BIG NEWS: Tourists with a passport from Australia, New Zealand, or Poland can enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 15 days from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. (Updated on June 25, 2024)

Since November last year, China has successively issued visa-free policies for many countries. From 72/144-hour visa-free transit to up to 30 days of visa-free stays, more and more international tourists can travel to China more easily.

If you are from one of those visa-exemption countries, don’t miss the chance to enjoy an easy trip to China without the hassle of applying for a Visa.

1. Which countries can travel to China Visa-free?

According to the latest policy, tourists holding passports from Australia, New Zealand, and Poland can travel to China without a visa for up to 15 days stay from Jul. 1, 2024 to Dec.31, 2025.

Ordinary passport holders from European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg can enter travel to China visa-free for no more than 15 days till Nov.30, 2024

Malaysian passport holders can visa-free travel to China for no more than 15 days till Nov.30, 2024.

Tourists with passports from Singapore or Thailand can visit China without a visa for up to 30 days for a single stay.

Besides the new visa-free countries to China, more countries enjoy visa-free travel to China for up to 30 days, namely Armenia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, The Maldives, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Suriname, The United Arab Emirates

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2. What is the maximum stay for visa-free travelers in China?

The visa-free period for China is mainly 15 days and 30 days. It depends on the passport you hold. Within the validity period, you can enter China without a visa with an ordinary passport for tourism, visiting relatives, business, and other private matters.

Countries eligible for a 15-day visa-free to China:
Austria, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malaysia, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

Countries eligible for a 30-day visa-free to China:
Armenia, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Suriname, Thailand, The Bahamas, The Maldives, and The United Arab Emirates.

Also, there are visa-free transit policies for short stays while transferring via China. Tourists with 54 countries passports can take the 72/144-hour transit visa-free at 31 points in 23 cities of 18 provinces in China.

Chinese Cities that Accept 144-hour Visa-free Transit include:
Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jieyang, Shenyang, Dalian, Qingdao, Chengdu, Xiamen, Kunming, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi’an, Changsha, Guilin, and Harbin.

Chinese Cities that Accept 72-hour Visa-free Transit include:
Changsha, Guilin, and Harbin.

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3. What documents are required to enter China visa-free?

To enter China visa-free, your passport must be valid for at least three months from the date of entry.

It is also suggested to bring necessary supportive documents with you, like the return flight tickets and hotel reservation letters, especially if you want to take visa-free transit to China. All these will be checked by the Chinese immigration inspection authorities at the entry port.

4. Restricted Travel Region for Visa-free Transit in China

If you take visa-free transit in China, you can only visit areas around the port from which you enter. In most cases, you can't leave the province.

144-Hour Visa-free Transit for Visiting Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region:
If you transit in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, or Qinghuangdao, you can visit Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province visa-free within 144 hours.

144-Hour Visa-free Transit from Visiting Yangtze River Delta:
If you transit in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, or Nanjing, you can visit Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province without a Chinese Visa for no more than 144 hours.

144-Hour Visa-free Transit for Provincial-only Travel:
If you transit in Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Jieyang (Guangdong Province), Shenyang (Liaoning Province), Dalian (Liaoning Province), and Qingdao (Shandong Province), travel visa-free in the corresponding provinces, but you cannot travel across provinces to other places.

If you transit in Chongqing, you can only visit Chongqing Municipality.

144-Hour Visa-free Transit for City-only Travel:
If you transit in Xiamen, Kunming, and Wuhan, you can only take the 144-hour visa-free travel in the city.

If you transit in Chengdu, you can visit Chengdu downtown and nearby cities including Leshan, Deyang, Suining, Meishan, Ya’an, Ziyang, Neijiang, Zigong, Luzhou, and Yibin.

If you transit in X’ian, you can visit Xi’an and Xianyang.

72-Hour Visa-free Transit in China:
If you enter China from Changhai (Hunnan Province), you can enjoy a 72-hour visa-free transit to visit Hunan Province.

If you enter China from Guilin or Harbin, you can only take a visa-free stay for up to 72 hours in the city.

The 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy in China makes it easier to visit the transit city and its surroundings.

5. How to visit Tibet without a Chinese Visa

With the visa-free policy continuing to expand, tourists from more and more countries can travel to China without a visa. This also makes it more convenient and easy to travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Generally, you need to provide scanned copies of your Chinese visa together with your passport. Thanks for the visa-free policy, now, if you hold a passport from a 15/30-day visa exemption country, you can apply for the Tibet Travel Permit with your passport only.

However, although it is simple and easy to apply for a Tibet Travel Permit as a part of your visa-free travel to China, you should book your Tibet tour in advance.

For most Tibet tours, the Tibet permit will be issued after 8 to 9 working days. If you plan to visit Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, the process time will be longer. So it is recommended to book your Tibet tour at least 20 days in advance to ensure everything is arranged on time.

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Whether you want to spend weeks in Tibet or explore popular destinations, like Beijing, Shanghai, or Chengdu along with Tibet during your visa-free stay, we can handle everything for you. From getting your Tibet permit to arranging local tours, we ensure you have a smooth and enjoyable journey in China. Feel free to share your travel ideas with us.