Who This Helps

  • Travelers from an eligible country transiting through mainland China to a third country or region.
  • Travelers who plan a short stopover in China and want to use the 240-hour visa-free transit policy instead of applying for a regular visa.
  • Travelers who need to match an entry port with its permitted stay area before booking hotels, trains, or domestic side trips.

Before You Start

  • Confirm that your trip is a transit itinerary to a third country or region, not a round trip returning to the same country or region.
  • Check whether your passport nationality is included in the 55-country list in the official National Immigration Administration policy.
  • Prepare your valid international travel document and a confirmed interline ticket with a fixed date, seat or itinerary information, and onward travel to the third country or region.
  • Choose an entry port from the 65 listed ports and match it to the permitted stay area before booking hotels, trains, or side trips.
  • Keep your stay within 10 days and remain inside the permitted activity area tied to your entry port.
  • Use the stay only for permitted activities such as tourism, business, visits, or family visits.
  • Apply for the proper visa in advance if your activity involves work, study, journalism, or anything else requiring prior approval.
  • Before departure, recheck the official source, airline requirements, and border inspection guidance because final handling depends on current policy and on-site officers.

Common Failure Cases

  • Can I use the 240-hour policy just because my stay is under 10 days? Run through the eligibility checklist before booking and keep the official source available for airline check-in and border inspection questions.
  • Can I enter through one port and travel anywhere in China? Use the port table on this page before adding cities to your route. Remove cities outside the permitted area or change your entry route.
  • Does a return trip qualify if I fly into China and then go back to the same country or region? Confirm the complete route with the airline and official guidance before purchasing non-refundable tickets.
  • Can I work, study, or report news during the 240-hour stay? Apply for the correct visa before travel if your activity is not ordinary tourism, business, visiting, or family visiting.

Source cross-check

This answer was checked against National Immigration Administration: Transit Visa-Free Policies and NIA: Visa-Free Transit Policies. A third source, State Council: China widens 240-hour visa-free transit access, was used where the answer depends on implementation detail or traveler-facing handling. Where sources use different scope or dates, the guide follows the current official or most directly authoritative source and keeps platform or traveler-facing material as implementation context only.

Official policy basis

The National Immigration Administration source explains two transit visa-free policies. The 24-hour policy applies at all open ports to travelers of all countries who hold valid international travel documents and confirmed connecting tickets, transit through China to a third country or region, stay in China for no more than 24 hours, and do not leave the restricted port area. If they need to leave that area, they should apply to border inspection for temporary entry permission. The 240-hour policy applies only to eligible nationals and listed ports and permits a stay of no more than 10 days within the specified area.

55 eligible countries

Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, and Norway. Americas: United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Oceania: Australia and New Zealand. Asia: South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Indonesia.

Eligibility checklist

Use this as a pre-booking checklist: eligible nationality; valid international travel document; confirmed interline ticket with date and itinerary; transit to a third country or region; listed entry port; permitted stay area matched to that port; stay of no more than 10 days; and activity type limited to tourism, business, visits, or family visits unless a proper visa has been obtained.

65 entry ports and permitted stay areas

The permitted area is tied to the entry port. Do not treat the 240-hour policy as permission for nationwide travel. Use this table before building an itinerary.

Swipe to view full table →

Province-level areaEntry portPermitted stay area
BeijingBeijing Capital International AirportBeijing Municipality
BeijingBeijing Daxing International AirportBeijing Municipality
TianjinTianjin Binhai International AirportTianjin Municipality
TianjinTianjin Seaport Passenger PortTianjin Municipality
HebeiShijiazhuang Zhengding International AirportHebei Province
HebeiQinhuangdao Seaport Passenger PortHebei Province
LiaoningShenyang Taoxian International AirportLiaoning Province
LiaoningDalian Zhoushuizi International AirportLiaoning Province
LiaoningDalian Seaport Passenger PortLiaoning Province
ShanghaiShanghai Hongqiao International AirportShanghai Municipality
ShanghaiShanghai Pudong International AirportShanghai Municipality
ShanghaiShanghai Seaport Passenger PortShanghai Municipality
JiangsuNanjing Lukou International AirportJiangsu Province
JiangsuSunan Shuofang International AirportJiangsu Province
JiangsuYangzhou Taizhou International AirportJiangsu Province
JiangsuLianyungang Seaport Passenger PortJiangsu Province
ZhejiangHangzhou Xiaoshan International AirportZhejiang Province
ZhejiangNingbo Lishe International AirportZhejiang Province
ZhejiangWenzhou Longwan International AirportZhejiang Province
ZhejiangYiwu AirportZhejiang Province
ZhejiangWenzhou Port Passenger PortZhejiang Province
ZhejiangZhoushan Port Passenger PortZhejiang Province
AnhuiHefei Xinqiao International AirportAnhui Province
AnhuiHuangshan Tunxi International AirportAnhui Province
FujianFuzhou Changle International AirportFujian Province
FujianXiamen Gaoqi International AirportFujian Province
FujianQuanzhou Jinjiang International AirportFujian Province
FujianWuyishan AirportFujian Province
FujianXiamen Seaport Passenger PortFujian Province
ShandongJinan Yaoqiang International AirportShandong Province
ShandongQingdao Jiaodong International AirportShandong Province
ShandongYantai Penglai International AirportShandong Province
ShandongWeihai Dashuibo International AirportShandong Province
ShandongQingdao Seaport Passenger PortShandong Province
HenanZhengzhou Xinzheng International AirportHenan Province
HubeiWuhan Tianhe International AirportHubei Province
HunanChangsha Huanghua International AirportHunan Province
HunanZhangjiajie Hehua International AirportHunan Province
GuangdongGuangzhou Baiyun International AirportGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongShenzhen Baoan International AirportGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongJieyang Chaoshan International AirportGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongNansha Port Passenger PortGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongShekou Port Passenger PortGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongPazhou Hong Kong-Macao Passenger Terminal, Guangzhou PortGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongZhongshan Port Passenger TerminalGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongHengqin PortGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongHong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai Highway PortGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
GuangdongWest Kowloon Station Port on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail LinkGuangdong Province; travelers may exit through any open port in the province
HainanHaikou Meilan International AirportHainan Province
HainanSanya Phoenix International AirportHainan Province
ChongqingChongqing Jiangbei International AirportChongqing Municipality
GuizhouGuiyang Longdongbao International AirportGuizhou Province
ShaanxiXi'an Xianyang International AirportShaanxi Province
ShanxiTaiyuan Wusu International AirportTaiyuan and Datong
HeilongjiangHarbin Taiping International AirportHarbin
JiangxiNanchang Changbei International AirportNanchang and Jingdezhen
GuangxiNanning Wuxu International Airport12 cities in Guangxi: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, and Laibin
GuangxiGuilin Liangjiang International Airport12 cities in Guangxi: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, and Laibin
GuangxiBeihai Fucheng Airport12 cities in Guangxi: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, and Laibin
GuangxiBeihai Seaport Passenger Port12 cities in Guangxi: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, and Laibin
SichuanChengdu Shuangliu International Airport11 cities in Sichuan: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, and Ziyang
SichuanChengdu Tianfu International Airport11 cities in Sichuan: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, and Ziyang
YunnanKunming Changshui International Airport9 prefecture-level areas in Yunnan: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, and Lijiang
YunnanLijiang Sanyi International Airport9 prefecture-level areas in Yunnan: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, and Lijiang
YunnanMohan Railway Port9 prefecture-level areas in Yunnan: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, and Lijiang

24-hour transit note

The 24-hour transit visa-free policy is separate from the 240-hour policy. It applies at all open ports to travelers of all countries who transit through China to a third country or region with valid documents and confirmed onward tickets, stay no more than 24 hours, and do not leave the restricted port area. Travelers who need to leave that area should apply to border inspection for temporary entry permission.

FAQ

Q: Is the 240-hour policy the same as visa-free tourism entry? A: No. It is a transit policy for eligible travelers going through China to a third country or region. Q: Can I visit any Chinese city during the 10 days? A: No. You must stay within the permitted area linked to your entry port. Q: Can I enter at one listed port and exit from another port? A: The policy source lists entry ports and permitted stay areas; confirm the exact entry and exit handling with the carrier and border inspection before travel. Q: What activities are allowed? A: Tourism, business, visits, and family visits are listed by the source; work, study, journalism, and other activities requiring prior approval still require a visa.