China visa and entry requirements

Decision flow

Four questions decide your visa obligation.

1. Is your country visa-free? China's unilateral visa-free list runs to 50 countries: 35 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Brunei, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia in Asia, and Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Uruguay in the Americas. Czechia and Lithuania are the two EU member states missing from it - both still need a visa arranged in advance. Ordinary passports only.
2. What is the purpose? Business, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, exchange visits and transit all qualify. Long-term study, employment with a Chinese employer and journalism do not - those need a visa in advance, type X, Z or J.
3. How long? Up to 30 days, visa-free is enough. Beyond 30 days, apply in advance for a type L tourist visa at a Chinese visa application centre (CVASC).
4. Only transiting? If your nationality is not on the visa-free list, the 240-hour visa-free transit may still work - see below.

The visa-free extension runs until 24:00 on 31 December 2026, Beijing time. The UK and Canada were added on 17 February 2026 and sit under the same end date.

The Digital Arrival Card

In force since 20 November 2025, and it replaces the old paper arrival form.

• When - online within three days (72 hours) before arrival. There is no earliest limit inside that window, and no requirement to have done it 24 hours out.
• Where - the National Immigration Administration platform, the "NIA 12367" app, or the NIA WeChat and Alipay mini-programs.
• What it needs - your passport data page, the flight or train number, and the address of your first accommodation.
• If you did not file it - you can still complete it at the border checkpoint on arrival, or on a paper form. It is not a visa and does not grant entry on its own.
• Seven categories are exempt, among them holders of the Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, Mainland Travel Permit holders from Hong Kong and Macao, group-visa travellers, passengers transiting within 24 hours without clearing immigration, same-ship cruise passengers, e-channel users and cross-border vehicle crew.

The 240-hour visa-free transit

A separate scheme for nationalities that are not visa-free, and it is strict about the itinerary.

• 55 nationalities qualify, the United States included.
• 65 ports across 24 provinces since 5 November 2025, when Guangzhou, Hengqin and Zhongshan in Zhuhai, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and West Kowloon Station were added to the original 60.
• Up to 10 days, and only within the designated areas of the provinces that admitted you.
• It requires an onward ticket to a third country or region, with a confirmed date and seat. London - Shanghai - Tokyo works; Hong Kong - Shanghai - Hong Kong does not, because that is not a third region.
• Tourism, business, exchanges and family visits are allowed on it; work, study and news reporting are not.

Customs limits per adult

• Alcohol - 1.5 litres of beverages above 12 % alcohol.
• Tobacco - 400 cigarettes, or 100 cigars, or 500 grams of tobacco.
• Cash - declare more than 20,000 CNY, or more than USD 5,000 or the equivalent in other currencies.
• Banned outright - fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy, and any printed matter, film or data media judged harmful to the political, economic, cultural or moral interests of the PRC.

Police registration

Compulsory, and it is on you if you are not in a hotel. A licensed hotel registers you automatically when it scans your passport at check-in.

• In private accommodation, staying with friends, or in an unlicensed short-let, register at the local police station within 24 hours of arriving (72 hours in rural areas).
• Since 20 March 2026, seven provincial-level regions - Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan - accept the registration online through the NIA website, the "NIA 12367" app, or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs, with no police-station visit.

What matters in practice

• Carry the address of your first night in Chinese characters. You need it for the arrival card, and again for the police registration or the hotel check-in.
• Have the embassy notice for your own nationality saved offline. Check-in staff at airports outside China do not always have the current visa-free list, and an official notice in English settles the argument faster than an explanation.