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China offers six main transit visas as described below. Using these transit conditions, most travelers can see China unhindered.
240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Citizens from fifty-four nations, including Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, traveling from China to a third country, are able to enter any of the sixty open ports and any of the twenty-four provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) without a visa, and can remain in authorized visa-free zones without violating the two hundred forty-hour limit.
The 54 countries eligible for transit entry are.
Americas (six countries): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Republic of Chile, United States of America
Europe (forty countries): Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania , Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Oceania (two countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (six countries): Brunei, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates
Within ten days of transit, you must travel to a third country or region (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan) after a stopover in Mainland China.
Examples of valid and invalid itineraries:
Budapest–Beijing – Xi’an – Shanghai – Hong Kong – Budapest
Belgium–Beijing – Xi’an – Shanghai – Hong Kong
Amsterdam–Beijing – Shanghai – Xi’an – Vietnam
Budapest–Beijing – Shanghai – Xi’an – Budapest (invalid)
Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore are all great options to combine with China if you want to take advantage of the 10-day visa-free transit. These countries offer visa-free entry to most countries, or simply require an e-visa.
List of cities permitted for 10-day visa-free transit: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan.
How do you count these 10 days? The ten days start from 00:00 on the day following your entry. For example, if you enter Shanghai on June 1 at 6am, your 240 hours will start on June 2 at 00:00, and you can stay in the city until June 11 at 23:59.
In short, you can enjoy 11 days in China without a visa, including the day of arrival.
Questions
Can I travel across provinces using transit conditions?
Yes, you can freely travel within the 24 provinces listed above during your 10-day visa-free transit period, such as:
Beijing - Xi'an
Xi'an - Beijing - Shanghai
Shanghai - Chengdu - Yunnan
(Tibet, Xinjiang and the Silk Road are not included in the transit permitted areas)
Can I enter Mainland China from Hong Kong by train under the transit conditions?
No, but you can travel from Mainland China to Hong Kong by train, such as: Beijing - Xi'an - Guilin - Hong Kong
Is the following travel plan possible: Russia - Hong Kong - Beijing - Shanghai - Hong Kong - Russia?
Not possible, since Hong Kong does not belong to Mainland China.
Budapest - Hong Kong - Beijing - Shanghai - Hong Kong - Budapest (not possible)
Budapest - Hong Kong - Beijing - Shanghai - Japan (possible)
What documents are required?
Get inspired by some popular transit destinations: