Who Should Have One and
which visa is right for you
You need to hold a China visa, except you meet the following visa exemption requirements:
Bilateral Treaties
In reference to bilateral treaties, citizens of some countries (click here for a complete list) holding correct passports may enter China with no visa.
15 Days stay
Ordinary Passport holders of Singapore, Japan and Brunei may enter China with no visa as long as that they are entering the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for business, family visit, tourism, or transit and plan to visit in PRC for no longer than 15 days. Nevertheless, the following peoples of these countries must obtain a China visa in before entering the county if:
- If mean to stay longer than 15 days;
- If entering the People’s Republic of China (PRC) permanent residence, employment, for study, or on a reporting assignment; also
- If holding Japanese diplomatic or a hold a Japanese service official passport is permitted stay in China for no longer than 30 days without a Chinese visa.
Group Tours to Pearl River
Visitors holding ordinary passports of the nation’s having diplomatic relations with China and on a tour to Hong Kong or Macao, and take part in group tours to the Zhu Jiang (Pearl River) Delta Area for a stay of no longer than 6 days if organized by the travel services officially registered in Hong Kong or Macao do not requirement to hold for a China visa. The Zhu Jiang Delta Area refers to the governmental areas of the following cities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Foshan, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, and Huizhou.
Transit through China
Visitors who have confirmed valid tickets and booked seats on international flights and stay for up to 24 hours inside the airport limits do not need to hold a transit visa. Nevertheless, anybody wishes to leave beyond the airport limits should acquire permission from the immigration authorities.
72-hour Transit Visa Exemption Program
Citizens from countries with are part of the 72-hour Transit Visa Exemption Program holding valid international travelling documentation and a transit flight ticket with confirmed date and booked flight and seat to a third country travelling before 72 hours are over are entitled to obtain a 72-hour based on transit visa exemption program, at the airports of entry in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shenyang, Dalian and Xi’an, which are:
- Albania
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Great Britain
- Greece
- Herzegovina
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Republic of Korea
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovak
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Group Tour
Visitors in possessing ordinary passports of the following 21 countries and on a group tour (minimum of five persons) to Hainan Province for a stay of no longer than 15 days, organized by international travel services provider permitted by the National Tourism Administration of People’s Republic of China and registered in Hainan Province, do not need to hold a China visa:
- Australia
- Austria
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Malaysia
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
Visitors holding ordinary passports of the following three countries and on a group tour (must at lest contain of two persons) to Hainan Province for a stay of no more than 21 days, prearranged by international travel services permitted by the National Tourism Administration of China and registered in Hainan Province, do not need to hold for a visa:
- Germany
- Republic of Korea
- Russia
Mutual Visa Exemption
According to official agreements on mutual visa exemption, citizens of Seychelles, Mauritius, Bahamas and San Marino holding valid passports shall be exempted from visa requirement for entry into, exit from or transit through China with duration of stay no more than 30 days.
Permanent Residence Card
Visitors holding a valid Foreigner’s Permanent Residence Card of the PRC or Residence Permit for Visitors in the PRC may enter China without a visa.
APEC Business Travel Card
Visitors holding an APEC Business Travel Card can enter China without holding a China visa. Chinese embassy Locations