China visa-free policy data: country lists and transit rules
A maintained reference for the two headline entry routes used by our China visa checker: the unilateral 30-day policy and the 240-hour visa-free transit policy.
30-day unilateral visa-free list
The official notice covers ordinary passport holders from these 50 countries for the purposes and period stated in the notice. Direct entry and transit are both different from a bilateral agreement.
50 COUNTRIES- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Spain
- Portugal
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Austria
- Ireland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Finland
- Iceland
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Greece
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Andorra
- Monaco
- Liechtenstein
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Japan
- South Korea
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Chile
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Saudi Arabia
- Oman
- Kuwait
- Bahrain
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Sweden
- Russia
- Brunei
240-hour visa-free transit list
These 57 nationalities can use the transit route when the itinerary, eligible port, onward ticket and permitted area all match the current notice.
57 NATIONALITIES- Austria
- Belgium
- Czechia
- 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
- Norway
- United States
- Canada
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Argentina
- Chile
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Korea
- Japan
- Singapore
- Brunei
- United Arab Emirates
- Qatar
- Indonesia
- Vietnam
- Kyrgyzstan
Selected mutual exemption records
A bilateral agreement is its own rulebook. The records below are included as a prompt for the checker, not as a substitute for the MFA notice. The exact passport type, purpose, cumulative limit and entry conditions can differ.
| Passport | Headline stay | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Thailand | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Serbia | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Belarus | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Kazakhstan | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Georgia | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Armenia | Up to 90 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| United Arab Emirates | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Qatar | Up to 30 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Albania | Up to 90 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Up to 90 days | Mutual exemption terms apply; use the MFA consular notice for the exact condition. |
| Malaysia | Up to 30 days | Each stay is up to 30 days, and cumulative stay must not exceed 90 days within any 180-day period; confirm the current notice before travel. |
Not seeing your passport does not answer every possible route: regional schemes, residence permits and ordinary visa categories are separate. Use the official sources below and confirm with the airline or Chinese embassy before departure.