China has signed agreements on mutual visa exemption with a few countries, which enable certain citizens to travel to China without a visa.

Citizens from these countries are generally allowed to travel to China without a visa for a single stay of up to 30 days or a cumulative stay of no more than 90 days within any 180 days for the purposes of tourism, travel, business, and visiting family or friends:

United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Georgia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mauritius, Serbia, Seychelles, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Singapore, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Samoa, Azerbaijan, Malaysia

For stays exceeding 30 days, cumulative stays surpassing 90 days within 180 days, or activities such as employment, study, residence, or journalism that require prior approval from the competent authorities of the host party, an appropriate visa must be obtained before entering China.

Currently, China offers unilateral visa-free travel to below 50 countries:

• Europe (35 countries): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
• Asia (7 countries): Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia
• Americas (6 countries): Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru, Uruguay

Note: Nationals of the above countries holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchange visits, or transit, for stays of up to 30 days. The duration of stay is calculated from 00:00 on the day following the date of entry.

Note: Citizens from these countries would also have had to apply for a visa in advance if they:

• Expect to stay in China for more than 30 days; or
• Intend to study, work, settle down, or attend an interview in China.

Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from 59 countries may enter and stay within the administrative region of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days without a visa for short-term stays for purposes associated with tourism, business, exchange visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sports competitions, etc.

The policy does not apply to those who intend to enter for working or studying. The exit-entry ports for the foreign nationals concerned include all the open ports in Hainan.

The 59 countries are 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, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Any tourist group (consisting of two or more individuals ( holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port, and Mohan Highway Port visa-free, provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a travel agency registered in China.

The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group, and can stay within the administrative region of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture for a maximum of 6 days.

The ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste (as of Novermber 2025).

Any tourist group (consisting of two or more individuals holding ordinary passports) from a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) may enter and exit China through the airport in Guilin visa-free, provided that the tourist group is organized and received by a travel agency registered in China.

The tourists concerned shall enter and leave China as part of their tourist group, and can stay within the administrative region of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for a maximum of 6 days.

The ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste (as of Novermber 2025).

Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter 9 cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Shantou, without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Guangdong Province as part of a tourist group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs.

The foreign tourists in this case can stay for a maximum of 6 days in the following cities: Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai.

The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Chinese mainland as part of their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports in the 10 designated cities.

Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports from countries with diplomatic relations with China may enter Hainan Province without a visa, provided that they will enter Hong Kong or Macao SAR first and then enter Hainan Province as part of a tourist group organized by a travel agency registered in any of the two SARs.

The tourists concerned shall enter and exit the Hainan Province as part of their tourist group via any of the exit-entry ports in Hainan and can stay for a maximum of 6 days.