Visa to China
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Do I need a visa to China?

The Chinese Embassy’s visa policies frequently change, be sure you have the latest information by checking back with us prior to traveling. If you are a US passport holder, you will most likely need a visa, unless you’re passing through Shanghai (see below).

Visa Exemptions

A foreign citizen can enter China without a visa under any one of the following circumstances:

1.   Direct Transit

A foreign citizen who is transiting through China by air is exempted from a visa if he/she will stay only in the airport for no more than 24 hours and has a valid connecting ticket with confirmed seating on an international flight.

Citizens with passport or other international travel document, confirmed interline ticket and valid visa to the third country or region (if required) of the following 51 countries, can apply to stay in the transit cities without visa for 72 hours on direct transit via the following airports: PEK, PVG, SHA, CAN, CTU,CKG, SHE, DLC, XIY,HGH,KWL,KMG. (For more info, please check the airports' websites)

Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, 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, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Montenegro, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.

2.   Visiting the Pearl River Delta or Hainan Island

A foreign citizen holding an ordinary passport issued by any country with diplomatic relations with China is exempted from a visa if he/she is already in HKSAR or Macao SAR and joins a tourist group organized by a travel agency, which is registered in HKSAR or Macao SAR, for a visit to the Pearl River Delta region (including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and Huizhou) and his/her stay is no more than 6 days.

A foreign citizen holding an ordinary passport issued by any of the following countries is exempted from a visa if he/she joins a tourist group (of 5 or more persons) organized by an international travel agency registered in Hainan with the approval of China National Tourism Administration to visit Hainan Province and his/her stay is no more than 15 days: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Ukraine and United States. Citizens of Germany, Republic of Korea and Russia may join an international tourist group (of 2 or more persons) and can stay up to 21 days.

3.   Citizens of Singapore, Brunei and Japan

A citizen of Singapore, Brunei or Japan with an ordinary passport is exempted from a visa if he/she visits China's mainland for tourism, business, or meeting with friends or relatives, and if he/she enters China through ports open to foreigners, and stays for no more than 15 days.

However, a visa is required for citizens of these three countries under any of the following circumstances: (1) An ordinary passport holder visits China for tourism, business, or meeting with friends or relatives, and stays for more than 15 days; or (2) An ordinary passport holder visits China for the purpose of study, work, permanent residency, official visits and news coverage.

4.   Holders of Valid APEC Business Travel Card

The APEC Business Travel Card is a substitute of a multiple-entry visa valid for 3 years. A card holder who presents a valid passport whose image and biometric data exactly matches that on the APEC Business Travel Card can enter China multiple times during the validity of the card for a stay of no more than 2 months each time.

5.  Holders of PRC Foreigner's Permanent Residence Card

6.  Holders of Residence Permit for Foreigners issued by PRC Ministry of Public Security

A Foreign citizen entering China on a D, Z, J1, Q1, S1 or X1 visa must apply for a residence permit at local public security authorities within 30 days of entry into China. Once approved, the permit holder is allowed to stay in China or enter/exit China multiple times for the duration of the validity of the permit. No visa renewal is necessary.

7.  Bilateral Agreement

Based on bilateral agreements signed or reached between China and foreign countries, foreign citizens of some countries who meet certain requirements may visit China without a visa. Please see the List of Agreements on Visa Exemption between the People's Republic of China and Foreign Countries signed between China and foreign countries for more information.


*Again, please note that China’s policies fluctuate and this is the most updated information available. If you are looking to book a trip to China and are not sure of what kind of visa you need, check back to this page, or contact us at customersupport@passportvisasexpress.com, or call us at (888)596-6028. Our experts have over fifteen years’ of experience in both traveling to China and processing visas. China’s visa policies may vary, but our commitment to quality service does not! We’re happy to chat with you about whatever visa questions you may have. 

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