Do I qualify for 240-hour visa-free transit, and which airports and ports can I enter through?
57 nationalities, with an onward ticket. The main airports in our eight cities qualify; Shenzhen's land crossings don't.
What it depends on
- IfFlying into Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing, Nanjing, Guangzhou or Shenzhen→ thenThose cities' main airports are designated ports. Bring the onward ticket and apply at the border desk.
- IfWalking across from Hong Kong into Shenzhen→ thenNot a designated port. Take the high-speed train via West Kowloon or the ferry to Shekou instead, or get a visa.
- IfYour passport isn't on the 57-country list, or you have no ticket onward to a third country→ thenTransit visa-free entry doesn't apply. Check the 30-day visa-free list and tourist visa guide.
- IfPlanning to cross provinces within the 10 days→ thenAllowed inside the 24 provinces' permitted areas. In Sichuan that means 11 cities only.
Who qualifies: citizens of the 57 countries on the National Immigration Administration list (as of 20 August 2026), on an ordinary passport, holding an onward ticket with a confirmed date to a third country or region. You may enter through any of 65 designated ports in 24 provinces and stay up to 10 days. The Chongqing exit-entry bureau adds the practical details: the passport needs at least three months' validity, and the 240 hours count from 00:00 on the day after you arrive. You apply at the border desk on arrival; there is nothing to book in advance.
Which ports, by city, from the immigration administration's port table: Beijing, Capital and Daxing airports. Chengdu, Shuangliu and Tianfu airports. Xi'an, Xianyang airport. Chongqing, Jiangbei airport (Terminal 3). Nanjing, Lukou airport; Nanjing's railway stations are not entry ports. Guangzhou, Baiyun airport, Nansha port and, since 5 November 2025, the Pazhou Hong Kong-Macao ferry terminal. Shenzhen, Bao'an airport and Shekou port. Shanghai, Hongqiao and Pudong airports and the Shanghai seaport (passenger). The same table covers airports beyond these cities too; for example Changsha Huanghua and Zhangjiajie Hehua airports in Hunan, where the stay area is the whole province.
Coming from Hong Kong: Shenzhen's land crossings (Luohu, Futian, Shenzhen Bay and the others) are not on the list. Since 5 November 2025 the West Kowloon high-speed rail port is, so taking the train from Hong Kong works where walking across does not. The ferry to Shekou also works.
Where you can go: the stay area is set province by province. Beijing and the whole of Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi are covered; in Sichuan only 11 cities (Chengdu, Leshan and nine others). The immigration administration allows travel across provinces as long as you stay inside the 24 provinces' permitted areas. In Guangdong, leaving is freer than arriving: the table lets you exit through any open port in the province, land crossings to Hong Kong included.
Since 20 November 2025 the foreigner arrival card can be filled in online before you travel, on the immigration administration's website, the 12367 app or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. Nanjing Lukou and Chongqing Jiangbei also run 24-hour direct transit: if you connect to a third country within 24 hours without leaving the airport, you skip the border check altogether.
Useful apps
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Sources
- NIA — visa-free transit policy pageOfficialOpen source ↗
- NIA — Announcement No. 4 of 2025OfficialOpen source ↗
- NIA — transit visa-free policy relaxed to 240 hoursOfficialOpen source ↗
- Chongqing exit-entry bureau — 240-hour transit Q&A (via cq.gov.cn)OfficialOpen source ↗
- NIA — 240-hour transit port table (image on the policy page)OfficialOpen source ↗