Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry: one province, 61 passports, no group required — and it stops at the province line

The rule, in the NIA's words

Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from 61 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 and the like. The policy does not apply to those who intend to enter for working or studying.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals (source 2026-08-20; read September 19, 2026)

Sixty-one countries since August 20, 2026

NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026 states that, effective August 20, 2026, the 30-day visa-free entry policy for Hainan applies to nationals of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam, raising the number of eligible countries to 61. Older pages — including the NIA's own 2024 releases — say 59; they describe the list before those two were added.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — Announcement on Adding Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to the List of Countries Eligible for the 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy and the 30-Day Visa-Free Entry Policy for Hainan (No. 4 of 2026) (source 2026-08-20; read September 19, 2026)

Which passports are on the list

The NIA's policy page names the 61: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, 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, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Vietnam. Ordinary passports only — the rule does not extend to other passport types.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals (source 2026-08-20; read September 19, 2026)

You do not need a tour group or an agency

The NIA's 2023 policy page states that ordinary-passport holders from the eligible countries may enter through any open port in Hainan in tourist groups organised by travel agencies, at the invitation of inviting entities in China, or independently. Independent entry is one of the three listed routes, so an agency filing is not a condition of this door — unlike the cruise-group and Hong Kong / Macao group doors.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — Port Visa and Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies (source 2023-12-07; read September 19, 2026)

What you may come for, and what still needs a visa

The NIA's February 9, 2024 release widened the allowed purposes from tourism to commercial activities and trade, visits and exchange, family reunions, receiving medical treatment, attending exhibitions and taking part in sporting events, excluding long-term working and studying. The August 2026 announcement adds that activities requiring prior approval — work, study and news reporting — still require the appropriate visa before travel.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — NIA to Expand Allowed Purposes of Visa-Free Entry into Hainan Province for Citizens of Some Countries (source 2024-02-09; read September 19, 2026)

The ports: any open port in Hainan, which the province lists

The NIA says the exit-entry ports for the policy include all the open ports in Hainan. The Hainan provincial government's English page names them: Haikou Meilan International Airport, Sanya Phoenix International Airport and Qionghai Boao International Airport, and the seaports of Yangpu, Haikou, Qinglan, Basuo and Sanya. A flight into a mainland airport first is not an entry under this policy.

Official source: People's Government of Hainan Province, English portal (en.hainan.gov.cn) — Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry policy for 61 countries (source 2026-08-20; read September 19, 2026)

The province line is the boundary

Every NIA statement of the rule ties the stay to the administrative region of Hainan Province: visitors may enter and stay within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days. The exemption is for Hainan, not for the mainland reached from Hainan. The official pages do not describe what happens to a visitor who crosses that line; the site's overstay page covers the general rule.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals (source 2026-08-20; read September 19, 2026)

How the 30 days are counted

The NIA states that each entry period is calculated from 00:00 on the day following the day of entry, and that where a mutual visa-exemption agreement or China's unilateral visa-exemption policy applies to you, those provisions prevail. A passport already visa-free for the whole country is judged under that rule and is not confined to Hainan by this one.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — NIA to Expand Allowed Purposes of Visa-Free Entry into Hainan Province for Citizens of Some Countries (source 2024-02-09; read September 19, 2026)

Not on the 61-country list? There is a group door from Hong Kong or Macao

NIA Announcement No. 8 of 2024, effective July 30, 2024, allows any ordinary-passport holder from a country with diplomatic relations with China to visit and stay in Hainan for up to 144 hours without a visa for tourism, provided they travel to Hainan from Hong Kong or Macao in a tourist group organised by a travel agency legally registered in either SAR and consisting of at least two persons, entering and exiting in the group through any state-designated port in Hainan and staying within Hainan. Six days, group only, and only from the two SARs — a different door from the 30-day one.

Official source: National Immigration Administration of the People's Republic of China (en.nia.gov.cn) — NIA's Announcement on Implementation of 144-Hour Visa-Free Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Entering Hainan Province from Hong Kong and Macao SARs (No. 8 of 2024) (source 2024-08-01; read September 19, 2026)

Is Hainan visa-free for my passport?

If it is an ordinary passport from one of the 61 countries the National Immigration Administration lists — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and most of the EU among them — yes, for up to 30 days within Hainan Province, for tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions or sports events. Work, study and news reporting are excluded.

Do I have to book through a travel agency?

No. The NIA's policy page lists three ways in: in a tourist group organised by a travel agency, at the invitation of an entity in China, or independently. Independent entry through any open port in Hainan is on the official list.

Can I fly on from Hainan to Shanghai or Beijing?

Not under this exemption. Every NIA statement of the rule confines the stay to the administrative region of Hainan Province. A mainland leg needs a visa, the 240-hour transit exemption if your route qualifies, or a passport that is visa-free for the whole country. The official pages do not state a penalty for crossing the line; the site's overstay page covers the general rule.

My passport is not on the 61-country list — is there any visa-free way into Hainan?

One: NIA Announcement No. 8 of 2024 lets ordinary-passport holders from any country with diplomatic relations with China stay up to 144 hours in Hainan for tourism, if they arrive from Hong Kong or Macao in a group of at least two organised by a travel agency registered in either SAR, and enter and leave in that group. Six days, group only — a different instrument from the 30-day one.