China Health Atlas

240-hour visa-free transit in China: rules for patients and visitors

If you hold an ordinary passport from one of 57 countries and fly through China to a third country or region, you can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) without a visa.[1] It covers 65 ports in 24 provinces and municipalities.[1]

Travelling for treatment? Medical treatment is not among the purposes officially listed for visa-free entry or 240-hour transit. If you are travelling mainly for planned treatment, ask a Chinese embassy or visa center which visa to apply for before you book.[1] Short consultations during a trip are a grey area; ask the embassy if in doubt.

Conditions at a glance

PassportOrdinary passport of an eligible country[1]
TicketOnward ticket with a confirmed seat and departure date, to a third country or region[1]
RouteOrigin and destination must be different countries or regions[2]
Maximum stay240 hours, counted from 00:00 on the day after entry[2]
Allowed activitiestravel, business, visits and family reunions. Work, study and news reporting need prior approval and a visa.[1]
Where you can stayOnly inside the permitted provinces and municipalities[2]
Valid and invalid 240-hour transit routes ✓ Valid Country A→China (≤ 10 days)→Country / region B e.g. Los Angeles → Shanghai → Tokyo ✗ Not valid Country A→China→Country A e.g. New York → Beijing → New York (round trip = needs a visa or another visa-free route)
Illustration of the third-country rule: origin and destination must be different countries or regions.
240-hour clock: starts at midnight after arrival day, ends 10 days later Arrival day 240 hours = 10 full days 00:00 next day — clock starts Leave before 24:00 on day 10 e.g. land Mon 15:00
Illustration. The clock starts at 00:00 on the day after you arrive.

Step by step

  1. Check your passport is eligible. You need an ordinary passport from one of the 57 eligible countries.
  2. Book an onward ticket to a third country or region. Your ticket out of China must have a confirmed seat and date, and go to a different country or region than the one you came from.
  3. Enter through a designated port. Use one of the 65 designated airports, seaports or land ports. Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao airports are on the list.
  4. Tell the airline and border officer you are using 240-hour transit. Show your passport and onward ticket. Fill in the arrival card if asked.
  5. Stay inside the permitted area and leave on time. You may only stay in the permitted provinces. The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after you arrive.

Beijing and Shanghai: ports and stay areas

AreaYou may stay inDesignated ports
Beijing, Tianjin and HebeiBeijing, Tianjin, HebeiBeijing Capital International Airport; Beijing Daxing International Airport; Tianjin Binhai International Airport; Tianjin seaport (passenger); Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport; Qinhuangdao seaport (passenger)[2]
Shanghai, Jiangsu and ZhejiangShanghai, Jiangsu, ZhejiangShanghai Pudong International Airport; Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport; Shanghai seaport (passenger); Nanjing Lukou International Airport; Sunan Shuofang International Airport; Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport; Lianyungang seaport (passenger); Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport; Ningbo Lishe International Airport; Wenzhou Longwan International Airport; Yiwu Airport; Wenzhou port (passenger); Zhoushan port (passenger)[2]

The full list of 65 ports is published by the National Immigration Administration.[1]

Eligible countries (57)

Albania · Austria · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and 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 · Canada · United States · Argentina · Brazil · Chile · Mexico · Australia · New Zealand · Brunei · Indonesia · Japan · Kyrgyzstan · Qatar · Singapore · South Korea · United Arab Emirates · Vietnam[1]

Is 240-hour transit the best option for you?

Many travellers don't need it. Citizens of 50 countries can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days on a normal round trip, most until Dec 31, 2026.[3] Some countries also have mutual visa exemption agreements.[4] US and Mexican citizens are on the transit list but not on the 30-day list, so transit is their main visa-free route.

Check your nationality and route →

Related

China immigration service hotline: +86 12367.

Sources

Last verified: Nov 6, 2026. We re-check official pages regularly; rules and prices can change without notice. How we update

  1. Visa-Free Transit Policies (240-Hour) — National Immigration Administration of China, published Aug 20, 2026. Checked Nov 6, 2026.
  2. 240小时过境免签 (240-hour visa-free transit: ports and stay areas) — Embassy of China in Canada, published Jun 2025. Checked Nov 6, 2026.
  3. 单方面免签 (Unilateral visa-free entry: 50 countries) — Embassy of China in Canada, published May 2026. Checked Nov 6, 2026.
  4. Mutual Visa Exemption List — China Consular Service (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), published Jul 13, 2026. Checked Nov 6, 2026.

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