How to Visa-Free Travel to China? (Updated 2026)

BIG NEWS: Starting June 1, 2025, tourists with passports from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay can travel to China without a visa for up to 30 days!

In recent years, as China continues to relax its visa-free policy, more and more overseas tourists have been able to take this opportunity to travel to China.

Whether it is the extension of the transit visa-free period to 240 hours, or more and more countries being included in the 30-day entry visa-free scope, the continuously optimized visa policy is making travel to China more convenient.

If you are from one of those visa-exemption countries, don’t miss the chance to enjoy an easy trip to China without the hassle of applying for a Visa.

What is the latest visa-free policy and its duration in China?

According to the latest policy, the visa-free entry period for China has been extended to 30 days. Within the validity period, you can enter China without a visa with an ordinary passport for tourism, visiting relatives, business, and other private matters.

According to the new policy, the previous 72/144-hour transit visa-free stays have now been extended to 240-hour (10-day) transit visa-free stay in China.

At the same time, the number of applicable entry ports has increased from 39 to 60, with more provinces and cities being visited now.

Meet the lovely pandas with the epic journey to Everest Base Camp in Tibet!

Which countries can travel to China without a visa?

Currently, ordinary passport holders from 43 countries can enjoy 30 days of visa-free entry to China till December 31, 2025. Among them, some countries that originally only allowed a 15-day visa-free stay, now enjoy a 30-day visa-free period.

Countries Enjoying a 30-Day Visa-Free Entry to China (Alphabetical List):
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay.

In addition to the above countries that China has unilaterally exempted from visas, ordinary tourists from Singapore, Thailand, and other countries that have mutual visa exemption agreements with China can also travel to China visa-free for stays of up to 30 days.

Moreover, the latest 240-hour visa-free transit policy in China allows tourists from the following 54 countries to travel conveniently without a visa:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Ukraine.

Travel Tips:
While planning a visa-free trip to China, you can consult the local Chinese embassy or the consulate to get the latest visa policy.

Join our small group tour to explore all the best from Beijing to Kathmandu via Tibet.

What documents are required to enter China visa-free?

To enter China visa-free, your passport must be valid for at least three months from the date of entry.

It is also suggested to bring necessary supportive documents with you, like the return flight tickets and hotel reservation letters, especially if you want to take visa-free transit to China. All these will be checked by the Chinese immigration inspection authorities at the entry port.

Transit without a visa is easy and convenient in China.

Restricted Travel Region for Visa-free Transit in China

With the relaxed transit visa-free policy, tourists who enjoy a 240-hour transit visa-free stay in China can now travel across provinces within the permitted area. It means you can arrange your China tour more flexibly with richer experiences to different highlights of China.

However, the transit visa-free permitted area does not include the Tibet Autonomous Region. If you plan to take a China tour with Tibet, you need to apply for a Chinese Visa, as well as the Tibet Travel Permit in advance.

Even with visa-free access to China, a Tibet Travel Permit is still required to visit the Tibet Autonomous Region.

How to visit Tibet without a Chinese Visa

With the visa-free policy continuing to expand, tourists from more and more countries can travel to China without a visa. This also makes it more convenient and easy to travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Generally, you need to provide scanned copies of your Chinese visa together with your passport. Thanks for the visa-free policy, now, if you hold a passport from a 15/30-day visa exemption country, you can apply for the Tibet Travel Permit with your passport only.

However, although it is simple and easy to apply for a Tibet Travel Permit as a part of your visa-free travel to China, you should book your Tibet tour in advance.

For most Tibet tours, the Tibet permit will be issued after 8 to 9 working days. If you plan to visit Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar, the process time will be longer. So it is recommended to book your Tibet tour at least 20 days in advance to ensure everything is arranged on time.

This is the ideal option for your first journey to Tibet!

Hassle-free Visa-free travel to China with Tibet Vista

Based in Lhasa, with a local office in Chengdu, we (Tibet Vista), have successfully organized China Tibet tours for over 8,000 international tourists annually.

Whether you want to spend weeks in Tibet or explore popular destinations, like Beijing, Shanghai, or Chengdu along with Tibet during your visa-free stay, we can handle everything for you.

From getting your Tibet permit to arranging local tours, we ensure you have a smooth and enjoyable journey in China. Feel free to share your travel ideas with us.