All the Countries That Enjoy Visa-Free Travel or Transit in China

Vincent R. Vinci, Managing Editor | Mar 12, 2024 5:37 pm | Add a comment | 318 reads

China continues to open up visa-free entry for foreign nationals, with six more countries slated to join a list that’s been growing since autumn of last year, reports Xinhua News.

Citizens of Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg will now be able to enjoy visa-free entry to China for 15 days for travel, business, and family reunions from Mar 14 until Nov 30 of this year.

The six join a batch of six other countries who are also trialing 15-day visa-free travel with China. These are as follows:

  • France
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • The Netherlands
  • Spain
  • Malaysia

Along with these countries, three others, Singapore, Thailand, and Georgia, have entered into mutual 30-day visa-free travel arrangements with China. They also aren’t the only countries who enjoy the policy, though. The others, according to China Briefing and other sources, are:

  • The Maldives
  • Seychelles
  • San Marino
  • Suriname
  • Tonga
  • Armenia
  • Kazakhstan
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Albania
  • The UAE
  • Barbados
  • The Bahamas
  • Belarus
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • Fiji
  • Granada
  • Qatar
  • Mauritius
  • Serbia

More countries are now allowed to enter the southern island province of Hainan for 30 days visa-free as of February this year, according to China Daily. Citizens from 59 countries can now go visa-free to Hainan for the same purposes listed above, with the addition of medical treatment and attending exhibitions and sports competitions. These countries are:

  • Russia
  • The UK
  • France
  • Germany
  • Norway
  • Ukraine
  • Italy
  • Austria
  • Finland
  • The Netherlands
  • Denmark
  • Switzerland
  • Sweden
  • Spain
  • Belgium
  • The Czech Republic
  • Estonia
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Ireland
  • Cyprus
  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Serbia
  • Croatia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Montenegro
  • North Macedonia
  • Albania
  • USA
  • Canada
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Thailand
  • Kazakhstan
  • The Philippines
  • Indonesia
  • Brunei
  • The UAE
  • Qatar
  • Monaco
  • Belarus

China also employs a number of visa-exempt policies for those transiting through the country for 24, 72, and 144-hours, providing those wishing to enjoy the policy can prove they are traveling to a third country after leaving China.

The 144-hour and 72-hour visa-free transit policy is only applicable for certain Chinese cities. 144-hour visa-free transit can be done in the following cities:

  • Guangzhou
  • Shenzhen
  • Jieyang
  • Kunming
  • Xiamen
  • Chengdu
  • Chongqing
  • Wuhan
  • Xi'an
  • Nanjing
  • Hangzhou
  • Qingdao
  • Shijiazhuang
  • Qinhuangdao
  • Dalian
  • Shenyang
  • Beijing
  • Tianjin
  • Shanghai

While 72-hour visa-free transit can be done in the following cities:

  • Harbin
  • Changsha
  • Guilin

Travelers from the following countries can enjoy 144-hour and 72-hour visa-free transit:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • The Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Russia
  • The United Kingdom
  • Ireland
  • Cyprus
  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Ukraine
  • Serbia
  • Croatia
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Montenegro
  • Macedonia (FYROM)
  • Albania
  • Belarus
  • Monaco
  • USA
  • Canada
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Chile
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • Singapore
  • Brunei
  • The UAE
  • Qatar

For a more in-depth look at how these policies work, check out these posts on 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit by Travel China Guide.

In certain cases, a special permit is required to do visa-free transit, but this requirement was waived for Beijing Capital, Daxing, and a number of other airports this year for those transiting within 24-hours in January this year, along with a slew of other policies announced.

READ: Visa-Free Transit at Beijing Airports and Four Other Visa Policies Announced

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