China entry requirements: do you need a visa?
These are parallel choices, not steps to eliminate in order. More than one policy may be relevant. Match your exact passport, purpose and complete route against each relevant rule; this overview does not decide your individual eligibility. If the fit is uncertain, stop before booking and use the responsible authority.
Do I need a visa for China with my passport?
Passport examples checked 1 October 2026; other sections retain their own source dates. Recheck the applicable rule before travel.
Start with the passport you will use, not where you live or where your flight begins. These examples concern ordinary passports and mainland China. Residence determines the accepting visa office; nationality, document type, purpose, dates and route determine which entry policy to check.
- Passport and tripUK or Canadian ordinary passport; tourism for up to 30 days
- First answer
- The 30-day waiver is available from 17 February to 31 December 2026. It does not require travel onward to a different country.
- Before you book
- Read the embassy notice; check passport validity and all conditions in the current MFA FAQ. Recheck before a trip after 2026.
- Passport and tripUS ordinary passport; US → mainland China → US holiday
- First answer
- The US is not on the unilateral 30-day list. This return route also fails the different-country transit test. If you have no other valid entry basis, obtain the appropriate visa before travel.
- Before you book
- Choose the responsible visa office; US application instructions apply to the stated consular jurisdiction.
- Passport and tripUS ordinary passport; US → mainland China → a different country or region
- First answer
- 240-hour transit may fit. Nationality and a different onward destination alone are insufficient.
- Before you book
- Check the confirmed onward ticket, passport, entry port, permitted area, stay and destination entry conditions against the current NIA rule and worked route test.
- Passport and tripAnother passport, emergency document, work or study trip
- First answer
- Do not borrow the answer for a listed tourist passport. Match your own document and actual purpose to a current rule.
- Before you book
- Use the policy choices above; if the fit remains unresolved, ask the responsible immigration or consular authority before paying.
Passport validity is policy-specific: the unilateral waiver requires an ordinary passport valid for the intended stay; a visa application can require longer validity and blank pages. Use the exact exemption rule or accepting office's checklist rather than a universal six-month assumption. These are planning checks, not permission to board or a guarantee of admission.
Your entry plan, from booking to departure
Use this order: confirm an entry basis before making the route non-refundable; carry the records needed for arrival; complete registration at the actual stay; protect the permitted departure deadline. Policy choices above remain parallel alternatives, not a test that rejects you after two failed branches.
- WhenBefore non-refundable bookings
- Do this
- Match passport category, purpose, previous visits, dates, first mainland port, every mainland stop and the actual onward route to the applicable policy. For a visa, identify the accepting office for your residence.
- Ready when
- A specific valid visa or exemption basis fits the whole journey; save the supporting rule and required onward/document evidence.
- If it fails
- Pause payment and send the exact case through the immigration enquiry route or responsible consular office. A booking does not create eligibility.
- WhenBefore check-in and on arrival
- Do this
- Carry the original passport, required entry evidence, onward records and the first accommodation's Chinese address. Complete the arrival card when required. Use the appropriate Customs declaration as a separate procedure.
- Ready when
- Documents and truthful answers match the actual journey; after admission keep the recorded entry basis and permitted stay.
- If it fails
- If the airline disputes a visa field, use the carrier escalation checklist. At the port, follow the responsible authority; do not assume an online form is admission.
- WhenAt the actual accommodation
- Do this
- For a hotel, present the passport and confirm the property completes registration. For a private stay, use the registration and stay guide for the real address; a friend's invitation is not the registration.
- Ready when
- The hotel or competent local channel has handled the registration required for this address; retain any confirmation it provides.
- If it fails
- If the desk refuses or the local online form does not accept your document, contact the property/platform or local police registration channel promptly; do not treat the attempt as completion.
- WhenDuring the stay, before expiry
- Do this
- Keep the permitted area and recorded stay deadline with the departure booking. A visa's validity/entry count is not the same as the permitted length of a visit.
- Ready when
- The exit is planned within the actual permission and the exact station/airport is confirmed; any proposed change remains within its conditions.
- If it fails
- Contact competent exit-entry before the deadline if a delay or document loss threatens it. A rebooked flight, loss report or consular appointment does not extend the stay. Use the expiry-first recovery.
Keep one offline record: passport and entry basis; admission date and permitted departure deadline; allowed area if restricted; confirmed accommodation/address and registration record; actual onward booking and authority contact. Keep private copies securely, not in a public travel card.
This sequence brings together the linked policy-specific guides and their original source dates. It does not create a universal visa-free entitlement, a new deadline or a guarantee of admission.
Open the decision that matches your situation
Choose the page that matches your passport, purpose and complete itinerary. If that exact branch is not linked here, use its official control; absence from this directory proves neither eligibility nor refusal.
Choose between China’s 30-day visa-free entry and 240-hour transit with the current country lists, an adjacent-stop A/B route test and six complete worked cases.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 6 September 2026China visa applicationDecide whether a visa application is needed, choose the accepting office and correct purpose, and recover from missing uploads, returned documents or an uncertain processing date.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 2 September 2026Entry ports & permitted areasCheck all 65 approved 240-hour transit entry ports, exact terminals, permitted areas and six limited regions before booking.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 6 September 2026Entry FAQMatch each mainland entry to its real journey, complete accommodation registration, check a second entry separately and recover if a passport or phone is unavailable.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 30 August 2026Mutual visa exemption agreementsCompare 29 mutual visa-exemption agreements covering plain ordinary passports, their published stay limits and official-travel traps. Personal remaining days and departure dates need separate confirmation.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 28 September 2026Hainan & regional policiesCompare all six Hainan, cruise, Xishuangbanna, Guilin and Hong Kong/Macao group policies by passport, agency rule, entry route, exact permitted area and stay length.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 3 September 2026Online arrival cardRun the seven-category exemption test, open the free NIA form and use the official port fallbacks if advance filing fails.
Open answer →LAST CHECKED 6 September 2026Customs declarationCheck the inbound or outbound declaration cases for your resident status, keep the Customs-endorsed record needed for later crossings, and separate the RMB 20,000 hard cap from a declaration threshold.
Open answer →CHECK-IN · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-06Check-in asks for a visa number: identify the rule and reach document supportIdentify the country rule behind a disputed visa field, prepare the carrier’s evidence and confirm the remaining boarding-pass and baggage plan.
Open answer →HEALTH · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-08Report a cough at Beijing entry without assuming quarantineReport symptoms to Customs, prepare your facts and follow the assessment and onward instructions.
Open answer →MISSED CONNECTION · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-08Protect a border crossing from a missed-train cascadeIdentify your actual ticket rules, contact the carrier and confirm onward travel and an overnight contact on your permitted side.
Open answer →ASK IMMIGRATION · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-08Reach China immigration support from abroadUse the published email channel with a complete enquiry and a clear no-response fallback.
Open answer →HONG KONG BORDER · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-11Cross the Mainland–Hong Kong boundary and check limited passport spaceLocate the rail border checks, count the crossing events and confirm what a nearly full passport still needs.
Open answer →TAX REFUND ERROR · CLAIMS CHECKED 2026-09-12Wrong passport details on a China tax refund: what to do after departureFind the responsible refund desk and prepare a bilingual enquiry about your original record after departure.
Open answer →