Entry rules and practical advice for foreign visitors

Check whether you can enter visa-free before booking flights and hotels. Rules vary by date, passport type, purpose and permitted area; this site does not decide admission.

Unilateral visa exemption · 30 days

Ordinary passports from 50 countries for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit. 48 countries through 2026-12-31, Russia through 2027-12-31, Brunei open-ended.

240-hour transit visa exemption · 10 days

Ordinary passports from 57 countries with a dated connecting ticket to a third country or region, staying only in permitted areas.

24-hour transit visa exemption

Available to all nationalities without leaving the designated port area. Apply for a temporary entry permit if you need to leave it.

Port visa

For urgent travel when there is no time for an embassy visa, at 99 ports in 73 cities. Pre-declaration is recommended; this is not unconditional visa-on-arrival.

Which rule applies to your passport?

Country / region30-day exemption240-hour transitHainan 30 days
France法国YesYesYes
Germany德国YesYesYes
Italy意大利YesYesYes
Netherlands荷兰YesYesYes
Spain西班牙YesYesYes
Switzerland瑞士YesYesYes
Ireland爱尔兰YesYesYes
Hungary匈牙利YesYesYes
Austria奥地利YesYesYes
Belgium比利时YesYesYes
Luxembourg卢森堡YesYesYes
Poland波兰YesYesYes
Slovenia斯洛文尼亚YesYesYes
Portugal葡萄牙YesYesYes
Greece希腊YesYesYes
Cyprus塞浦路斯YesYesYes
Slovakia斯洛伐克YesYesYes
Norway挪威YesYesYes
Finland芬兰YesYesYes
Denmark丹麦YesYesYes
Iceland冰岛YesYesYes
Andorra安道尔YesNoNo
Monaco摩纳哥YesYesYes
Liechtenstein列支敦士登YesNoNo
Bulgaria保加利亚YesYesYes
Romania罗马尼亚YesYesYes
Croatia克罗地亚YesYesYes
Montenegro黑山YesYesYes
North Macedonia北马其顿YesYesYes
Malta马耳他YesYesYes
Estonia爱沙尼亚YesYesYes
Latvia拉脱维亚YesYesYes
Russia俄罗斯YesYesYes
Sweden瑞典YesYesYes
United Kingdom英国YesYesYes
Czechia捷克NoYesYes
Lithuania立陶宛NoYesYes
Ukraine乌克兰NoYesYes
Serbia塞尔维亚NoYesYes
Bosnia and Herzegovina波黑NoYesYes
Albania阿尔巴尼亚NoYesYes
Belarus白俄罗斯NoYesYes
United States美国NoYesYes
Canada加拿大YesYesYes
Brazil巴西YesYesYes
Mexico墨西哥NoYesYes
Argentina阿根廷YesYesYes
Chile智利YesYesYes
Peru秘鲁YesNoNo
Uruguay乌拉圭YesNoNo
Australia澳大利亚YesYesYes
New Zealand新西兰YesYesYes
Brunei文莱YesYesYes
South Korea韩国YesYesYes
Japan日本YesYesYes
Saudi Arabia沙特阿拉伯YesNoNo
Oman阿曼YesNoNo
Kuwait科威特YesNoNo
Bahrain巴林YesNoNo
Singapore新加坡NoYesYes
United Arab Emirates阿联酋NoYesYes
Qatar卡塔尔NoYesYes
Indonesia印度尼西亚NoYesYes
Vietnam越南NoYesYes
Kyrgyzstan吉尔吉斯斯坦NoYesYes
Malaysia马来西亚NoNoYes
Thailand泰国NoNoYes
Kazakhstan哈萨克斯坦NoNoYes
Philippines菲律宾NoNoYes

Confirm before departure

  • Use an ordinary passport valid throughout your stay. Travel documents, temporary or emergency documents are not eligible for visa-free entry.
  • Carry a return/connecting ticket, hotel booking and evidence matching your purpose. Work, study and journalism are not visa-free activities.
  • The 30 days start at 00:00 on the day after entry. Apply for a visa before a longer stay, or a stay permit after entry.
  • Regional and group exemptions have area and same-group entry/exit restrictions.

Practical advice after arrival

  • Hotels handle accommodation registration. For a private home or unregistered lodging, confirm the current requirement with 12367.
  • Alipay and WeChat can accept foreign cards, but keep some RMB cash and a card that works at ATMs.
  • Prepare an eSIM or tourist SIM and download offline maps and Chinese language packs.
  • Police 110 · Ambulance 120 · Fire 119 · Traffic 122 · Immigration 12367 · Consular protection +86-10-12308.

Useful apps and download links

微信 WeChat

Payments, chat and mini programs for tickets, rides and food ordering

Link Visa or Mastercard for QR payments; lower limits may apply to foreign cards.

支付宝 Alipay

Payments, Tour Pass top-ups, ride-hailing and ticket mini programs

Supports foreign cards and the Tour Pass prepaid option.

高德地图 AMap Global

Navigation, public transport and ride-hailing

English interface available; comprehensive coverage across China.

滴滴出行 DiDi China

Ride-hailing, taxis and shared rides

Register with an international phone number and link a foreign card; English interface available.

Trip.com 携程国际版

Flights, hotels, trains, attraction tickets and itineraries

Full English service; book high-speed rail without using 12306.

铁路12306

Official China Railway ticketing, with an English interface

No official Google Play package; use 12306.cn or book through Trip.com.

美团 Meituan

Food delivery, hotels, tickets and shared bikes

Chinese interface; a local phone number helps for food delivery.

微软翻译 Microsoft Translator

Offline packs and conversation translation

Download Chinese packs for the most reliable offline use in China.

小红书 Xiaohongshu

Destination guides, restaurants and local recommendations

Primarily Chinese content; useful for shortlisting places.

imeetzjj · Trip planner

Your Zhangjiajie trip

Save places, shape the days, then choose how to travel.

01

Who is travelling?

Start with the people. You can refine everything later.