China Visa Free Countries

Quick answer

Ninety-four countries and territories now enjoy 30-day visa-free entry to China for ordinary passport holders — no application, no fee, no CVASC visit. The entry covers tourism, business, family visits, and transit, and every one of those stays can be extended through the local Public Security Bureau (PSB). The 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit covers 57 countries; among tracked nationalities it is the main visa-free route for Vietnam, and Ireland and the United States qualify for it as their only paper-free lane. Twenty-five tracked nationalities — India included — still need a full advance visa.

Why this matters in 2026

The list is the single most important document in China's entry system: membership decides whether a trip costs CNY 0 and zero paperwork, ten transit days, or a CVASC file with the CNY 1200-equivalent fee. It grew wave by wave through 2024–2025 and now covers the overwhelming majority of China's inbound tourism — which is why the remaining pages in this series spend their energy on the exceptions.

The full list of 94, by region

Per the verified policy data (July 2026), ordinary passport holders from these countries enter visa-free for 30 days:

Europe (38): Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine.

Asia (19): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Georgia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uzbekistan.

Americas (19): Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay.

Middle East (7): Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates.

Oceania (7): Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu.

Africa (4): Mauritius, Morocco, Seychelles, Tunisia.

Who is not on the list

• 240-hour visa-free transit: 57 eligible countries on the NIA list (since 2026-08-20) — ten days in transit to a third country or region. Among tracked nationalities without 30-day visa-free status, Vietnam uses it as its main route, and Ireland and the United States qualify for it as their only paper-free option.
• Full visa required (25 tracked nationalities): Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela — of which Ireland and the US still qualify for the transit lane.

What the 30 days include

• Purposes: tourism, business, family visits, and transit.
• Stay: 30 days per entry, counted from the immigration stamp.
• Extension: possible at the local PSB exit-entry office — apply at least 7 days before expiry.
• Exclusions: paid employment and study are never covered; those need Z and X visas.

Indonesian passports: no visa application, one decision

An Indonesian ordinary passport sits on both of China's paper-free lists: the 94-country 30-day visa-free entry and the 57-country 240-hour transit list (Indonesia joined the transit roster in June 2025, when the scheme stood at 55 countries). So the search for a "China tourist visa for Indonesian passport" ends at a border checklist, not an application form: no CVASC visit, no CNY 1200-equivalent fee, no 4–7 working days of processing — for tourism, the visa application is something you skip.

What the border asks instead: a passport valid 6+ months with 2 blank pages, a printed onward or return ticket out of China within 30 days, a first-night booking, and registration at every address — hotels do it automatically, private stays need a police visit within 24 hours. The entry covers tourism, business, family visits, and transit, and an extension is available at the local PSB with at least 7 days' notice before expiry.

The one decision left is which lane to enter on:

For a round trip the 30-day entry wins outright: it needs no third-country ticket and grants 30 days instead of 10. The transit lane matters only when a third country genuinely sits in the middle of the itinerary.

An Indonesian still needs a China visa when the trip leaves the covered purposes: paid employment (Z), study (X), or a stay beyond 30 days that an extension cannot absorb. Those files go through the CVASC serving Indonesia — CNY 1200-equivalent plus CNY 20–110, 4–7 working days. Overstays, meanwhile, cost CNY 500 per day.

Requirements at the border

1. Ordinary passport valid 6+ months, with 2 blank pages.
2. Onward or return ticket within the 30 days — the airline checks it at check-in.
3. First-night accommodation, booked and confirmable.
4. Registration at every address — hotels do it automatically; private stays need a police visit within 24 hours.

Common scenarios and use cases

1. Checking your own passport

Search this page for your country. Found: plan freely within 30 days. Not found: check the 57-country transit list — Vietnam, Ireland, and the US are the tracked main users — then the 25-country visa list.

2. The two-list family

A French citizen and an Indian partner: 30 visa-free days for one, a CVASC file booked 4–7 working days ahead for the other — landing on the same dates takes planning, not luck.

3. The long trip

Thirty days short of the plan? Exit to Hong Kong or a neighbor and re-enter, or apply for one PSB extension in week three with your full registration history.

4. Group organizers

Run every passport against this list before considering a group visa — most mixed groups discover only one or two members need files at all.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Confusing visa-free entry with the transit scheme: the 30-day entry has no onward-ticket-to-a-third-country rule; the 240-hour transit does.
2. Day 31: overstays cost CNY 500 per day and can trigger a 1–5 year ban.
3. Assuming the passport decides everything: it does — but a residence card never overrides it.
4. Skipping the printed ticket: "I'll book the return later" fails at airline counters.
5. Working or studying on a free entry: both require their own visa categories.

Costs and pricing breakdown

• Visa-free entry: CNY 0 — no consular fee, no service fee, no appointment
• Versus an advance visa: saves the CNY 1200-equivalent fee and 4–7 working days
• PSB extension: a modest local administrative fee
• Overstay: CNY 500 per day
• 240-hour transit: also CNY 0, for the 57 eligible countries with a third-country ticket
• A five-week trip, done right: 30 free days plus one extension fee

Alternatives and trade-offs

• For Vietnam, Ireland, and the US — the tracked nationalities without 30-day visa-free status that still qualify: the 240-hour scheme is the paper-free option, but it demands the third-country ticket.
• For the 25 tracked visa-required nationalities: the CVASC route is the only entry — 4–7 working days, biometrics in person.
• Long stays for the 94: category visas (X, Z, Q) applied in advance beat stacked extensions.
• Re-entry resets: leaving and re-entering starts a new 30 days where eligibility holds — not an entitlement, a fresh check.

"China visa waiver program": five lanes, no single scheme

China runs no single waiver program with one membership list, the way the US Visa Waiver Program does. What search engines compress into "China visa waiver program" is a set of five parallel lanes, each with its own roster, its own clock, and its own catch:

1. Unilateral 30-day visa-free entry — the 94-country list on this page; ordinary passports, 30 days, extendable.
2. 240-hour visa-free transit — 57 countries, 24 provinces, 65 designated ports; relaunched on 2024-12-17 with 54 countries, +Indonesia in June 2025 (55), +Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam on 2026-08-20 (57). Ten days, third-country ticket required.
3. 24-hour direct transit — same-day connections through international ports; no nationality roster to check.
4. Hainan island scheme — 30 days, island-only, for a recorded list of 59 countries arriving directly into Hainan with agency registration.
5. Regional group schemes — short-stay entries such as Shenzhen's SEZ arrangements for organized groups booked through registered agencies; rosters shift and sit outside this page's verified data — confirm with the NIA.

Work the lanes in order: lane 1 first, because it beats every other lane on flexibility; then the 240-hour transit for a genuine stopover; then the itinerary-specific tools. The 240-hour guide carries the port-by-port detail, and the visa checker reads your passport against the lists in seconds.

Indians, Schengen, and the China trip

A Schengen visa and a China visa never substitute for each other: India's passport qualifies for neither country's visa-free schemes. A Europe-plus-China itinerary therefore means two separate files — a Schengen short-stay application (EUR 90 fee, 90 days within any 180-day window, lodged up to 6 months ahead at the visa centre covering your residence) and the China advance visa (CNY 1200-equivalent plus CNY 20–110, 4–7 working days at a CVASC, 2–3 with the CNY 400 express).

China's side of the ledger for Indian passports is the shortest entry on this page: nothing cost-free beyond a same-day connection. India is not on the 94-country 30-day list and not on the 57-country transit list, so the only paper-free fallback is the 24-hour direct-transit rule.

Where Schengen rules do touch a China trip is the connecting flight. Staying airside at a European hub on an India–Europe–China ticket is a transit, not an entry — but several European states require an airport transit visa (ATV) from Indian passports even for the airside walk between gates, and the exemptions turn on details like holding a US visa. Check the ATV rule of your connecting country before booking the ticket, not after.

The two files also price differently: Schengen charges a flat EUR 90 per short-stay application regardless of itinerary, while China's consular fee works out to USD 140–185 by nationality plus the CNY 20–110 service fee. Neither fee comes back on a refusal — both systems charge for processing, not outcomes.

Holding a Schengen visa: where it travels and where it stops

A Schengen visa's travel power has two layers. Inside, it opens all 29 Schengen states for the granted stay. Outside, every third country decides for itself whether to accept a valid Schengen visa in place of its own — some do (Cyprus accepts a valid multi-entry Schengen visa; several Balkan and Latin American states run similar admissions for short stays), and the rosters shift often enough that each trip deserves a fresh check with the destination's own authority.

China sits firmly in the "decides for itself" camp, and it decides on nationality rather than visas: passports issued by Schengen states are on the 94-country 30-day list, so their holders board with no visa at all — the Schengen visa in the drawer is irrelevant to that entry. For nationals of visa-required countries, a Schengen visa grants nothing at the Chinese border: the China file is separate, and a Schengen residence permit changes nothing, because the passport decides. What a Schengen visa does change for a China trip is the European leg — where you can stop over, and whether an airside connection needs an airport transit visa, the ATV question covered above.

Verifying current information

The list grows and shifts. Verify before booking:

• National Immigration Administration: https://www.nia.gov.cn — the authoritative current list
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs (PRC): https://www.fmprc.gov.cn
• China Visa Application Service Center: https://www.visaforchina.org — for anyone not on the list
• Your airline: the last checkpoint before boarding

Putting it all together

Ninety-four flags, thirty days each, zero cost, zero paperwork — that is the headline of China's entry system in 2026, and this page is its index. Find your passport above; if it is here, the whole visa question collapses into counting 30 days and registering every bed. If it is not, the 57-country transit list and the 25-country visa list say exactly which of the other two routes is yours.

FAQ

Which countries can enter China without a visa?

Ninety-four countries and territories for 30 days — the full regional list is above, from France, Germany, and Japan to Australia, Canada, Brazil, and the UAE.

Do Chilean citizens need a visa for China?

No — Chile is on the 94-country visa-free list. One entry, up to 30 days, with an ordinary passport valid 6+ months and a return ticket; a PSB extension is available if the trip runs longer.

How long can visa-free travelers stay in China?

30 days per entry, extendable at the local PSB exit-entry office with at least 7 days' notice.

Is the 30-day visa-free entry really free?

Yes — no application, no consular fee, no service fee. Compared with an advance visa it saves CNY 1200-equivalent per person.

What if my country is not on the list?

Check the 240-hour transit list (57 eligible countries, third-country ticket required). If it is not there either, a full advance visa is required — 25 tracked nationalities including the US, the UK, Ireland, and India.

Can visa-free travelers work or study in China?

No. Employment and study require Z and X visas respectively, applied in advance.

Does visiting Hong Kong or Macau reset the 30 days?

Exiting and re-entering starts a new entry with fresh checks — not an automatic extension of your original stay.

Do children follow the same visa-free rules?

Yes — eligibility follows nationality, and minors enter on the same 30-day terms as adults.

Is Hainan visa-free for Indian citizens?

Not under the current list. Hainan runs a separate 30-day visa-free entry for citizens of 59 countries — it requires arriving directly in Hainan, staying on the island, and registering with a Hainan-based travel agency before arrival. India is not among the 59 countries on the recorded list, so Indian travelers have one paper-free fallback — the 24-hour direct-transit rule for same-day connections — and otherwise a full advance visa. The Hainan list has kept expanding — confirm the current roster on the National Immigration Administration website before booking a Hainan-only trip.

Which countries can enter Hainan visa-free?

The recorded Hainan list covers 59 countries — including the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, most EU nations, Japan, and South Korea. It is a separate 30-day, island-only scheme: arrive directly in Hainan (flying into Haikou or Sanya), stay within the island, and register with a Hainan-based travel agency before arrival — as of June 2026, most hotels can arrange it. Several of the 59, the US and the UK included, are not on the national 94-country list, which is what makes the scheme worth knowing: a passport that needs a visa for Beijing can still do a Sanya-only trip with none. The list keeps expanding — the National Immigration Administration website carries the current one.

Which countries' citizens can enter Shenzhen without a visa?

Shenzhen is mainland China, so the national rules decide: the 94-country 30-day visa-free list applies at all of its ports — Bao'an airport and the Futian and Luohu land crossings to Hong Kong included. If your passport is one of the 25 visa-required nationalities, none of that applies. Passports from the 57 transit-eligible countries can use the 240-hour scheme (the successor of the 144-hour one), which covers Guangdong's designated ports, and exiting to Hong Kong counts as onward travel to a third region. On top of the national rules, Shenzhen's Special Economic Zone status has carried separate short-stay schemes for organized visitor groups booked through registered travel agencies — those eligibility lists shift often and are not part of our verified policy data, so confirm with the NIA before planning a Shenzhen-only crossing.

Is a Schengen visa valid for China?

No. A Schengen visa is valid only inside the Schengen area. Indian passports need China's own advance visa — CNY 1200-equivalent plus CNY 20–110 at a CVASC, 4–7 working days.

Do Indians need a Schengen visa for a connecting flight to China?

Not to stay airside on a single booking — but several European states require an airport transit visa (ATV) from Indian passports even for airside connections, and the exemptions hinge on details like a held US visa. Verify the connecting country's ATV rule before booking.

What does a Schengen visa cost for Indian citizens?

EUR 90 for a short-stay application, lodged up to 6 months before travel at the visa centre covering your residence; the processing guideline is 15 days. Like China's consular fee, it is not refunded on refusal.

Do Indonesian citizens need a visa for China?

No, for trips of up to 30 days covering tourism, business, family visits, or transit — Indonesia is on the 94-country visa-free list. The border asks for a passport valid 6+ months, a printed onward ticket out of China, and a first-night booking.

Is Indonesia also on the 240-hour transit list?

Yes — it joined in June 2025 at the 55-country mark; the list now covers 57 countries. For most Indonesian trips the 30-day entry supersedes it anyway: more days, and no third-country ticket.

Can Indonesians extend the 30 days?

Yes, at the local PSB exit-entry office, with the application lodged at least 7 days before the entry stamp expires. Exit-and-reentry, for example via Hong Kong, starts a new entry where eligibility holds.

When does an Indonesian passport need a China visa?

For purposes the free entry does not cover — employment, study, or a stay beyond 30 days that an extension cannot absorb. That file runs at the CVASC: CNY 1200-equivalent plus CNY 20–110, 4–7 working days.

If I have a Schengen visa, where can I travel?

All 29 Schengen states for the granted stay, plus any third country that chooses to accept a valid Schengen visa in place of its own — Cyprus and several Balkan and Latin American states among them, each with its own stay caps and shifting conditions. China is not on that list: entry there follows the passport, not the visa.

Does a Schengen residence permit help at the Chinese border?

No. China's visa-free list follows the passport, not a residence card. A Schengen residence permit neither adds a country to the 94-list nor replaces a China visa for anyone.

Does China have a visa waiver program like the US?

Not a single one. China's waivers are five separate lanes — the 94-country 30-day entry, the 57-country 240-hour transit, the 24-hour direct transit, the Hainan island scheme (59 countries), and regional group schemes — each with its own list and conditions.

What is the China 240-hour visa-free transit?

Ten days visa-free for travelers from 57 countries in transit to a third country or region, through designated ports across 24 provinces — entered on arrival with a confirmed onward ticket, no application.

Which China waiver lane should I use?

The 30-day entry if your nationality is on the 94-country list — it needs no third-country ticket and outlasts the transit lanes. Otherwise the 240-hour transit for a genuine stopover, the 24-hour rule for same-day connections, and the Hainan scheme for an island-only trip.