Do I need a visa to enter China?

Last verified 2026-10-14 · re-checked every 30 days

If you hold an ordinary passport from one of 50 listed countries and your trip is tourism, business, family visit, exchange or transit for no more than 30 days, you do not need a visa.

Use the resources you need

Two official answers cover almost every case. Read them in this order.

• Is my country on the visa-free list? The China MFA Consular Service FAQ lists the 50 countries and what the exemption covers (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14); the National Immigration Administration publishes the same list grouped by continent (National Immigration Administration (NIA), 2026-02-17).
• Does a mutual agreement cover me instead? Some countries get ordinary-passport exemption through a bilateral agreement rather than the unilateral list. The full table is published by China MFA (China MFA mutual visa exemption list, 2026-05-29). Look for your country and check whether ordinary passports appear.
• Which visa if I do need one? Categories and required documents are set out in China MFA’s Visa Application Instructions (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06).

Tools and entry points you will actually use:

• China Online Visa Application System — fill the form and upload your materials here first: https://consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ (listed in the China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06).
• Chinese Visa Application Service Center — in most countries you submit and pay here rather than at the embassy itself; find your local centre via https://bio.visaforchina.cn/ (Chinese Visa Application Service Center (London), 2026-10-14).
• Your local Chinese embassy or consulate — some countries take applications directly; check its site before you book (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06).

Documents to have ready:

• A valid ordinary passport (a travel document or emergency passport does not qualify for visa-free entry), valid for at least your intended stay in China (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Proof that matches your stated purpose: invitation letter, onward air tickets, hotel bookings, conference or exchange invitation (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• For a visa application: the online form, a photo, that same proof of purpose, and — if you are applying in a country that is not your own — proof of your legal stay there (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06).

Steps

Step 1 — Check if your passport is on a visa-free list

China runs two different mechanisms. Check both; you only need one to fit.

Unilateral visa-free entry — 50 countries, 30 days. Ordinary-passport holders from these countries can enter without a visa for business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits, or transit, for up to 30 days, counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14). As verified on 2026-10-14:

• Europe (35): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand
• Asia (7): Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia
• Americas (6): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay (National Immigration Administration (NIA), 2026-02-17)

These exemptions are not open-ended. At the time of checking: Brunei has no expiry date, Russia runs to 2027-12-31, and the other 48 countries run to 2026-12-31 (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14). If your trip falls near those dates, re-check before you book.

Mutual visa-exemption agreements. Separately, China has agreements with many countries. Where a country’s ordinary passports are listed as exempt, you can enter China without a visa under that agreement too — the official list names ordinary passports for countries such as Malaysia (since 2025-07-17), Azerbaijan (since 2025-07-16), Georgia (since 2024-05-28), Kazakhstan (since 2023-11-10), Albania (since 2023-03-18), Bosnia and Herzegovina (since 2018-05-29), Belarus (since 2018-08-10) and Maldives (since 2022-05-20) (China MFA mutual visa exemption list, 2026-05-29). The table also names ordinary passports for Singapore (since 2024-02-09), Thailand (since 2024-03-01), Serbia (since 2017-01-15), the United Arab Emirates (since 2018-01-16) and Qatar (since 2018-12-21) (China MFA mutual visa exemption table, 2026-05-29; China MFA mutual visa exemption table (PDF), 2025-04-02). The same list shows that many agreements cover only diplomatic or service passports, so if ordinary passports are not named for your country the agreement does not get you in as a tourist (China MFA mutual visa exemption list, 2026-05-29). The mutual-exemption table does not publish a separate permitted stay for each agreement; the note accompanying it gives the general rule that visa-free entry under these agreements is generally limited to no more than 30 days, and that anyone who needs to stay longer must apply for local residence formalities (China MFA mutual visa exemption table (PDF), 2025-04-02).

If neither list fits you, you need a visa — unless you qualify for the separate transit scheme. If you are only changing planes on the way to a third country, read our dedicated page: 240-hour visa-free transit.

Step 2 — Confirm your trip purpose is covered

Visa-free entry is tied to your purpose, and border officers check it. Covered purposes are business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits, transit, sports competitions, conferences and exhibitions, and study tours or summer/winter camps; tour groups and independent travellers are treated the same (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).

Not covered: work, study, and news reporting (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14). If any of those is your reason for coming, you must apply for a visa in advance no matter which country your passport is from.

Border inspection may ask what your trip is for, and it is recommended that you carry an invitation letter, onward air tickets and hotel reservations that match the purpose you declare; visa-free entry can be refused if your purpose does not match the policy (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).

Step 3 — Check how long you will stay and how many times you will enter

• 30 days or less, covered purpose: you are done — no visa, no advance application to any embassy (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• More than 30 days: apply for the visa that matches your purpose at a Chinese embassy or consulate before you travel; if you already entered visa-free and a legitimate reason forces you to stay longer, apply for a stay permit at the exit-entry administration of the local public security authority (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Multiple trips: a visa-free traveller may enter China visa-free multiple times; at the time of checking there is no cap on the number of entries or on total days, but each entry still has to be for a permitted purpose and you must not do anything inconsistent with your declared purpose of entry (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Regional policies have area limits. Do not confuse these with the national 30-day policy — under the Hainan policy, 61 countries’ ordinary-passport holders get 30 visa-free days restricted to Hainan Province, and cruise-ship tour groups get 15 days limited to Beijing and 11 coastal provinces; these regional schemes do not let you roam the whole country and they exclude people coming to work or study (National Immigration Administration (NIA), 2026-08-20).

Step 4 — If you need a visa: pick the type and apply

Choose the category that matches your main purpose:

• L — tourism
• M — commercial and trade activities
• F — exchanges, visits, study tours and similar activities
• Q1 / Q2 — family reunion and residence / short family visit
• S1 / S2 — visiting a foreigner who works or studies in China (long / short)
• X1 / X2 — study for more than / no more than 180 days
• Z — work in China
• G — transit
• J1 / J2 — resident / short-term journalist
• C — crew, D — permanent residence, R — high-level talent (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06)

Each category needs its own supporting documents — for example an L applicant normally needs round-trip ticket bookings and hotel reservations or an invitation letter, an M applicant needs trade-partner invitation documents, and a Z applicant needs a work permit notice (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06). The full list of documents per category is in the Visa Application Instructions.

Where to apply: start the online form in the China Online Visa Application System, then submit at your local Chinese embassy or consulate-general, or — in most countries — at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center that serves your region (find it at https://bio.visaforchina.cn/) (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06; Chinese Visa Application Service Center (London), 2026-10-14).

Cost: fees are set per country and change, so always check your own centre’s fee page. As verified on 2026-10-14 for the United States, US citizens pay USD 140 per application, third-country nationals pay USD 23 (single entry), USD 34 (double), USD 45 (6-month multiple) or USD 68 (12-month multiple), and express handling adds USD 25; this reduced-fee schedule runs to 2026-12-31 (Embassy of China in the United States, 2025-12-29). In the United Kingdom the reduced-fee scheme has also been extended to 2026-12-31 (Embassy of China in the United Kingdom, 2025-12-25). Other countries differ — check the fee page of your visa service centre (Chinese Visa Application Service Center (London), 2026-10-14).

Step 5 — Submit, pay, and collect

At a visa centre you complete the online form first, then bring the physical passport and photo to the counter, pay the visa fee plus the centre’s service fee, and collect your passport when it is ready. Payment is taken at the counter (card or local cash depending on the centre), and the service fee is not refunded if the visa is refused (Chinese Visa Application Service Center (London), 2026-10-14).

Common mistakes and failure cases

• Treating transit rules as ordinary visa-free entry. The transit schemes are a separate channel with their own conditions — a transit (G) visa, for example, requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region (China MFA Visa Application Instructions, 2026-08-06). Do not assume a transit rule lets you enter as an ordinary tourist — see 240-hour visa-free transit.
• Reading the mutual-agreement list too fast. A country can be on the list but only for diplomatic or service passports — the exemption covers you only if ordinary passports are named for your country; if your country is on the unilateral 50-country list you are covered under that policy instead (China MFA mutual visa exemption list, 2026-05-29; National Immigration Administration (NIA), 2026-02-17).
• Coming to work or study “on a visa-free trip”. Work, study and news reporting are never covered by visa-free entry, even if your country is on the list — trying it risks refusal of entry at the border, and using a tourist entry to work or study is a violation (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Planning to stay past 30 days and “sorting it out later”. You must get the matching visa in advance; if you are already inside and genuinely cannot leave on time, you must apply for a stay permit at the local public security exit-entry administration, and overstaying is handled as a violation under Chinese law (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Assuming a regional policy covers the whole country. Hainan and cruise-group policies allow only a limited stay inside a defined area, so a Hainan visa-free entry does not let you travel to the mainland (National Immigration Administration (NIA), 2026-08-20).
• Turning up without proof of purpose. Border officers can examine why you are entering and may refuse entry if it does not match the policy, so carry the invitation letter, onward tickets and hotel bookings that match what you declare (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).
• Expecting an emergency or non-ordinary passport to work. Only a valid ordinary passport qualifies for visa-free entry; travel documents and temporary or emergency documents do not (China Consular Service Network (MFA), 2026-10-14).