Do you need a visa to go to China?
Look at which country your passport is from first.
Three cases:
| Case | Do you need a visa? |
|---|---|
| Your country is on the unilateral visa-free list | No — enter directly for up to 30 days |
| Your country is on the 240-hour transit visa-free list, and you are only transiting | No — but you need a connecting ticket |
| Neither | Yes — a business visa (M visa) |
Check the list first, then decide whether to apply — plenty of people make a wasted trip to the visa centre.
Which countries are visa-free? (50 countries)
The list published by the National Immigration Administration, as of 2026-02-17 (I checked it on 2026-10-31):
Europe (35 countries): France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovenia, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom
Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (7 countries): Brunei, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain
The Americas (6 countries): Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Canada
Conditions: hold an ordinary passport, and come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchanges and visits, or transit, for no more than 30 days. The stay is counted from midnight of the day after entry.
⚠️ Three traps:
- Not every passport qualifies — it has to be an ordinary passport; diplomatic and service passports follow separate rules.
- 30 days is a ceiling — go past it and you must apply for an extension, so do not plan your return on exactly day 30.
- The list changes — check the official page once before you use it (the link is at the end).
What is the 240-hour transit visa-free policy?
**It is not visa-free entry; it is visa-free transit.**
Who it applies to: nationals of 57 countries who travel from one country through China to a third country; they may enter at designated ports and stay up to 240 hours (10 days).
Eight hard conditions (all of them are required):
- Hold a valid international travel document
- Hold a confirmed connecting ticket within 240 hours (to a third country)
- Country of departure ≠ China ≠ country of destination (it must be real transit — you cannot fly from country A to China and back to country A)
- Enter through a designated port
- Stay inside the designated area (you cannot go anywhere in the country)
- The stay is counted from midnight of the day after entry
- It cannot be extended
- Work, study, interviews and similar purposes do not qualify (those need a visa)
⚠️ The most common misunderstanding: thinking that "transit visa-free" means you can just turn up. It does not — without a ticket to a third country you cannot use this policy.
If you do need a visa, how do you get one?
The business visa (M visa) process, in five steps.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Get an invitation letter from the Chinese side (see the next section) |
| 2 | Prepare the documents: passport, photo, application form, invitation letter, company business licence, proof of business dealings |
| 3 | Book an appointment at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) |
| 4 | Submit the documents and have your fingerprints taken |
| 5 | Wait for approval (usually a few working days, longer in peak season) |
Document lists differ slightly between CVASC offices — follow the website of the Chinese embassy or visa centre in your own country.
Who issues the invitation letter?
Your Chinese partner does.
It normally has to contain: the invitee's details, the purpose of the visit, the dates of the trip, the inviting company's details, and a stamp.
Think about this while you are planning the trip — do not find out the day before you submit that there is no invitation letter.
Common reasons for refusal
Four.
| Reason | How to avoid it |
|---|---|
| Incomplete documents | Go through the visa centre's checklist item by item; do not rely on memory |
| The invitation letter does not match | The dates and purpose on the letter must match your application form |
| An implausible itinerary | You say five days, but the itinerary lists ten cities — that does not add up |
| A bad record | If you have overstayed before, you will be examined closely |
The first one is the most common — most refusals are not "you do not qualify" but "the paperwork is incomplete".
How do you check the latest policy?
Three official sources, in order of priority.
| Source | What to check |
|---|---|
| National Immigration Administration (`nia.gov.cn`) | The visa-free list, the transit visa-free policy, the length of stay |
| The Chinese embassy or consulate in your country | Visa types, document lists, how to book |
| Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) | Submitting documents, fees, processing time |
⚠️ Do not use third-party websites for policy information — they update slowly and are often half a year out of date.
Sources (2026-10-31)
| Item | Nature | Source | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| The unilateral visa-free 50-country list | ✅ Official | National Immigration Administration, "List of Unilateral Visa-Free Countries" (`nia.gov.cn`; the list is marked as of 2026-02-17) | 2026-10-31 |
| Stay of 30 days, counted from midnight of the day after entry | ✅ Official | Same as above | 2026-10-31 |
| Purposes covered by visa-free entry (business/tourism/visiting relatives/exchanges/transit) | ✅ Official | Same as above | 2026-10-31 |
| 240-hour transit visa-free for 57 countries | ✅ Official | National Immigration Administration / republished by the Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office (`wsb.sh.gov.cn`) | 2026-10-31 |
| The eight conditions for transit visa-free entry | ✅ Official | Same as above | 2026-10-31 |
| The M visa application process | ⚠️ General process | CVASC websites follow broadly the same steps; your own country's visa centre is authoritative | 2026-10-31 |
| Common reasons for refusal | ⚠️ Common experience | Not official statistics | 2026-10-31 |
Official links:
- National Immigration Administration · List of unilateral visa-free countries: https://www.nia.gov.cn/n741440/n741577/c1731154/content.html
- National Immigration Administration (English): https://en.nia.gov.cn/
⚠️ Policy changes. Before you rely on any of this, check the two links above yourself.
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