China Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into China.
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Guide
Ten days is the number worth knowing before anything else about China. Citizens of 55 countries can stay up to 240 hours, counted from 00:00 the day after arrival, without a visa, as long as they are passing through to a third country and can show a confirmed onward ticket. The policy applies at 65 ports and allows travel across provincial boundaries within 24 eligible regions, and one guide notes it was recently extended to Guangzhou, Zhuhai's Hengqin, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Separately, ordinary passport holders from a list of dozens of countries can enter for up to 30 days without a visa through 31 December 2026, for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges, or transit, and that applies at sea, land, and air ports. The exact count of countries differs by source and by month, so use the official list. Work of any kind, paid or unpaid, is not allowed under it.
Hong Kong and Macao run their own entry systems, so China's mainland rules stop at their checkpoints. Crossing between them and Shenzhen or Guangzhou is a real border crossing, with its own lines, forms, and rules.
Border crossings
- Luohu, and the rest of Shenzhen's crossings
Luohu (Lo Wu on the Hong Kong side) is a rail crossing and one of the best known ways into mainland China. From 5 November 2025, a facial recognition clearance function was added at 12 more ports, including Luohu, Huanggang, Liantang, Futian, and Wenjindu in Shenzhen and the Pazhou Ferry Terminal and Nansha Passenger Port in Guangzhou.
- Mohan and Boten, on the China-Laos railway
A daily Kunming to Vientiane through train has run since 13 April 2023, and the trip takes roughly nine and a half hours. Every passenger gets off at the border stations, Mohan on the Chinese side and Boten on the Lao side, to clear immigration, which takes about an hour, though as of September 2025 China and Laos have been using juxtaposed passport control at those stations to shorten that. Foreign travelers still need a valid Chinese visa or must qualify under a transit policy.
- The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge
The bridge is among the ports the 240 hour visa-free transit policy was recently expanded to include, alongside Guangzhou and Zhuhai's Hengqin, which matters if your onward journey runs through Macao or Hong Kong.
Transit routes
- Transit works as a way in, not only a way through
The 240 hour clock starts at 00:00 the day after arrival, and a connecting ticket to a third country is what the officer checks. Because you can cross provincial lines within the 24 eligible regions, a layover can turn into a real multi-city trip.
- From Hong Kong, by high speed rail
The Express Rail Link's West Kowloon control point opened on 23 September 2018, and by 2024 it linked Hong Kong with 78 mainland destinations, with at least 200 train trips a day. Immigration for both sides happens at West Kowloon under a co-location arrangement, so a passenger coming from Guangzhou goes through no immigration procedure at the boarding station.
Entry point notes
- The China Digital Arrival Card replaced the paper card on 20 November 2025
Foreigners can fill it in on the National Immigration Administration's website, its Government Service Platform, the NIA 12367 app, or its WeChat or Alipay mini program, or by scanning a QR code at the port. The NIA says you may file ahead of arrival, and does not make advance filing mandatory, since it can also be completed on arrival. Use the NIA's own channels only.
- Who is exempt from the card
The NIA lists seven exempt groups, including holders of China's Foreign Permanent Resident ID, those in direct transit within 24 hours, cruise passengers, group visa holders, fast lane users, and foreign employees of cross-border transport vehicles.
- The 30 day visa-free stay comes with real consequences for working
Any employment, paid or unpaid, is prohibited under the policy, and violations can bring fines, deportation, and reentry bans. Employers are expected to arrange the proper work visa before an employee travels.