Check your travel document, route, entry port and permitted stay area before booking your China stopover.
Immigration policies can change. This tool is for trip planning and does not guarantee admission. Final decisions are made by immigration inspection authorities at the port of entry.
55 eligible nationalities
Current 240-hour list
65 entry ports
Air, sea, rail, road and ferry
24 province-level regions
Only the listed permitted areas
Verified July 19, 2026
Current human-reviewed dataset
Current policy dataset version: 2026-07-19-v1 · Last verified 2026-07-19
Start with the right policy
The 30-day entry policy, 240-hour transit and 24-hour direct transit are different routes. The planner screens the 30-day and 240-hour routes in that order, while the 24-hour direct-transit card remains an informational alternative.
For ordinary-passport holders from the current unilateral visa-free countries, when the purpose and stay fit that policy.
Use the checkerFor an eligible nationality, immediate third-country or region route, confirmed onward travel, eligible port and permitted stay area.
Use the checkerAn informational alternative for onward transit within 24 hours, normally without leaving the restricted port area. This planner does not make a final 24-hour assessment.
Use the checkerLocal, private screening
Five short steps compare only the facts needed for a cautious result. Your answers stay in this browser session and are not sent to analytics.
Route checker · Step 1 of 5
No names, passport numbers, ticket numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, or contact details are requested or stored.
The third-country or region rule
Use the country or region shown on the transport segment immediately before and immediately after mainland China. Technical stops, through flights and complicated re-checks need manual confirmation.
Tokyo → Shanghai → Tokyo is the basic non-qualifying shape. Complex connections can change the assessment; use the immediate operating segments.
The current NIA notice calculates the published 240-hour period from 00:00 on the day following the day of entry. The date tool uses China Standard Time, UTC+8.
The tool teaches the timing rule. It does not determine whether the route, nationality, documents, port or activity is accepted.
Enter both times in China Standard Time (Asia/Shanghai, UTC+8). Nothing is sent or saved.
Official appendix, verified line by line
Search the official list by city, common airport code or port name. The five Guangdong ports added in November 2025 are included.
The current appendix permits cross-region travel only within its listed areas. Some entries cover a whole province or municipality; several are limited to named cities.
Entry port
Must be on the current 65-port list.
Permitted stay area
Must match the listed current areas.
Exit route
Must support the confirmed third-country or region itinerary.
Taiyuan and Datong, Shanxi
Taiyuan, Datong
Harbin, Heilongjiang
Harbin
Nanchang and Jingdezhen, Jiangxi
Nanchang, Jingdezhen
12 permitted cities in Guangxi
Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, Laibin
11 permitted cities in Sichuan
Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang
9 permitted cities and prefectures in Yunnan
Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang
An eligible airport does not automatically mean nationwide travel. Confirm the exact area and exit route shown for your temporary entry.
Prepare evidence and backups
Policy conditions and sensible travel backups are labelled separately. Travel insurance is recommended, not represented as an official 240-hour requirement.
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Local save stores checklist item IDs on this device only. It does not store passport, route or ticket details.
At the port
This website never asks for passport details and does not complete an Arrival Card for you.
Ask the operating airline to check the exact inbound and onward segments before travel.
Keep the confirmed onward ticket and accommodation information accessible offline.
Use the National Immigration Administration channel if an Arrival Card is required.
Use the visa-free transit or temporary-entry route shown at the port.
Present the documents requested for temporary entry.
Use the authorized deadline and conditions shown on the temporary entry permit.
Do not assume an eligible airport allows nationwide travel.
Leave through a permitted route and within the deadline granted at entry.
Inspiration after the policy check
Each idea stays inside one explicitly named permitted-area group. It is not a claim that your exact ticket is eligible.
3-Day Transit Idea
A low-friction first stop focused on the Bund, neighborhoods and one easy city base.
Permitted area group: shanghai-municipality
5-Day Transit Idea
Travelers who want food, parks and one regional day trip without constant hotel changes.
Permitted area group: sichuan-11-cities
Up to 10-Day Transit Idea
Travelers combining Cantonese food, modern city life and a Hong Kong or Macao onward segment.
Permitted area group: guangdong-province
Most errors come from using the wrong route segment, assuming every port or city is eligible, or treating a planning answer as official approval.
The immediate inbound and outbound country or region normally need to be different for the 240-hour transit route.
Enter the place on the segment immediately before mainland China, not where the whole holiday began.
Use the segment immediately after mainland China, not the final place at the end of a multi-stop trip.
The current 240-hour policy uses the 65 ports in the official appendix, including several non-airport ports.
Entry port, permitted stay area and exit route are three separate checks.
The current rules require confirmed onward arrangements within the policy window.
The two policies have different passport, nationality and route logic. Check the more relevant policy first.
Keep the actual ticket, route, entry-port and onward-destination documents ready for inspection.
Those activities require the appropriate prior approval and visa; the checker will not return a likely result for them.
The official NIA Arrival Card channel is free. This website never collects or submits passport data.
People always ask
For the basic 240-hour route, the country or region immediately before mainland China and the country or region immediately after mainland China must be different. Use the actual operating segments, not the first and last stops of a longer holiday.
Not exactly. The published 240-hour period is calculated from 00:00 on the day after entry, so the calendar span can look different from ten 24-hour blocks measured from your arrival time. Use the deadline shown on the temporary entry permit.
The current NIA notice states that the visa-free stay period is calculated from 00:00 on the day following the day of entry. Your authorized deadline is the one recorded by immigration inspection at the port.
That basic round trip does not meet the third-country or region transit shape. Complex connections and technical stops can change the assessment, so use the immediate inbound and outbound segments and confirm unclear routes.
They can be treated as separate onward regions in a qualifying transit itinerary, but the operating segments, ticket evidence and port assessment still matter. Confirm the exact route with the airline and immigration authority.
The 30-day unilateral policy may be the simpler route for an ordinary-passport holder whose purpose, trip date and stay length fit the current rule. The planner checks that policy before the 240-hour transit route and still reminds you to verify current end dates.
Yes for the published 240-hour route: the current NIA rules require onward travel to a third country or region with confirmed arrangements and a departure date within the policy window.
The current 240-hour policy requires a valid international travel document with at least three months of validity. Airlines and onward destinations can impose additional document requirements.
Complete the official Arrival Card when required by the current entry process. Use only the National Immigration Administration channel linked on this page; this website does not collect or submit passport information.
This can depend on the exact ticket and port assessment. The official rule requires confirmed onward arrangements to a third country or region. Confirm separate-ticket handling with the operating airline and the immigration authority at the entry port.
The official wording focuses on confirmed onward arrangements and departure within the permitted time. Booking structure and re-check requirements can affect the practical assessment, so confirm with the airline and entry port.
A different eligible exit can be possible when the exact route, permitted area and onward transport comply. Guangdong also has a specific exit rule. Verify the exact pair before booking.
Cross-region travel is allowed only within the permitted areas listed by the current policy. Some listed provinces are fully permitted; others are limited to named cities. This is not permission to travel anywhere in China.
Contact the airline and immigration authority immediately, before the authorized stay expires. Do not assume an operational delay automatically extends the temporary entry permission.
No under this screening route. Work, study and news reporting require the appropriate prior approval and visa under the current NIA notice.
Children need their own valid travel documents and must meet the relevant policy and route conditions. Confirm document and airline requirements for the child's exact itinerary.
Accommodation information may be requested for the Arrival Card and temporary-entry process. If staying in a private residence or changing hotels, confirm the applicable registration and entry-port requirements.
Airlines check travel documents and may refuse boarding if they cannot verify that the itinerary meets destination and transit requirements. Confirm before travel and carry the supporting documents offline.
No. It is an educational screening result based on the current published policy data. Final handling is determined by immigration inspection officers at the port of entry.
Use the National Immigration Administration sources below, call China Immigration Service Hotline +86-12367 and ask the operating airline or immigration authority at the intended entry port about the exact itinerary.
Last checked July 19, 2026. Policy data is scheduled for review by August 19, 2026.
China Immigration Service Hotline: +86-123672025-11-20
Official online Arrival Card filling took effect
Foreign travelers may submit entry information before arrival through the National Immigration Administration's official channels. Paper and port-based options remain available where applicable.
2025-11-05
Five additional Guangdong entry ports took effect
Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hengqin Port, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, Zhongshan Port (Passenger), and West Kowloon Station Port were added, increasing the applicable entry-port count from 60 to 65.
2025-06-12
Indonesia joined the 240-hour transit policy
Indonesia was added to the nationality list, increasing the eligible-country count from 54 to 55.
2024-12-17
Transit stay duration expanded to 240 hours
The earlier shorter transit arrangements were expanded and unified at up to 240 hours. The original official appendix was later expanded to the current 65 ports.
After the route check
Keep the free transit checklist, then prepare the payment, app and offline backups you will need if the route is accepted.
65 matching ports from the official 65-port dataset
Policy data version 2026-07-19-v1
Permitted stay area
Beijing Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Beijing Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Tianjin Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Tianjin Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Hebei Province
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Hebei Province
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Liaoning Province
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Liaoning Province
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Liaoning Province
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Shanghai Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Shanghai Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
Permitted stay area
Shanghai Municipality
An eligible port does not automatically allow nationwide travel. Match the port to its current permitted area and your approved temporary entry route.
