China 240-Hour (10 Days) Visa-Free Transit
The 240-hour visa-free transit policy, implemented on December 17, 2024, allows citizens from 55 countries transiting through China on their way to a third country or region to stay for 10 days visa-free in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China. Entry is permitted through 60 open ports for tourism, business, exchange visits, and family visits and crossing the provincial boundaries is allowed.
Who can enjoy China 240-hour visa exemption? - List of 55 Qualified Countries
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| China Visa-Free Transit Sample |
25 Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland 15 Other European Countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco 6 American Countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile 2 Oceania Countries: Australia, New Zealand 7 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia
What is an eligible transit route?
A → China → B
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A and B should be different countries or regions out of Mainland China.
* Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can be the Destination A or B, so the route "UK-Shanghai-Hong Kong" is acceptable as the typical route "US-Hangzhou-Japan". 24 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities are eligible destinations and tourists can have a cross-area visa-free tour among them. For more detailed areas and ports, you can refer to the sheet of the following part. Key point: The international flights flying in and out of China – from A to China and from China to B – shouldn't have any stopover in cities which are not included in the allowed areas. Eg:
√ UK – Guangzhou – Shanghai - Hong Kong
√ Singapore – Shanghai – Hangzhou - Malaysia
✗ Mongolia - Inner Mongolia, China - Japan
Documents Needed for Application
Passport valid for at least 3 months from date of entry
Ticket to a third country with confirmed flight and date
Fully completed Arrival/ Departure Card
* Prepare a valid visa if the third country or region in your plan requires.
In which Chinese cities can I get a visa exemption for 240 hours?
Important Notes for 240h Visa-free Transit Application
2. If 1) you are not able to show any of the required documents, 2) or your route does not qualify, 3) or you have overstayed in a country or been refused in visa application before, you may face the possibility of being refused at the 240 visa-free counter. For fear of inconvenience caused by such case, please make sure that you are eligible or apply for a regular visa in advance.
3. No limit on the number of times you use the policy.
4. Mohan Railway Port is the only land border that's eligible for the policy. So basically you need to take a flight, a ferry or a cruise ship to enter China to take advantage of the policy.
5. The immigration only refers to your scheduled arrival and departure times, so flight delays won't deactivate your eligibility.
6. A stopover without leaving the airport still counts for the third region. For example, if you go from HK to Guangzhou by ferry, then fly out of Guangzhou to Canada but with a stopover in HK, then the itinerary will be HK - Guangzhou - HK, a round trip which is not an eligible transit route for the policy.
7. Travelers who stay in hotels can handle accommodation registration within the hotel. Or they should go to the local police station for registration within 24 hours after entry.
How do I request the 240-hour TWOV China: transit without visa?
6 Steps to Apply for 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit:
1. Inform the carrier when boarding
2. Fill an Arrival/Departure Card
3. Apply for the 240-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival
4. Claim the luggage
5. Go through the customs
6. Leave the airport
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Note for Step 3:
Upon arrival, find the 240-hour visa-free counter at the immigration inspection to apply for the entry permit, which will be stamped on your passport indicating the allowed stay time. Remember to tell the officer if you have a visa for China but don't want to use it this time.
How to count the layover time of 240 hours?
It counts from 00:00 of the day following passengers' arrival. That is to say, the allowed time to stay is actually longer than 240 hours.
Eg: If one arrives at 6:00 am on July 1, the layover time counts from 00:00 of July 2 and the passenger should hold a ticket with the scheduled departure time before 23:59 of July 11. In this case, the allowed stay period is 258 hours in maximum
What can I do during the 240 hours?
10-Day Tour in China
The dense high-speed railway net connects most tourist cities of China well, making it possible for tourists to explore 3-5 cities across the north and south during the 10-day visa-free period.
If you want to experience China’s geographical beauty, the magical mountains and waters of Guilin and Yangshuo in Guangxi, and the various mountains and rocks of Zhangjiajie are the first choice. If you prefer cultural landscapes, then the historical cities of Beijing, Xi’an, and Chengdu are must-go places which are world-renowned for the royal Forbidden City, Terracotta Army Museum, and ancient Shu civilization respectively. In addition, the super city Shanghai, always called the future cyberpunk digital metropolis, is often a transit exploration site for international tourists.
Business Conferences and Trade Fairs
10 days are enough to attend various trade fairs or forums in Beijing, Shanghai, or the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, conduct market research, review suppliers' factories, or sign contracts with partners.
Further Contact Information
| Shanghai | General Station of Immigration Inspection | 0086-21-51105100 |
| Nanjing | Lukou Airport | 0086-25-968890 |
| Hangzhou | Xiaoshan Airport | 0086-571-96299 |
| Beijing | Capital International Airport Immigration Inspection | 0086-10-56095400 |
| West Railway Station | 0086-10-56092165 | |
| Tianjin | Binhai International Airport | 0086-22-24905908 |
| International Cruise Home Port | 0086-22-25605128 | |
| Shijiazhuang | Zhengding International Airport | 0086-311-88027961 |
| Qinhuangdao | Qinhuangdao Beidaihe International Airport | 0335-7520000 |
| Dalian | Zhoushuizi International Airport | 0086-411-96600 |
| Shenyang | Taoxian International Airport | 0086-24-96833 |
| Guangzhou | Baiyun Airport | 0086-20-36066622 |
| Shenzhen | Bao'an Airport | 0086-755-82327700 |
| Jieyang | Chaoshan Airport | 0086-663-3828770 |
| Chengdu | Shuangliu Airport | 0086-28-85205555 |
| Xiamen | Gaoqi Airport | 0086-592-96363 |
| Qingdao | Liuting Airport | 0086-532-96567 |
| Wuhan | Tianhe Airport | 0086-27-96577 |
| Kunming | Changshui Airport | 0086-871-96566 |
| Xi'an | Xianyang Airport | 0086-29-96788 |
| Chongqing | Jiangbei Airport | 0086-23-966666 |
Further Reading:
China Visa-free Policy
How to Travel to China without a Visa
Shanghai 15-day Visa-Free Policy for Cruise Tour Groups