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Transit rules · China

China’s 240-hour visa-free transit, explained

Ten days in China without a visa, on the way to somewhere else. It is one of the most generous transit rules in the world, and the one people most often get wrong, usually on the ticket.

The short answer

  • Citizens of 57 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and most of Europe, can stay up to 240 hours.
  • You need a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, leaving within the 240 hours.
  • You enter through one of 65 designated ports, including Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao, and stay inside the permitted areas.
  • The clock starts at 00:00 the day after you land.

Three ways to get out of the airport in China

China has three separate rules, and on a layover you only need one of them:

  1. 24-hour direct transit for every foreign national: up to 24 hours with a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, but you stay in the airport’s restricted area. To leave it, border inspection can issue a temporary entry permit on arrival.
  2. 30-day visa exemption for ordinary passports of 50 countries, for business, tourism, family visits, exchange and transit. For 48 of them it runs until 24:00 Beijing time on 31 December 2026. It needs no onward ticket to a third country, so it is the simpler rule while it lasts.
  3. 240-hour visa-free transit for 57 countries: the subject of this guide. It is the rule that matters for US and Mexican passports, which are not on the 30-day list, and for everyone else after 2026 if the exemption is not extended.

Which rule applies to your passport

PassportLeave the airportStay
United States Yes, under the visa-free transit rules 240 hours
Canada Yes, no visa needed 30 days
United Kingdom Yes, no visa needed 30 days
Australia Yes, no visa needed 30 days
New Zealand Yes, no visa needed 30 days
EU / EEA / Switzerland Yes, no visa needed 30 days (Czechia, Lithuania: 240 hours)
India Not without a visa 24 hours, airside only
China (mainland) Yes, you are at home here –
Brazil Yes, no visa needed 30 days
Mexico Yes, under the visa-free transit rules 240 hours
South Africa Not without a visa 24 hours, airside only
Philippines Not without a visa 24 hours, airside only
Japan Yes, no visa needed 30 days
South Korea Yes, no visa needed 30 days

Inside the EU, Czechia and Lithuania are not on the 30-day list: their citizens use the 240-hour transit (both are on it) or a visa. Indian, South African and Philippine passports are on neither list, so they can stay airside for up to 24 hours, and leaving the airport needs a visa or a discretionary temporary entry permit.

The conditions, one by one

A ticket to a third country or region

This is the rule that catches people out. The National Immigration Administration asks for interline tickets to a third country(region) with confirmed arrangements and departure dates within 240 hours. Two official answers from the Shanghai government show how it is applied:

So a round trip such as New York → Beijing → New York does not fit the rule. The official texts do not say what happens with Taiwan as the next stop; ask the Chinese embassy before you book.

The right port of entry

65 ports in 24 provinces take part. For a layover, the ones that matter are Beijing Capital (PEK), Beijing Daxing (PKX), Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA). You may travel between provinces that are part of the scheme, but only inside the permitted areas: entering at Beijing, that is Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. For an entry at Shanghai the official list is published as an image; check the area with the border officer when you arrive.

The 240 hours

The Shanghai government’s official answer: the visa-free transit is calculated from 00:00 of the next day upon arrival. Land at 15:00 on 2 March and the 240 hours run from 00:00 on 3 March to 24:00 on 12 March, so you get the rest of the arrival day for free.

Passport and purpose

Changing between Hongqiao and Pudong

Arriving at one Shanghai airport and leaving from the other means leaving the transit area. The Shanghai exit-entry authority says: If you plan to leave the transit area during your layover ... whether to transfer between Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong airports or to explore the city ... you must apply for a temporary entry permit at the border inspection upon arrival. With a passport from either visa-free list this is simply your entry; for everyone else it is a permit at the officer’s discretion.

What changes after 31 December 2026

The 30-day exemption for 48 countries ends at 24:00 Beijing time on 31 December 2026. As of 2026-11-01 no extension had been announced (only Russia’s runs until the end of 2027). If it is not extended, the 240-hour transit becomes the only visa-free option on a layover. Compared side by side, most countries on the 30-day list are also on the 240-hour list. Andorra, Liechtenstein, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain are not, so their citizens would need a visa again. We will update this page and the planner the day an official notice appears.

Is a layover in Beijing or Shanghai long enough?

The 240-hour rule is about how long you may stay, not how long you need. For a few hours in the city, the time budget matters more: immigration, the trip in and back, and getting back early for security. The planners for Beijing Capital (PEK) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) work it out for your own flight times.

See also China’s transit rules for every passport.

Questions

What is China’s 240-hour visa-free transit?

Citizens of 57 countries may enter China without a visa for up to 240 hours (10 days) when they are travelling on to a third country or region with a confirmed ticket, through one of 65 designated ports, and stay inside the permitted areas.

Can I fly from the US to China and back to the US on the 240-hour transit?

The rule asks for an onward ticket to a third country or region. An official Shanghai government answer advises travellers whose trip starts and ends in the same country to book the onward flight to a third place (it gives Singapore or Kuala Lumpur as examples for Sydney–Shanghai–Melbourne). Hong Kong counts as a separate region: London–Shanghai–Hong Kong qualifies.

When do the 240 hours start?

At 00:00 on the day after you arrive. Land at 15:00 on 2 March and the 240 hours run from 00:00 on 3 March to 24:00 on 12 March.

Can I leave the airport on a short layover in Beijing or Shanghai without a visa?

With a passport from the 30-day visa-exemption list (most of Europe, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and others, until 31 December 2026) or the 240-hour list, yes. Every other foreign national may stay airside for up to 24 hours with an onward ticket to a third country; leaving the airport then needs a temporary entry permit from border inspection, which is at its discretion.

Do I need a visa to change between Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong?

Changing airports means leaving the transit area. The Shanghai exit-entry authority says you then need a temporary entry permit at border inspection on arrival, unless you enter under the visa exemption or the 240-hour transit anyway.

Official sources

Published 2026-11-02, sources checked 2026-11-01. The airline and the border officer have the final word. Found something out of date? Tell us.