Do I need a visa to visit mainland China?
Foreign nationals (including those with Chinese origin) must bear valid visa before entering China (except for those who are eligible for Visa Waiver Program). For Chinese visa obtained in the past, the validity of the visa needs to be checked. If the visa is already expired or the entries are all used up, the visa holder should apply for a new visa.
How to identify if an issued Chinese Visa on my passport is still valid?
Please check carefully if the validity, number of entries and duration of stay on the obtained visa could still meet the need for the trip.
1. Validity (enter before) of a visa is the length of period that the visa is good for, namely from the issuing date to the deadline of entering China for the bearer of the visa. Given the number of entries are sufficient, the bearer is able to enter China at anytime before 12:00 a.m. on the expiring date.
A visa becomes void once its period of validity expires regardless of whether its entries are used up or not. The visa holder should apply for a new visa if he or she intends to visit China again.
2. Entries is the number permitted to enter China during the validity of a visa. A visa becomes invalid if there is no more valid number of entries left. To use such a visa will lead to decline of entry.
3. Duration of each stay refers to the longest period of time the bearer of a visa is permitted to stay in China from the date of entry into China on each visit.
Under Chinese law, a foreign national who overstays his or her visa in China is subject to fine and other penalties. If it's necessary to stay in China longer than the duration of stay on the visa, approval must be obtained from a local public security authority above county level 30 days before the duration of stay is running out. The bearer is permitted to stay in China once the application is approved.
Under what circumstance a visa to China is exempted?
1. Direct transit
Those who are transiting China by international flight is exempted from applying for a visa provided that he or she is remained in the airport not exceeding 24 hours and has valid air ticket to connect flight with confirmed seating.
2.Bilateral Agreement.
As of April 2025, the People's Republic of China has signed mutual visa exemption agreements with the following countries. Chinese citizens holding relevant passports can travel to these countries without applying for visas in advance. Citizens of these countries, who hold the appropriate passports, do not need to apply for visas in advance when traveling to China for short terms.
(For the latest and detailed information here:https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c181470/content.html).
3. For information on China’s 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy, Regional Visa-Free Entry Policy and other Visa-Free Policies, please refer to the website of the National Immigration Administration of China at https://en.nia.gov.cn/index.html
4. Visa-Free Policy for Some Countries
Nationals of 47 countries including Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan (from 00:00, 30 November 2024 to 24:00, 31 December 2025 (Beijing Time UTC+8))，Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru ,Uruguay (from 00:00, 1 June 2025 to 24:00, 31 May 2026(Beijing Time UTC+8)), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain (from 00:00, 9 June 2025 to 24:00, 8 June 2026(Beijing Time UTC+8)) holding valid ordinary passports can be exempted from visa requirement for certain period if entering into China for the purpose of business, tourism, family or friends visits, exchange and transit. They can stay in China for no more than 30 days without visa.
5. The major visa-free entry policies for foreign nationals to certain regions in China are as follows (For the latest and detailed information here https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c180637/content.html):
I. 30-Day Visa-free Entry Policy for Foreign Nationals Entering Hainan Province. Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from 59 countries may enter and stay within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days without a visa for short-term stays for purposes associated with tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sports competitions, etc. The policy does not apply to those who intend to enter for working or studying. The exit-entry ports for the foreign nationals concerned include all the open ports in Hainan. The 59 countries are Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
II. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Traveling by Cruise Ships. Any foreign tourist group consisting of two or more individuals, which is organized and received by a travel agency registered in China, may enter China without a visa by a cruise ship via one of the cruise ports in the following 13 cities: Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Dalian (Liaoning Province), Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Haikou (Hainan Province), Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Sanya (Hainan Province), Shanghai, Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Tianjin, Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province) and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province). All eligible foreign tourist groups shall continue their journey to the following scheduled ports and depart China with the same cruise ship as scheduled. The tourists concerned may stay in the Beijing and 11 coastal provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government (namely Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Zhejiang) for a maximum of 15 days.
III. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Tourist Groups Entering Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province from ASEAN Member States. Any tourist group (consisting of two or more individuals holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, and Mohan Highway Port visa-free, provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a travel agency registered in China. The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group, and can stay within the administrative region of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture for a maximum of 6 days. The ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Estonia, Thailand and Vietnam.
IV. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Tourist Groups Entering Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from ASEAN Member States. Any tourist group (consisting of two or more individuals holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through the airport in Guilin visa-free, provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a travel agency registered in China. The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group, and can stay within the administrative region of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for a maximum of 6 days. The ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Estonia, Thailand and Vietnam.
V. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Traveling from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) to Guangdong Province. Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter nine cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Shantou, without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Guangdong Province as part of a tourist group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs. The foreign tourists in this case can stay for a maximum of 6 days in the following cities: Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Chinese mainland as part of their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports in these 10 cities.
VI. Visa-Free Entry Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Traveling from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs) to Hainan Province. Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter Hainan Province without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Hainan Province as part of a tourist group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs. The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Hainan Province as part of their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports in Hainan and can stay for a maximum of 6 days.
The stay period specified in any of the aforementioned policies is calculated from 0:00 on the day after the day of entry. For the individuals who meet the requirements specified in the bilateral visa exemption agreements and the unilateral visa exemption policies of China, the relevant regulations shall prevail.