Transfers in China and visa-free entry
Under what conditions can you transit through China without a visa? And when is it possible to leave the airport and visit the city during a long lay-over?
China allows visa-free transit provided that the stay in China does not exceed 24 hours.
However, for travellers from 54 countries around the world, there is a significantly extended version of the visa-free transit option, allowing stays of up to 240 hours.
Book a hotel during your stopover in China
Visa-free transit for 240 hours
From 2025, China has extended the previous 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit to 240 hours, which is 10 days.
You can find official information on this page:visaforchina.cn.
Who is eligible for the 240-hour visa exemption?
This policy applies to citizens of 54 countries worldwide.
- Europe– Albania, Austria*, Belarus, Belgium*, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria*, Croatia*, Cyprus*, Czech Republic, Denmark*, Estonia*, Finland*, France*, Germany*, Greece*, Hungary*, Iceland*, Ireland*, Italy*, Latvia*, Lithuania, Luxembourg*, Malta*, Monaco*, Montenegro*, the Netherlands*, North Macedonia*, Norway*, Poland*, Portugal*, Romania*, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Spain*, Sweden, Switzerland*, Ukraine, United Kingdom
- North America– Canada, USA
- South America– Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico
- Oceania– Australia*, New Zealand*
- Asia– Brunei, Japan*, Republic of Korea (South Korea)*, Qatar, Singapore, United Arab Emirates
* Citizens of these countries have completely visa-free entry to China until 31 December 2026 and do not need to concern themselves with transit requirements at all.
When and where can you use visa-free transit?
You can enter China without a visa during a transit if you are travelling through China to another (third) country. Your final destination must be in a different country to your city of departure.
Journeys to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan also meet the definition of an international flight. For these purposes, they are treated as separate countries.
Visa-free transit applies to the provinces,airports and ports listed below.
Once you have left the airport, you are free to move either throughout the entire province or, in some cases, only within the specified cities. Unless otherwise stated, you may visit the whole province.
However, from 2025 onwards, you will also be able to travel between all the provinces, airports and ports listed below.
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- Shanghai-Pudong Airport PVG
- Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport SHA
- Shanghai Port
- Tianjin
- Tianjin Airport (TSN)
- Tianjin Port
- Chongqing
- Anhui Province
- Hefei Airport HFE
- Huangshan-Tunxi Airport TXN
- Fujian Province
- Fuzhou Airport (FOC)
- Xiamen Airport (XMN)
- Quanzhou-Jinjiang Airport (JJN)
- Wuyishan Airport (WUS)
- Xiamen Port
- Guangdong Province
- Guangzhou CAN Airport
- Shenzhen Airport (SZX)
- Jieyang-Chaoshan-Shantou Airport SWA
- Nansha Port
- Shekou Port
- Guangxi Province – only 12 cities can be visited: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Huchi, Laibin
- Guilin KWL Airport
- Nanning Airport (NNG)
- Beihai Airport (BEH)
- Beihai Port
- Guizhou Province
- Guiyang Airport (KWE)
- Hainan Province
- Hebei Province
- Shijiazhuang Airport SJW
- Qinhuangdao Port
- Heilongjiang Province – only the city of Harbin can be visited!
- Harbin Airport (HRB)
- Henan Province
- Zhengzhou Airport (CGO)
- Hubei Province
- Wuhan Airport (WUH)
- Hunan Province
- Changsha Airport CSX
- Zhangjiajie Airport DYG
- Jiangsu Province
- Nanjing Airport (NKG)
- Wuxi Sunan Shuofang Airport (WUX)
- Yangzhou-Taizhou Airport (YTY)
- Lianyungang Port
- Jiangxi Province
- Nanchang Airport KHN
- Liaoning Province
- Dalian Airport (DLC)
- Shenyang Airport SHE
- Dalian Port
- Shaanxi Province
- Xi’an Airport (XIY)
- Shanxi Province
- Taiyuan Airport TYN
- Shandong Province
- Jinan Airport TNA
- Qingdao Airport TAO
- Yantai Airport (YNT)
- Weihai Airport (WEH)
- Qingdao Port
- Sichuan Province – only 11 cities can be visited: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya’an, Meishan, Ziyang
- Yunnan Province – only 9 cities can be visited: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu’er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang
- Kunming Airport (KMG)
- Lijiang Sanyi Airport (LJG)
- Mohan railway border crossing
- Zhejiang Province
- Hangzhou Airport (HGH)
- Ningbo Airport (NGB)
- Wenzhou Airport (WNZ)
- Yiwu Airport YIW
- Wenzhou Port
- Zhoushan Port
Is it possible to have two or more stopovers in China?
Yes. From 2025, the full 240-hour visa-free entry to China should also apply to itineraries that include multiple stopovers in China, including domestic Chinese flights.
The condition, of course, is that you must arrive at and depart from any of the airports listed above.
Furthermore, any domestic flight or overland journey must pass exclusively through the aforementioned airports or provinces.
For example:
- Amsterdam – Xiamen – Beijing – Tokyo
- Vienna – Beijing – Haikou – Auckland
- etc.
What documents do I need?
You must always present the required documents at check-in at your departure airport and subsequently in China when completing the application for visa-free entry.
- Onward flight or ferry ticket
- A passport valid for at least a further 3 months after leaving China
- A visa for your final destination, if required
We strongly recommend that you have a printed copy of your connecting flight ticket.
How do I apply for visa-free entry to China during a transit?
You cannot apply for entry online in advance.
Upon arrival, before passing through immigration control, look for the counter marked ‘Temporary Permit Application’, where you can apply for a visa-free entry permit.
You can then proceed to immigration control with this and enter China.
- ℹ️ On this website, we describe our experiences with transport from the airport to the city centre and recommend top attractions worth visiting around the world.
- 💡 You might be interested in:
How is the 240-hour period calculated?
The permitted visa-free stay in China during a transit is actually always slightly longer than 240 hours.
This is because the period only starts at 00:00 on the day following the passenger’s arrival in China.
So, for example, if you arrive at 16:20 on 1 January, you can enter China immediately, but the 240-hour period will only start at midnight on 2 January.
Risks and potential inconveniences
Ever since the policy allowing visa-free transit through China was introduced many years ago, you may occasionally encounter officials or check-in agents who do not have fully up-to-date information or who misinterpret the policy.
With more complicated itineraries, particularly those involving multiple stopovers in China or where you are travelling on from China by a means other than air, situations may arise where check-in agents refuse to allow you to board the aircraft at all.
However, the information provided here is based on official documents from Chinese visa centres (seevisaforchina.cn) and can also be verified against the Timatic database, which is used by airlines.
A simplified version of Timatic is freely available to the public, for example on the Emirates website.
Refusal of entry
The final decision on whether to grant visa-free entry always rests with the official in China.
It may happen that you are ultimately not granted entry to China, in which case you must remain in the airport’s transit area for the entire duration of your stopover.
Officials will usually not grant entry permission if your layover is too short and you would not have enough time to make a meaningful visit to the city.
Travelling to/from Hong Kong or Macau by train or boat
The 240-hour visa-free entry during transit through China can also be used when crossing the border between China and Hong Kong or Macau by boat or train.
However, you may only use designated stations or ports, known as Open Entry / Exit Ports.
Different conditions apply to journeys to Hong Kong/Macau and to journeys in the opposite direction from Hong Kong/Macau to China.
To take advantage of the 240-hour visa-free policy whilst transiting through China, you must, within Guangdong Province (the only province bordering Hong Kong and Macau), enter only via an international airport or exclusively via these two portson the outskirts of Guangzhou:
- Nansha
- Shekou
You cannot enter China without a visa via any other port (for example, at Shenzhen Airport or any port other than Nansha and Shekou), nor can you enter China by train.
However, the situation is different when travelling in the opposite direction. You can leave China for Hong Kong and Macau via any port or railway border crossing on the XRL high-speed rail line.
This applies only when travelling on the XRL high-speed train; you cannot leave China by metro via the Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau border crossings.
Specific examples:
- Arrival in Guangzhou – XRL high-speed train to Hong Kong
- There is no need to apply for a Chinese visa – you can make use of the 240-hour visa-free entry policy
- Arrival in Shenzhen – ferry from any port in Shenzhen to Hong Kong or Macau
- There is no need to apply for a Chinese visa – you can make use of the 240-hour visa-free entry policy
- Arrival in Hong Kong or Macau – take a ferry to Shekou or Nansha port
- There is no need to apply for a visa for China – you can take advantage of the 240-hour visa-free entry policy
- Arrival in Hong Kong or Macau – ferry to a port other than Shekou or Nansha
- You will need to obtain a visa for China
- Arrival in Hong Kong or Macau – train to Guangzhou or Shenzhen – departure from China
- You will need to obtain a visa for China
💡You may also be interested in
- Visas and entry formalities for Hong Kong or Macau
- What to see in Hong Kong
- How to travel between Hong Kong and Macau
Sample itineraries
To give you a clearer picture, below we’ve listed 5 examples of when you can use the 240-hour entry to China during a transit, and 5 examples of when you cannot.
| ✔ You can enter China for 240 hours | x Cannot be used |
|---|---|
| Budapest – Ningbo – Shanghai – Auckland | Istanbul – Urumqi – Hong Kong (Urumqi Airport is not covered by this policy) |
| Los Angeles – Beijing – Hong Kong | Hong Kong – Guangzhou by train Guangzhou – Amsterdam |
| Sydney – Haikou – Beijing – Prague | London – Beijing – Lanzhou – Bangkok (Lanzhou Airport is not covered by this policy) |
| Bangkok – Shanghai Shanghai – Beijing train Beijing – Tokyo |
Tokyo – Beijing – Osaka (the transfer must be to a country other than the one of departure) |
| Paris – Guangzhou ferry and train to Hong Kong |
Paris – Shenzhen underground to Hong Kong |
Visa-free transit for 24 hours
If you do not meet the conditions for visa-free transit for up to 240 hours, in the vast majority of cases you will at least be eligible for visa-free transit for up to 24 hours.
You can make use of this if you are flying via an airport that is not covered by the extended 240-hour period (examples of international airports include Lanzhou LHW, Yinchuan YIC, Changchun CGQ and Lhasa LXA).
In this case, the time is calculated from the exact time of arrival in China to the time of departure from China.
Airports through which visa-free transit is not permitted
According to the Timatic visa requirements database, which is used by airlines, visa-free transit is not permitted – even within the 24-hour period – via Urumqi URC, Mudanjiang MDG and Huangshan TXN airports.
However, these exceptions are not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the official information.
Any questions left?
If you have any questions or comments about the article...
10 comments
Hello, I have a question,
I have a question about visa-free transit in Beijing on emergency passport.
Also if this only applies to arrivals and departures through the same terminal.
Norway - Beijing - Seoul
Hello, I honestly can't answer this question with 100% certainty.
The official site does not specify the exact conditions of the passports or emergency transfer passes.
But in general, to process a visa-free transfer through China (i.e. if you would like to get out of the airport and see the city during the transfer), you need a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months after the trip. Which I don't think an emergency passport will meet, I don't know.
But if you're only staying in the transit area (you don't just walk outside the airport during the transfer - but the whole ticket must be purchased in one booking), then it shouldn't be a problem.
Thank you very much for your reply.
The transit takes place at the same terminal, so will not leave the terminal or airport - and the entire ticket is booked in one. So the luggage also goes possibly directly.
Will see if I can check this a little more thoroughly
I think this should work normally without any glitches.
Hello,
I have a question about the 240-hour visa-free entry to China. Is Taiwan considered a third country? I read here that it does, but I couldn't find it officially anywhere.
We are planning to travel Vienna-Chengdu-Beijing-Taipei (3 days in Beijing).
Back Taipei-Xiamen-Beijing-Prague (in Xiamen 4 days)
Alternatively, where to check this information?
Hello, yes. Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are all third countries. All flights from China to these destinations are handled as international flights.
Hello everyone! I need advice from those who have had experience of transiting through China.
I have the following route (separate tickets):
Phuket → Chengdu (transfer 10 h 15 min)
Chengdu → Urumqi → Istanbul (this is one ticket)
I am a citizen of Ukraine. I plan to fly without a Chinese visa, using a 24-hour visa-free transit (Transit Without Visa). I don't need to change airports, the whole transit is less than 24 hours.
But I found information on Timatic that visa-free transit may not be possible through Urumqi Airport (URC), even within 24 hours.
Has anyone had a similar route via Chengdu + Urumqi without a Chinese visa?
Were you allowed to board the first flight and transit in China?
I will be very grateful for your real experience 🙏.
With this routing, I don't think they'll even let you get on at HKT. I would take that up with the carrier and the embassy, i.e. the current status.
Could I ask for a more detailed answer? Thank you!
Two separate tickets. So no transit and as mentioned above, I would expect problems already in HKT.
From what I've seen, the transit conditions are getting worse because I'm going to a third country. And I won't be in Hong Kong, so I think you've made a mistake. I would really appreciate your advice
HKT=Puket. Again, this should be addressed primarily with the carrier to see if they will approve it. There is the problematic intrastate section from Chengdu to Urumqi, which has always been problematic. The 2 separate tickets are not a problem in themselves, I myself did a layover with TWOV in Shanghai this way in November with no problems.
Now I can't trace exactly what forum I read this on, but there was indeed a problem with the Urumchi after the new update.
It used to fall under visa-free transit for at least 24 hours, but not now. And it's really in Timatico, so with high probability they really won't let you board in Phuket.
Hello,
I have a question if this would work without a visa (Czech passport):
Amsterdam -> Shanghai
Shanghai: 6 days
Shanghai -> Singapore
Singapore: 3 days
Singapore -> Vietnam
Vietnam: 5 days
Vietnam -> Shanghai
Shanghai: less than a day
Shanghai -> Amsterdam (ticket purchased as return ticket together with the first flight Amsterdam -> Shanghai)
Theoretically it would be two transits. The first one from NL via Shanghai to Singapore and the second one from Vietnam via Shanghai to NL. The second thing is that the Amsterdam - Shanghai ticket would be a return ticket because it is cheaper. This means that there is a third country (Singapore and Vietnam), but I am actually flying in and out of China for the whole trip.
Thank you very much for your reply.
Hello, we have bought tickets to the Philippines with a change of planes in Beijing. The flight there takes 13 hours and the return flight in 14 days takes 12 hours. Can we use the 24 hour visa free change on the way there and back? Thank you
Hello. Yes, see the information above (Visa-free transfer is up to 240 hours, not just 24 hours).
Hello,
I am planning to fly from budapest to shenzhen, then to shanghai and back to shenzhen- budapest, so visa will be needed right ? total stay about 7 days....
if I were to take a multicity flight from budapest to shanghai in 2 days from shanghai to hong kong
from hong kong in 4 days via shanghai to budapest ? ... is it an option to use transit without visa ?
I heard they won't let me on the plane without a visa, right?
Three times yes.
Hi, do I understand correctly that if I fly from Phuket to Prague and have a 22hr layover in Beijing, I am not covered by the 24hr visa because I am returning to the Czech Republic and not travelling to a 3rd country and I am out of luck?
Refers to.
Are you sure? Everywhere I've looked, it just says you have to travel outside your home country from Beijing. They don't consider returning to your home country as transit under their rules.
Where does it say that everywhere? Give me a specific link. It's nonsense. You travel from country A via China to country B, and you have a passport from an eligible country, then you can transit without a visa. So from Thailand through China to the Czech Republic is OK.
I can't find the original source anymore, it was a bit confusing, that's why I asked for experience here, so I had it generated by AI:
Travelling to a 3rd country (transfer)
- It's the "3rd country" (destination) you're flying on to from China, not the one you're flying on from.
- Example: if you fly from Prague via Beijing to the US , the US is your 3rd country. If you were to fly from the US to China and then back to Prague, Prague is not a third country, it is the country of origin/return.
I.e. Flying Phuket-Beijing-Prague does not meet the condition of traveling to a third country, from China's perspective it is a return. Going there, it would be fine,but I have a short layover.
well, the return trip is from a third country via china back home, that's definitely fine, tried it many times.
I'm definitely going to give it a try :)
It'll work. Prague-Beijing-Prague wouldn't work. There's a third country missing, it's not transit.
Considering how many people have successfully tried it, I certainly wouldn't look for an answer from AI.
You were right, everything was smooth sailing. I made it to the wall and the Forbidden City :)
Hello, we are flying to Bangkok at the end of December 2025, we have 13h in Beijing to change plan to visit the Great Wall of China. According to what I'm reading it doesn't need anything, right? We have a valid passport and a follow up ticket of course :) I read on MinZahr website about "arrival card". No one else mentions it. Thank you all so much for your advice and help!
Hello, exactly, you don't need anything. All the information is filled in on the spot.
You must fill in the Arrival card. They usually hand them out on the plane, otherwise there are tables full of them in front of immigration with pens. I filled out the one I got on the plane, but the immigration officer told me to fill out some other arrival card. So I had to fill it out again on the spot. But in the end the delay was only about five minutes. Otherwise, now since November you can fill in the arrival card online, I wanted to do that, but Transit was missing in the purpose of visit option, so I gave up.
When applying for a transit visa, you have to fill out A RRIVAL CARD FOR TEMPORARY ENTRY FOREIGNERS, which are lying around at the counters where they issue visas.The classic arrival card (which they hand out on the plane) is only filled out for other types of entry-classic visas, etc. So that's how it worked in the spring
Yeah, it's like you say. It was my first TWOV in China, so I didn't know. I was still telling the steward that I was in transit without a visa and he said it was the correct arrival card. But in the end, minimal delay for me.
Michael: Hello, if I fly from Prague to Chongqing with a stopover (without leaving the airport) in Beijing, after a few days I fly to Macau, from where I will probably take a bus to Hong Kong, can I then fly from Hong Kong to Prague again (with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, UAE) to comply with the 240 hours transit visa? If I understand correctly that in this case both HK and Macau are treated as "foreign", then presumably this should be possible? Thank you.
If entry and exit is by air, then there should be no problem.
My fresh experience with TWOV in China.
I note that this was my fifth trip this way, i.e. using TWOV with a multi-day stay in China. Previously 3 times Beijing, 1 time Shanghai and now Guangzhou. The tickets were from an event/bug with Saudia from Barcelona.
At the business/status counter I hand in my passports and tickets from Guangzhou (CAN) to Saigon (SGN). The employee flips through the passports for a while, looks at the computer and then asks where my visa is. I tell him I don't need a visa because I want to use TWOV and I have a valid connecting ticket to a third country. He flips through my passport again, looks something up on the computer, and finally gives me back my passport, saying that they can't transport me without a visa. So I tell him to please call a supervisor. The answer was: "I am the supervisor." And he made no effort whatsoever to resolve the situation.
I explain again that this is how TWOV works, that I have used it four times, and show him my passport full of Chinese stamps. I suggest he look into Timatic. He says he has looked and that we don't meet the conditions of entry that the carrier has set.
I'm getting a little upset. My wife paled, but I was still absolutely sure. I was still checking the MFA and Travel China Guide websites on my phone. Finally, a little irritated, I told her to check again because I really was 100% sure.
After a few minutes, he's on the phone somewhere, and in another ten minutes a boss comes in wearing a suit, an Arab from Saudi Arabia. I explain the whole story again, this time rather excitedly.
That didn't help either. For the next ten minutes he studies the computer, his wife meanwhile has completely stopped talking, and then the Arab starts shaking his head. He says no. He says TWOV doesn't apply to Canton and only applies to Shenzhen in this area. He kept repeating something about carrier conditions. I was getting really pissed off by then. He, on the other hand, tried to reassure me that he was doing his best to verify everything.
And then came the twist. Suddenly he started smiling and triumphantly announced that I was right. He had found the right information and Kanton (CAN) was fine for TWOV. He gave us our boarding passes, apologized, shook our hands and we were good to go. It took all of 50 minutes.
I then sweated through security, headed to the lounge and had a shot of Torres to calm down.
This trip was some kind of vicious. I later dealt with another incredible snafu with Vietnam Airlines. I may also write it up as a lesson for others.
cali, thanks for the update. Can you reveal which BCN/CAN ticket was involved? I somehow missed it, would business? thanks
Thanks to cali for the post, it confirms my theory that anything is possible but can always be solved somehow. Last time we had to drink all our small bottles of alcohol at security in Shanghai, because apparently you can't carry alcohol even in a 100ml bottle. At least we had fun.