240-Hour Visa-Free Transit to China — 2026 Guide
If you're flying from one country to another and want to spend a few days in China on the way, you don't need a tourist visa. The 240-hour (10-day) Transit Without Visa policy is the largest visa-free window China has ever offered, and it covers travelers from 54 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the EU member states, Japan, and Brazil.
It's also surrounded by surprisingly specific rules. The wrong onward ticket, the wrong port of entry, or the wrong province for an internal flight can all cost you the privilege. This guide walks through the 2026 ruleset end to end.
What 240-hour TWOV actually gives you
Ten consecutive 24-hour periods (240 hours), counted from 00:00 the day after entry, in any of 24 mainland Chinese provinces and direct-administered cities. You can fly, ride high-speed rail, or drive between cities within that area as long as you exit through any port within the country before the timer expires.
What this is NOT: a tourist visa. You cannot work, study, or live long-term. You cannot enter unapproved provinces (Tibet stays off-limits without an additional permit). And you must be traveling from country A to country C — China is the layover, not the destination.
If you've researched older guides, you'll see 144-hour and 72-hour TWOV mentioned. As of 2024-12, all three were unified into a single 240-hour policy. The shorter durations no longer apply — assume 240.
Who is eligible — the 54-country list
If your passport is from one of these countries, you qualify. The list is updated periodically, but as of May 2026 it covers:
- Americas: USA, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico
- UK + Ireland: UK, Ireland
- EU + EEA: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
- Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia
- Asia-Pacific: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, UAE, Qatar
- Other: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Monaco
The 60+ ports that accept 240-hour TWOV
Not every airport or border crossing accepts the policy. You must enter through one of the designated ports. The big international gateways all qualify — and most travelers will be flying into one of these:
- Shanghai: Pudong PVG, Hongqiao SHA, Wusongkou cruise port
- Beijing: Capital PEK, Daxing PKX, Beijing West railway station (from Hong Kong)
- Guangzhou: Baiyun CAN, Pazhou port, Lianhuashan port
- Shenzhen: Bao'an SZX, Shekou cruise port, Futian rail port, Luohu border
- Chengdu: Tianfu TFU, Shuangliu CTU
- Chongqing: Jiangbei CKG
- Hangzhou: Xiaoshan HGH
- Other major: Xi'an XIY, Kunming KMG, Xiamen XMN, Tianjin TSN, Nanjing NKG, Qingdao TAO, plus 30+ regional and sea ports
The arrival procedure, step by step
- Fill out the arrival card on the plane (paper, in English). One question asks for the address of your hotel — write the full address, not just the hotel name. Border officers check.
- After deplaning, follow signs for "24/72/144/240-Hour Visa-Free Transit" — it's a separate counter, never join the standard tourist-visa line.
- Hand over passport + arrival card + boarding pass for your onward flight (or screenshot will do, but printed is safer). Officer stamps the passport with a temporary entry permit valid 240 hours.
- After clearing immigration, do not leave the designated province cluster. From Shanghai you can move freely to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Liaoning, Shanxi, Guangdong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Hainan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing.
- Within 24 hours of arrival, register your address at a local police station if you're staying at a friend's home or short-term rental. Hotels do this automatically when you check in.
- Exit before the 240-hour timer ends. You can exit through any approved port, not just the one you entered.
Common mistakes that cause refusal
- Return ticket instead of third-country onward — the most common refusal.
- Onward flight more than 240 hours after arrival — must be within the window.
- Onward ticket booked separately on a low-cost carrier whose schedule changed after booking; bring the confirmation email AND a screenshot of the current schedule.
- Passport with less than 6 months validity from entry date — China still enforces this.
- Connecting onward flight through a Chinese airline that re-routes you back to China within the 240 hours — break the chain, the policy assumes a clean exit.
- Trying to enter on an old policy. The 24-hour airport-bus-only policy still exists separately — if you leave the airport you must be on the 240-hour stamp.
When NOT to use 240-hour TWOV
If you want to visit Tibet, Xinjiang's restricted areas, or stay longer than 10 days: apply for the L tourist visa instead. The L is good for 30 days per entry and is straightforward for the 54-country list (single-entry ~$185 USD, double-entry ~$210 USD via the Chinese consulate or a visa service).
If you're traveling for business meetings: technically TWOV permits short meetings and conferences, but if you'll sign contracts or take payment, get an M (business) visa to avoid ambiguity.
Practical day-one plan once you're stamped in
Shanghai is the easiest city to land in cold. Metro Line 2 connects Pudong PVG and Hongqiao SHA directly to The Bund and the city center. Use the in-airport ATM only for a small cash buffer (200 RMB) — set up Alipay before you fly so QR payments work from minute one.
If you want a turnkey itinerary, MapTrip's Shanghai 3-day plan covers exactly the 10-day TWOV sweet spot for first-timers. Beijing and Guangzhou guides are also available — they're province clusters compatible with the same TWOV entry, so you can hop between them on high-speed rail within the 240-hour window.