What is the 240-Hour (10-Day) Visa-Exemption Transit Policy?

The 240-Hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy is one of the visa-free policies that China provides to eligible foreigners.

Under the current National Immigration Administration policy, eligible travelers from 55 countries may use 65 designated ports across 24 provincial-level regions and stay within the permitted area for up to 240 hours.

• Europe (40 countries): 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, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
• Americas (6 countries): the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile.
• Oceania (2 countries): Australia and New Zealand.
• Asia (7 countries): Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.

❗❗❗ Important Note:

Notably, under this policy, visa-free travelers can cross provincial boundaries within the 24 eligible regions, offering greater flexibility for regional travel.

Your itinerary must transit from one country or region through mainland China to a different country or region. A simple return to the place from which you entered does not qualify. The border control authorities will not issue temporary entry permits to a foreign national if:

• Their passport or any other international travel document has less than three months of validity remaining, or any of their travel documents has a rejection stamp from a Chinese visa-issuing authority;
• They have a record of illegal entry or exit, illegal residence, or illegal employment in China within the last five years. Foreign nationals under these circumstances are not entitled to the 240-hour visa-free transit.