s allows up to 90 days in any 180). they don’t have the dec 2026 deadline hanging over them. russia sits in its own category: a separate 30-day arrangement that china extended in may 2026 to dec 31, 2027.

3. the 240-hour visa-free transit (57 countries). this is the one americans use. you get up to 10 days in mainland china as long as you arrive from one country and leave to a different country or region. hong kong, macau and taiwan count as separate regions, so new york → shanghai → hong kong works. new york → shanghai → new york doesn’t. kyrgyzstan and vietnam were the latest additions, on aug 20, 2026. we go deep on the rules in the visa-free china guide.

the 240-hour transit fine print

the checker gives you the yes or no. here’s what “yes” actually requires:

• an ordinary passport from one of the 57 countries, with at least about 3 months of validity left
• a confirmed onward ticket with a date and seat, leaving china within 240 hours, to a third country or region
• enter through one of 65 approved ports (most big international airports, plus some cruise terminals, the hong kong-zhuhai-macao bridge and hong kong west kowloon rail station) and stay inside the 24 covered provincial-level regions, which include beijing, shanghai, guangdong, sichuan, chongqing, shaanxi, yunnan and zhejiang
• the clock starts at 00:00 the day after you land, so a morning arrival gets you a free bonus day

in a few big provinces only certain cities are in the permitted area, so if your route goes off the classic path, check the national immigration administration’s port map before you book. tibet isn’t covered and needs its own permit anyway.

the table (every country, no clicking required)

sort by any column, filter by status, or just ctrl+f your country.

why this keeps changing (and what happens on jan 1, 2027)

china has extended the unilateral 30-day policy every single year since it launched, usually announcing the extension a few weeks before it runs out. the last one came in early november 2025. as of oct 6, 2026, there’s no announced extension past dec 31, 2026 for the 48-country list.

realistically, another extension looks likely given the track record, but “likely” isn’t something to bet a non-refundable flight on. if your trip lands in january 2027 or later, either wait for the announcement (we’ll update this page the day it drops) or get a normal l visa. mutual-agreement countries and russia aren’t affected by the dec 2026 date.

the airline is the real border

the most common visa-free horror story isn’t chinese immigration, it’s a check-in agent at the departure airport who hasn’t heard of the policy. here’s how to make it a non-event:

1. screenshot your checker result and the official notice for your country (linked in the sources at the bottom of the table)
2. for 240-hour transit, have your onward booking ready as a pdf, not just an email you’ll need wifi for
3. if an agent pushes back, politely ask them to check timatic, the airline system for entry rules. it’s usually sorted in minutes
4. fill in china’s online arrival card before you fly, through the national immigration administration’s site or the nia 12367 app. it’s free, so ignore anyone charging for it

once you’re in

a visa is the easy part now. the stuff that actually trips people up on day one is money and internet:

• set up alipay and wechat pay at home, with your passport verified
• sort out internet in china, because google, whatsapp and instagram are blocked on local networks
• check which apps work in china before you fly, and grab the travel apps you’ll actually use
• get travel insurance. hospitals generally want payment upfront

if you’re still deciding where to go, our first-time china itinerary fits neatly inside the 10-day transit window, no cap.

the vibe check

• on the 48-country list? 30 days, just go (for trips before jan 1, 2027)
• mutual agreement country? you’re the most chill of all. no deadline
• us, mexico, indonesia, czechia and friends? 240-hour transit. fly out somewhere new, hong kong counts
• none of the above? you’ll need a visa. check hainan’s separate list if you’re only visiting the island

cite or embed this

this checker is free to cite, screenshot or link to. please credit china insider’s guide with a link to this page (chinainsidersguide.com/guides/china-visa-free-checker). we re-check every row against official sources whenever china announces a change, and the “last verified” date at the top of the checker tells you when we last did.

heads up: some links above are affiliate links. if you book through them we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — it keeps this guide free. more on that.