China Transit Visa-Free Checker

What Is the 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit?

China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy allows nationals of 57 eligible countries to enter China without a visa when they are passing through on the way to a third country or region. The old 72-hour and 144-hour transit options have been consolidated into this single policy: eligible travelers can stay for up to 240 hours — 10 full days — with the clock starting at the moment of entry.

You may enter through any of 65 designated open ports in 24 provincial-level regions, a list that ranges from major airports such as Beijing Capital and Shanghai Pudong to seaports, the West Kowloon rail link, and land crossings in Guangdong. Cross-province travel within the permitted areas is allowed, so entering in one city and leaving from another is fine. During your stay you can engage in activities like tourism, business, visits, and family reunions — while work, study, and news reporting still require prior approval and an appropriate visa.

The A→B→C Rule: Your Onward Ticket Must Go to a Third Country or Region

Every 240-hour transit approval rests on the A→B→C pattern: A is the country or region you depart from, B is your port of entry in China, and C — the destination on your onward ticket — must be a third country or region, not your point of origin. The official policy requires an ordinary passport plus an onward ticket with confirmed seats and departure dates, so have that booking ready before you board.

Examples make it concrete. London → Beijing → Tokyo qualifies: Japan is a third country, so the trip is genuine transit. London → Beijing → London fails: a return ticket back to your origin does not satisfy the rule, however short the stopover. You are also free to exit from a different city than you entered — land in Chengdu and depart from Shanghai — as long as wherever you go next is not the country or region you originally came from.

Documents You Need for the 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Two documents do the heavy lifting. First, a valid ordinary passport: the current official policy text requires an ordinary passport and nothing more specific — there is no published minimum validity figure in today's transit rule, though a passport that clearly covers your entire stay is the safe position (more on this in the mistakes section below). Second, an onward ticket to a third country or region with the seat and departure date already confirmed; an unconfirmed booking or a tentative plan is not what border officers are looking for.

Keep both documents ready for the border check. Officers verify that your nationality is on the eligible-country list and that your onward travel meets the confirmed-seat-and-date requirement, then admit you into the permitted areas for up to 240 hours. If you want certainty about your own combination of nationality and entry port before you book anything, run it through the checker at the top of this page — it reads the same official data set.

Common Mistakes That Get Travelers Denied

Booking a return ticket is the classic denial. If your onward flight brings you back to the country or region you departed from, the A→B→C rule is broken no matter how tight the connection — transit means continuing to a third destination.

Passport validity confusion comes second. Travel forums still repeat a 'your passport must be valid for 3 more months' rule, but no such figure appears in the current official transit policy — the stated requirement is simply a valid ordinary passport. The practical safeguard is to make sure your passport validity plainly covers your stay and onward journey, and to check with your airline before departure, since airline check-in systems can enforce their own stricter validity rules. At the border, the port officer has the final say.

Outdated region advice is the third trap: guides from the 72-hour and 144-hour era warn that you must enter and exit the same province, a restriction that no longer exists — cross-province travel within the permitted areas of all 24 provinces is now explicitly allowed. Beyond that, avoid arriving at a port outside the designated 65, do not plan to work, study, or report news during your stay (those still require prior approval), and never overrun the 240-hour limit, because the clock starts the moment you enter.

240-Hour Transit City Guides

Landing in one of China's major gateways? Each city guide covers the local entry process, designated ports, permitted area and itinerary ideas for your 10 days:

240h Transit HubBeijingShanghaiGuangzhouChengduXianHangzhouShenzhenChongqingKunmingWuhan