Arrival Readiness

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Entry check

China entry rules by passport

In short

Can I enter China with this passport and route?

Start with the exact passport, trip purpose, stay length, first entry city, and whether China is the destination or a qualifying transit point. The 30-day visa-free list and the 240-hour transit list are two different lists, so the same itinerary can produce a different answer for a US passport than for a UK one.

Continue trip checklist

Applies to

First-time China visitors comparing visa-free entry, regular visa travel, and transit visa-free routing before booking non-refundable flights or hotels.

Check before you rely on it

The 30-day visa-free window runs to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time) for the listed countries and to December 31, 2027 for Russia; nothing is announced past those dates. Entry rules can also change by passport type, route, port, onward ticket, and travel purpose. Verify the final decision with the official embassy, visa center, or border authority source before travel.

Information checked:

The first China decision is not generic: passport country, trip length, first entry city, and transit route all change the safest next step.

Passport country

Entry policy is not one global China rule. The passport decides whether normal visa-free, visa-required, or transit-only logic comes first.

Entry city and route

A direct Shanghai trip, a Hong Kong connection, and a third-country transit itinerary can produce different decisions for the same traveler.

Phone and payment

Even when entry is easy, the first day still depends on data, wallet setup, hotel address, transport, and support contacts.

Bilingual airport and metro signs used for China passport and arrival checks

Not one rule for everyone

Passport, route, phone, payment, and support all need to line up before the first transfer.

Passport entry checker

Check passport, city, stay, and onward ticket

Use the same inputs a border or airline check will care about. Each saved match opens a stable URL that can be cited, shared, or rechecked later.

Last checked:

Exact saved result

Visa likely required

Open saved result page

This combination has a saved page and an official source link.

In short

For a 10-day Shanghai trip where China is the destination, start from the visa path. A 240-hour transit route may be possible only when the itinerary uses China as a true transit point with a qualifying onward ticket.

Passport
United States ordinary passport
First entry city
Shanghai
Stay
10 days
Onward ticket
Depends

Official check: The common mistake is treating a long Shanghai stay as transit when the route is really a China destination trip.

Open official source

Dated policy check

The 30-day visa-free path ends on a fixed date

Read these before using any result above. They set the end date of the 30-day window, how the 30 days are counted, and why the transit list gives a US passport a different answer than a UK one.

Embassy of China in the United Kingdom

The 30-day visa-free path has an end date: 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time)

The Chinese Embassy in the UK notice sets the current window as 00:00 on February 17, 2026 to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time), with a stay of up to 30 days for UK and Canadian ordinary passports. Nothing has been announced past that date. A trip that lands in 2027 cannot be planned on this rule until a new notice exists.

Open source: Notice on visa-free policy for the UK and Canada

Page read

Consulate General of China in San Francisco

The same end date applies to the other listed countries; Russia runs to December 31, 2027

The San Francisco consulate FAQ states Russia's waiver runs until December 31, 2027 and the remaining listed countries' waivers run until December 31, 2026. One date to check, whichever eligible passport is in hand.

Open source: Frequently asked questions on visa-free entry into China

Page read

Consulate General of China in San Francisco

The 30 days start the day after entry

The consulate FAQ, updated June 2026, states the stay is calculated from the next day of entry and lasts 30 calendar days. Arrival day does not use one up. Anyone planning more than 30 days needs the matching visa before travel; the waiver does not cover work, study or news coverage.

Open source: Frequently asked questions on visa-free entry into China

Page read

Consulate General of China in San Francisco

There is currently no cap on entries or on total days

The same FAQ states there is no limit on the number of visa-free entries and no limit on total days of stay across entries. Each single stay is still capped at 30 days, so a China-Hong Kong-China loop is a planning option rather than a way to extend one stay.

Open source: Frequently asked questions on visa-free entry into China

Page read

National Immigration Administration

The 240-hour transit list is not the 30-day visa-free list

The immigration administration's transit page lists nationalities the 30-day list does not, among them the United States, Mexico, Singapore, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is why a US passport holder and a UK passport holder get different answers to the same itinerary: one starts from transit rules and an onward ticket, the other from the 30-day rule.

Open source: 240-hour visa-free transit policy

Page read

National Immigration Administration

The 30-day list covers ordinary passports and listed short-term purposes only

The immigration administration list page states its content is current as of February 17, 2026, applies to ordinary-passport holders, and covers business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchange visits and transit. Read the list for the exact passport instead of trusting a country count copied from elsewhere.

Open source: List of countries covered by unilateral visa exemption

Page read

National Immigration Administration

Check the transit port list at the source, not from a saved copy

The transit path only works from a listed exit-entry port, and the immigration administration expanded that list during 2025, adding Guangdong entry points including Guangzhou, Hengqin, Zhongshan and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge from November 5, 2025. The transit path also requires an onward ticket to a third country or region with a confirmed seat and departure date.

Open source: Announcement on 10 new exit-entry measures

Page read

Dates and country membership above were read off the official pages on July 24, 2026. Port lists and country lists have both changed inside a single year, so open the source before booking anything non-refundable.

Check order

Use the entry result before tickets get expensive

The checker narrows the passport and route question early, then sends the final answer back to the official source.

Step 1

Choose the exact trip inputs

Use passport country, first entry city, stay length, and onward-ticket context before trusting any generic China entry answer.

Step 2

Open the saved result

Use the stable scenario URL when the result needs to be shared with a traveler, airline desk, school office, or event organizer.

Step 3

Verify the policy owner

Check the linked official source before booking or traveling, especially when passport type, port, purpose, or route changes.

Step 4

Keep the result offline

Print the result or save it as a PDF, then keep it with passport, arrival card, hotel address, and onward-ticket proof.

Entry answers

Separate policy questions from the final official check

These guides catch visa-free, transit, arrival-card, and booking-stress searches, then route travelers back to official-source verification.

Entry scenario URLs

Open the exact passport, city, and stay check

These pages turn common search combinations into result cards with a clear boundary: what the scenario suggests, what documents to prepare, and which official source still owns the final answer.

Visa likely required

US passport Shanghai 10-day entry check

City
Shanghai
Stay
10 days

For a 10-day Shanghai trip where China is the destination, start from the visa path. A 240-hour transit route may be possible only when the itinerary uses China as a true transit point with a qualifying onward ticket.

Transit possible

US passport Beijing 3-day transit check

City
Beijing
Stay
3 days

This can be transit visa-free only if the itinerary is a real international or regional transit route and the passenger has a confirmed onward ticket within the allowed stay.

Visa-free

UK passport Shanghai 10-day entry check

City
Shanghai
Stay
10 days

For an eligible UK ordinary passport and listed short-term purpose, a 10-day Shanghai trip fits the 30-day visa-free path. The notice runs that path to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time), so a trip landing after that date needs a fresh check before booking. The 30 days count from the day after entry.

Visa likely required

UK passport Shanghai 35-day entry check

City
Shanghai
Stay
35 days

Do not treat a 35-day Shanghai stay as covered by the 30-day visa-free policy. Start from the visa or stay-extension question before booking the full stay.

Visa-free

Canada passport Guangzhou 14-day entry check

City
Guangzhou
Stay
14 days

For an eligible Canadian ordinary passport and listed short-term purpose, a 14-day Guangzhou trip fits the current 30-day visa-free notice. That notice runs to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time), so recheck it for any arrival after that date. The 30 days count from the day after entry.

Visa-free

France passport Beijing 7-day entry check

City
Beijing
Stay
7 days

For an eligible French ordinary passport and listed short-term purpose, a 7-day Beijing trip fits the current 30-day visa-free rule. The consulate FAQ runs that rule to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time) for the listed countries, and counts the 30 days from the day after entry.

Visa-free

Australia passport Chengdu 12-day entry check

City
Chengdu
Stay
12 days

For an eligible Australian ordinary passport and listed short-term purpose, a 12-day Chengdu trip fits the current 30-day visa-free rule. That rule runs to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time), and the 30 days count from the day after entry. Verify again before booking.

Visa-free

Japan passport Shanghai 5-day entry check

City
Shanghai
Stay
5 days

For an eligible Japanese ordinary passport and listed short-term purpose, a 5-day Shanghai visit fits the current 30-day visa-free rule. The consulate FAQ runs that rule to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time) for the listed countries, and counts the 30 days from the day after entry.

Official check required

Other passport Shanghai 7-day entry check

City
Shanghai
Stay
7 days

Do not infer entry eligibility from another traveler's passport. Start with the official embassy, visa center, or NIA source for the exact passport, purpose, route, and stay length.

Trip path

Entry is the first step, not the whole plan

Once the passport and route decision is clear, move into the phone, payment, transfer, food, support, and route choices that protect the first day.

01

Needs live check

Entry path

Confirm passport, route, stay length, first entry city, arrival card, and whether a visa-free, visa, or transit path applies.

Traveler job

Know whether the trip can legally start before buying more plans.

Check entry

02

Use with caveat

Phone data

Make maps, translation, wallet prompts, hotel details, and support contacts usable before leaving the airport.

Traveler job

Keep the phone useful when the traveler is tired, offline, or moving.

Set up data

03

Use with caveat

Payment rehearsal

Prepare one primary wallet, one linked card, one backup card or cash path, and the first small checkout flow.

Traveler job

Complete the first snack, taxi, or restaurant payment without debugging in a queue.

Solve payments

04

Needs live check

First transfer

Choose the first airport-to-hotel route, save the hotel address in Chinese, and keep a fallback if data or payment is slow.

Traveler job

Reach the hotel without making the airport arrival the hardest part of the trip.

Plan transfer

05

Ready

First meal

Pick one low-friction meal area or restaurant type and prepare ordering, dietary, and QR-payment fallback notes.

Traveler job

Eat something simple before chasing the perfect food plan.

Plan first meal

06

Ready

Support backup

Save emergency numbers, insurer details, consular support, hotel contacts, and lost-passport backup before travel day.

Traveler job

Know who to contact if luggage, payment, health, documents, or transport fails.

Save support

07

Ready

First city and route

Choose a first base and route shape only after entry, phone, payment, transfer, meal, and support basics are stable.

Traveler job

Avoid building an exciting route on top of unresolved first-day risk.

Shape route

Passport first

Start with the passport, then the first city

Select the closest passport group. The page does not pretend this is final legal advice; it shows the traveler which official check and practical setup come first.

Selected passport

United States

Last checked:

Entry read

Not on the 30-day visa-free list, but on the 240-hour transit list.

Those are two different lists. Use a China visa for normal tourism trips; use 240-hour transit only when the route qualifies.

Primary move

Start with the visa or transit decision before booking non-refundable flights or hotels.

Transit option

A 240-hour transit visa-free route can work only when China is a transit point between two different countries or regions and the arrival port, onward ticket, and stay area all qualify.

Payment setup

Prepare both Alipay or Weixin Pay and a card/cash fallback because US-issued cards can behave differently inside wallet binding flows.

Phone setup

Choose eSIM or roaming before departure, then keep hotel address and first-transfer notes offline.

Support backup

Save US embassy and consulate contact pages plus local 110, 119, and 120 emergency numbers.

The immigration administration's 240-hour transit page carries the eligible-nationality and onward-ticket rules; verify the visa route at the Chinese visa center.

Open official source

Next readiness step

After entry, protect the first day

A valid entry path still needs working data, payment, hotel movement, and support before the first transfer.

Prepare mobile data

Use with caveat

Entry only solves the border question. Data makes maps, payment, translation, and hotel support work after landing.

Set up eSIM

Rehearse payment

Use with caveat

Set up one primary wallet and one fallback before the first cashier moment in China.

Solve payments

Finish the checklist

Ready

Put passport, arrival card, data, payment, transfer, first meal, and support into one sequence.

Open checklist

Register a non-hotel stay

Needs live check

An apartment, homestay, or friend's flat carries a 24-hour registration duty that a hotel would have handled for you.

Check the 24-hour rule

Walk the right customs channel

Needs live check

Red or green is a decision with published thresholds: goods staying behind, cash, alcohol, cigarettes, radio equipment.

Check the thresholds

Bring your medication in

Needs live check

Anything with a narcotic or psychotropic ingredient needs a diagnosis certificate, and the quantity is capped at one prescription.

Check the drug rules

Carry the passport itself

Ready

Article 38 makes carrying it a duty from age 16, and police do not accept a printed copy.

Read the duty

Fill in the arrival card

Needs live check

The form handed out before the counter, what it asks for, and the online route where it exists.

Open the arrival card

The immigration counter itself

Needs live check

Fingerprints, what the officer may ask, and how the line differs for visa-free and visa holders.

Read the inspection steps

The health declaration

Needs live check

The customs health form on arrival, who fills it in, and where it sits in the sequence.

Open the health form

If you are pulled aside

Needs live check

Secondary inspection and refusal of entry: what the law allows, and what happens next.

Read the refusal rules

Stay longer than the window allows

Needs live check

The stay-permit route, where to apply, and what an overstay actually costs per day.

Check extension rules

Cross a European border under the EES

Ready

Since 10 April 2026 the 29 European countries using the Entry/Exit System take your photo and fingerprints instead of stamping your passport, and refusing means refused entry.

See what happens at the border

Fix a European entry record, or an overstay

Ready

What the EES keeps and for how long, what an overstayer flag leads to under national law, and the published route to have a wrong record amended.

Check the record rules

Non-negotiable checks

Every passport path still has the same arrival jobs

Entry status answers only the border question. The first day still needs a working phone, payment fallback, hotel address, and support path.

Complete the online arrival card before departure when possible.
Keep visa, visa-free, or 240-hour transit proof ready at check-in and immigration.
Rehearse data, wallet, address, and first transfer before leaving arrivals.

Before you book

Use official policy pages before buying non-refundable travel

These sources anchor the page. Exact eligibility can change by passport type, purpose, date, route, port, and onward ticket.

National Immigration Administration

List of countries covered by unilateral visa exemption

The 30-day list itself: which ordinary passports are covered, and the listed purposes. Read this for membership instead of a country count copied from elsewhere.

Open official source

Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco

Visa-free entry FAQ

How the 30 days are counted (from the day after entry), the entry and total-day caps, and the December 31, 2026 end date for the listed countries, with Russia to December 31, 2027.

Open official source

Chinese Embassy in the UK

UK and Canada visa waiver notice

Policy window and stay length for UK and Canadian ordinary passports: 00:00 on February 17, 2026 to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time).

Open official source

National Immigration Administration

240-hour visa-free transit policy

Eligible nationalities for transit, which are not the same as the 30-day list, plus the onward-ticket rule and the current eligible ports.

Open official source

National Immigration Administration

Online arrival card

Official online arrival card channel before departure.

Open official source

Payment & Clearing Association of China

Guide to Payment Services in China

Payment methods for visitors: mobile payment, bank cards, and cash.

Open official source

Next move

Leave each page knowing what to do next.

Read enough to make the decision smaller, then open the checklist, search a specific question, choose a setup tool, or share the page with the person planning with you.

Official sources for rules, fares, payments, safety, and device setup.
Written around the day-one jobs: pay, connect, move, eat, get help.
Recommendations stay attached to a traveler task.

I need the next step

Use the checklist when the question has shifted from research to preparation.

Open checklist

I know the problem

Search by the actual problem: Alipay, eSIM, transit visa, first transfer, vegetarian food, or a city name.

Search the site

I am ready to choose

Open recommendations when the task is clear enough for a short list to be useful.

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