China Visitor Tools

240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Checker

China lets passport holders from 57 countries transit for up to 240 hours (10 days) without a visa - but only through 65 designated ports, only inside the permitted areas of 24 regions, and only with an onward ticket to a third country. Fill in your plan; the checker applies each rule and explains every verdict. Everything runs in your browser - nothing you enter is sent or stored.

Cities you plan to visit (tick all that apply)

The five rules, in plain English

  1. Nationality. Your passport must be one of the 57 eligible countries (the list grew in August 2026, when Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam joined).
  2. Third country. You must hold a confirmed onward ticket to a country or region different from the one you arrived from. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as separate regions. Coming from the US and flying back to the US does not qualify.
  3. Ports. Entry and exit - which may be different - must be through one of the 65 designated airports, seaports, rail and land ports.
  4. Permitted area. You may travel between the 24 covered regions, but six of them (Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan) allow only named cities. Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia are not covered at all.
  5. The clock. 240 hours counted from 00:00 on the day AFTER you enter. The permit cannot be extended, and it covers tourism, business and family visits - not work, study or journalism.

Two more things the checker cannot see: your passport needs at least 3 months' validity, and if you stay anywhere other than a hotel you must register with the local police within 24 hours (hotels do it for you).

Policy changes, by email

The eligible-country list and port list have changed repeatedly. Get a short email when they change - no spam, unsubscribe anytime.