240-Hour Visa-Free Transit in China

 Great News! On Dec. 17, China has extended the permitted stay for foreigners of 54 countries entering China under the visa free transit policy from the original 72h or 144h to 240 hours (10 days) for tourism, family visits, exchange visits and business. More excitingly, travelers can now cross provincial boundaries within all the allowed areas and 21 new ports have been added, making it 60 ports in total across 24 provinces now.  Let's put it more plainly, travelers of 54 countries can tour around 24 provinces of China for up to 10 days under international transit routes!

China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy, previous 144h visa-free transit policy, is carried out in Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Harbin, Shaanxi,  Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Hunan, Fujian, Anhui, Hainan, Guizhou,11 cities including Chengdu in Sichuan, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang,  Xishuangbanna and other 5 areas in Yunnan, 12 cities in Guangxi, Taiyuan and Datong in Shanxi, Jingdezhen and Nanchang in Jiangxi,  as well as Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, to facilitate international travelers. 

Notably, from Dec. 17, international transit passengers from 54 countries or regions can transit and explore the above 24 provinces by crossing the provincial boundaries for no more than 240h (10 days) without a visa.
 

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

 6 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
 

 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 next 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
 

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

 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. 
 

Passport valid for at least 3 months from date of entry

Ticket to a third country with confirmed seat and date

Fully completed Arrival/ Departure Card

* Prepare a valid visa if the third country or region in your plan requires.
* Hotel reservations may be required if you want to leave the airport.
 

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.
 

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.

Recommended Tours

8 Days Private Tour of Beijing - Xi'an - Shanghai from $1448

10 Days Private Tour of Beijing - Xi'an - Guilin - Yangshuo - Guilin - Shanghai from $1997

10 Days Private Tour of Beijing - Xi'an - Chengdu - Shanghai from $1952

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

 Note:
Note that if 1) you are not able to show any of the required documents listed above, 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.

 Further Reading:
China Visa-free Policy

How to Travel to China without a Visa

Shanghai 15-day Visa-Free Policy for Cruise Tour Groups