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How to Travel to China without a Visa

 From March 14, 2024 on, passport holders of Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg have been allowed to enter China without a visa and stay for up to 15 days. The trail period will last till November 30, 2024. 

China now carries out a total of 11 kinds of visa-free policies. Some are adopted in a wide region while some are applicable among only a few countries; some with a few restrictions while some have strict rules… Please read the following details to check whether you can travel to China without a visa or not. 
 


Passport holders of the following 54 countries and regions can be granted a visa-free stay for up to 144 hours while transiting via cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chongqing, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Chengdu, Wuhan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Kunming and the whole Guangdong Province.
 
 25 Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
 
 15 Other European Countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco

 6 American Countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
 
 2 Oceania Countries: Australia, New Zealand
 
 6 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
 

Here comes the key points:

1. It must be a transit itinerary, which means at least 3 countries/ regions should be involved. For instance, you need to leave from country/region A to China, and then leave for country/region B. If you return to country/region A after traveling in China, it will not be an eligible route. Your outbound ticket from China to the country/region B will be checked while applying for the visa-free transit stamp. The good thing is that Hong Kong and Macau adopt their own immigration laws and regulations, hence they can be used as country/region B in this case.  

2. You should arrive in and leave China directly without any other stop, which means country/region A - Shanghai for connecting flight - Xi’an – country/region B will not be eligible. 

3. Only the countries/regions before and after China mainland matter. USA - Japan - China - USA is an eligible itinerary, so is USA - … - Japan - China - Vietnam - … USA. 

4. One can travel within only one transit area. For instance, if you apply for a 144-hour visa-free transit in Beijing, you can only travel within Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province transit area, but cannot move on to Shanghai or other areas in China. 


2 

Visa-free Policy for 36 Nationals of France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore…


A full list of the 36 countries: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Barbados, Bahamas, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mauritius, Qatar, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore , Surinam, Thailand, Tonga, UAE

If passport holders of above countries come to China for tourism, visiting families and friends, doing business, or transiting, they can enter without a visa and the duration of stay varies from 15 days to 90 days. If for other purposes, a ready visa will be required. 

See details: China Visa-free Policy 

 
This is highly similar to 144-hour visa-free transit, except the allowed transit areas, which include Changsha, Guilin and Harbin. 

 


Under the 24-hour visa-free transit rule, no visa is required for international flight, ship, or train passengers who transit directly through mainland China and will stay for less than 24 hours. This policy is applicable to almost all nationalities. Most airports are eligible, except the airports in Huangshan Tunxi Airport, Mudanjiang Hailang Airport, Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport. Passengers should hold tickets to a third country or region and have a confirmed seat.

In case they want to leave the port for city sightseeing or transfer to another port during the 24 hours, they can apply for a Temporary Stay Permit upon arrival. Those who transfer in more than one city of China within 24 hours can also enjoy this policy. For instance, if one's trip is Los Angeles – Beijing – Shanghai – Bangkok and the total time in China is less than 24 hours, the passenger can still enjoy the 24-hour direct transit.
 


Citizens holding the passports of the 59 qualifying countries are exempt from China visas when they travel to Hainan with the purpose of tourism visiting, business activities, exhibition, sports competition, etc(except study and work). The stay is limited to 30 days in general, and the 30 days start from 00:00 the day following the entry date.



Foreigners who take a cruise to Shanghai and leave with the cruise from Shanghai or other ports of China can enjoy a 15-day visa-free stay in China given that they are received by a local travel agency as a tour group. The group should contain at least two members. Eligible passengers can travel with the ship to other coastal cities and provinces, including Beijing, Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan. The stay period counts from the following day after arrival.

 
7 

6-Day Visa-free for Tourists to Pearl River Delta


Citizens holding passports issued by nations with diplomatic relations with China are exempted from China visas if they join a tourist group in Hong Kong or Macao organized by registered travel agencies in HK and Macao to visit the Pearl River Delta region for tourism and stay up to 6 days. The region includes Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Shantou.

 Do I Need A Visa for Guangzhou If Traveling from Hong Kong?


8 

6-Day Visa-free for ASEAN Tour Groups Visiting Guilin


Tour groups from ASEAN member countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei, and the Philippines, can visit Guilin for six days free of visa. They should be received at Guilin Liangjiang Airport by local travel agencies in Guilin. During the six days, all members cannot leave Guilin. In addition, tour groups using this visa-free policy shall exit from Liangjiang Airport only.

 
9 

Holders of Aliens' Residence Permit


Foreigners who visit for study on X1 visa or for work on Z visa and resident foreign journalists shall apply for Aliens' Residence Permit at the local public security bureau within 30 days after entry.
Within the period of the validity of the Residence Card, the holder is entitled to enter and exit from China for multiple times without applying for another visa.

 
10 

Holders of APEC Business Travel Card


The APEC Business Travel Card is regarded as a multiple-entry visa valid for five years. With this card and relevant passport, the holder is entitled to enter China many times within its validity. The duration of each stay should be within 2 months.

 
11 

Diplomatic, Service or Official Passport Holders


China has mutual visa-exemption agreements with some foreign countries, but they are mainly for diplomatic, service or official passport holders and only allow a stay of less than 30 days.

- Last updated on Mar. 14, 2024 by Brenda Lian -
Questions & Answers on How to Travel to China without a Visa
Asked by Mel Hoop from POLAND | Mar. 27, 2024 15:09Reply
Visit to shanghai
I am a poland citizen that want to visit shanghai for 7 days.
I have visited China 4 times using a regular tourist visa.
Can i get VOI for this visit?
Answers (1)
Answered by Marcy | Mar. 27, 2024 23:31
00Reply


I'm afraid you need to apply for a L visa in advance as before.
Asked by Kessiah from PHILIPPINES | Mar. 22, 2024 04:22Reply
HONGKONG-SCHENZEN-HONGKONG
I have travel to Hongkong with my family. However I would like to go to Schenzen via Train transit for at least 6 hours. Can I go with 24-Hour Direct Transit?
Answers (1)
Answered by Keith | Mar. 25, 2024 00:39
00Reply


No, you can't. But you can take Hong Kong MTR to Luo Hu port and apply for a Shenzhen visa on arrival.
Asked by Amrita from HONG KONG | Mar. 19, 2024 22:48Reply
Zhuhai Visa for Tourism 3 days stay (we are Hong kong resident and Indian Citizen)
Please help us how to apply for visa for my family (2 adults and 2 kids) for a short vacation this easter holidays to Zhuhai from Hong Kong.
Answers (1)
Answered by Keith | Mar. 20, 2024 20:29
00Reply


You need to prepare the materials and documents for tourist L visa, fill in the online application form and submit all of these things to the CVASC in Hong Kong.
Basic requirements:
Passport
Visa Application Form and photo
Documents showing the itinerary including a hotel reservation, or an invitation letter issued by a relevant entity or individual in China.

Contact info of the CVASC in HK:
Tel: +852 29921999
E-mail: hongkongcentervisaforchina.org
Address: 20/F, Capital Center, 151 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Asked by M. King from UNITED STATES | Mar. 12, 2024 12:17Reply
US Pilots and Cabin Crew flying in and out on business
Do US Pilots and cabin crew who will take passengers into and out of China on US planes and who will not stay overnight in China need China visas?
Answers (1)
Answered by Keith | Mar. 13, 2024 20:18
00Reply


Yes, you need to apply for a C-type visa.
Asked by Charlie Xu from USA | Mar. 04, 2024 20:41Reply
I am US citizen, plan a trip yo visit Honk Kong and Macau,also Guangzhou. Do I need a visa?
I want to visit honk Kong for two days, Macau for two days, and Guangzhou for 3 days., Chongqin for 3 days, what kind of visa do I need and how to get it.
Answers (1)
Answered by Harry | Mar. 04, 2024 22:25
00Reply


It is visa-free for you to visit Hong Kong and Macau. However, you need to apply for a tourist visa (L visa) to go to Guangzhou and Chongqing.
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