Visa-Free Transit in China
240-hour transit eligibility, permitted stay areas and documents, checked against current NIA guidance on 7 September 2026.
China's 240-hour visa-free transit is a transit permission, not a general ten-day tourist visa. On 7 September 2026, the National Immigration Administration lists nationals of 57 countries, 65 designated ports and permitted stay areas in 24 provincial-level regions. You need an eligible ordinary passport and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region.
Check your nationality, document, entry and exit ports, overnight stops and onward route before buying non-refundable travel. Immigration officers decide admission and your permitted stay. Read the current NIA policy and official port/area table.
Check your passport and onward route
The current NIA list contains 57 nationalities. Nationality alone does not establish eligibility: the policy requires an ordinary passport and an onward ticket with a confirmed seat and departure date to a third country or region.
For example, London–Shanghai–Tokyo can meet the third-destination test if every other condition is satisfied. London–Shanghai–London does not. Check the actual last departure point, next destination and full ticket sequence; citizenship is not what determines the third destination.
Use the complete official country list rather than an old 54- or 55-country summary. Different nationality-based visa-free arrangements have their own rules and should not be confused with transit permission.
Stay within the designated ports and areas
The NIA currently lists 65 designated ports and permitted areas in 24 provincial-level regions. Cross-province travel can be possible within those areas, but this is not unrestricted travel throughout China and is not simply an entry-province-plus-neighbours rule.
Match every overnight stop, attraction and transfer to the current official port and stay-area table. Do not add a restricted-region side trip without checking its separate requirements. The policy allows no more than ten days; follow the actual deadline recorded by immigration.
Verify the official ports and permitted stay areas immediately before finalizing the itinerary.
Prepare documents and check the entry decision
- Carry the eligible ordinary passport used for the booking.
- Carry the onward ticket with a confirmed seat, departure date and third-country or region destination.
- Keep accommodation details and the entry, exit and overnight route available for document checks.
- Confirm boarding-document requirements with the carrier, then follow the port immigration procedure and the permission issued.
- Leave before the authorized stay expires. Work, study and news reporting still require appropriate prior approval or visas.
There is also a separate 24-hour transit policy. Leaving a port's restricted transit area under that policy requires a temporary entry permit. Do not substitute the 24-hour rule for the 240-hour conditions.
ChinaTourly can help plan the route and identify questions to take to the authorities, but cannot approve immigration eligibility or guarantee entry.
Our team can advise on your specific situation.
We can help map your itinerary to the published conditions. Immigration authorities decide entry and permitted stay.
No commitment. Response within 24 hours.
