China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How It Works

Who qualifies for 240-hour visa-free transit?

Passport holders from 55 countries qualify, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.

Qualification is by passport, not by residence. A permanent resident of Canada travelling on an Indian passport does not qualify; a Canadian passport holder resident in Singapore does. Check the passport you will actually travel on before booking flights.

If your country is not on the list, and not on the separate 30-day visa-free list either, the tourist L visa is the route. Our visa guide at /chinaguide/china-visa-requirements/ covers fees and timing.

The three rules that decide whether you get in

Three conditions gate the policy: an eligible passport, a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, and entry plus exit through designated ports. Miss any one of the three and immigration will refuse boarding clearance at the checkpoint.

The onward ticket is the one travellers get wrong. Flying London–Beijing–London does not qualify, because the final leg returns you to the country you departed from. London–Beijing–Tokyo does, as does Beijing–Hong Kong, since Hong Kong counts as a separate region.

The third rule has loosened considerably. You may now enter in Shanghai and exit in Beijing, or enter in Guangzhou and leave from Xi'an, as long as both cities host designated ports and you remain inside the 24 participating provinces.

Designated ports, and what the 24 provinces mean

Sixty ports across 24 provincial-level regions participate, including Beijing Capital and Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, Guangzhou Baiyun, Chengdu Tianfu, Xi'an Xianyang, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Kunming Changshui and Harbin Taiping.

The 24 regions cover essentially every place a first-time visitor goes: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Hebei, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi and Heilongjiang.

Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, Hainan and Ningxia are not in the scheme. If Lhasa is on your list, apply for a visa — the Tibet Travel Permit requires one anyway.

Counting your 240 hours correctly

The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after arrival, not at the moment you land. Arrive at 22:00 on Monday and your ten days begin Tuesday morning, running to midnight the following Thursday.

Immigration counts in whole days, so a booking that puts you on a flight 10 days and two hours after arrival is a real overstay risk. Leave a buffer of at least one full day; a missed connection is not accepted as an excuse.

Overstaying under this scheme is treated the same as overstaying any other entry: fines from RMB 500 per day, possible detention, and a re-entry ban. If your flight is cancelled, go to the local exit-entry bureau the same day and ask for a transit extension.

Itineraries that actually work in 10 days

Ten days is enough for the classic triangle. Fly into Beijing for four nights — the Forbidden City, Mutianyu and a hutong evening — take the 4h 30m train to Xi'an for two nights, then continue to Shanghai for three nights before flying home via Tokyo or Seoul.

A southern version lands in Guangzhou, spends four days in Yangshuo and Guilin, continues by high-speed rail to Chengdu for the pandas, and exits from Chengdu Tianfu. Both itineraries stay inside participating provinces throughout.

Because you cannot extend the stay, we build these trips backwards from your departing flight. Send us your dates and we will confirm the port pairs work before you buy tickets — start at /tailor-made/.

Last updated: 2026-10-02 · Reviewed by JoyoTour