Visiting China Visa-Free? These Regional Rules Allow 6, 15 or 30 Days

Planning a trip to Hainan, Guilin or Shenzhen without a visa? China’s regional entry arrangements allow stays of up to 6, 15 or 30 days, depending on the route and who is traveling.

The National Immigration Administration’s FAQ explains six options. Some cover eligible individual travelers; others require a tour group organized by a registered travel agency. Here are the conditions set out in the FAQ.

Hainan: up to 30 days for 61 nationalities

Ordinary-passport holders from 61 countries can enter Hainan visa-free for short visits, including tourism, business, visits to family, medical treatment, conferences, exhibitions and sports competitions.Work and study are excluded.

Entry and departure are available through all Hainan ports open to international travel. The permitted stay is up to 30 days , within Hainan Province.

The eligible countries are Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

Cruise groups: up to 15 days

Foreign tourist groups of at least two people, organized and received by a travel agency registered in China, can enter visa-free through cruise ports in 13 cities.

Those cities are Beihai, Dalian, Guangzhou, Haikou, Lianyungang, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Xiamen and Zhoushan.

The group must continue to subsequent scheduled ports and leave China on the same cruise ship. The maximum stay is 15 days.

Travel is permitted within Beijing and these 11 coastal provincial-level regions: Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanghai, Tianjin and Zhejiang.

Xishuangbanna: six days for eligible ASEAN groups

Eligible ASEAN tourist groups of at least two ordinary-passport holders can visit Xishuangbanna visa-free when organized and received by a travel agency registered in China. They must enter and leave together.

The permitted entry and exit ports are Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port and Mohan Highway Port. The maximum stay is six days, within Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan.

Guilin: another six-day group option

Eligible ASEAN tourist groups can also visit Guilin under a separate six-day arrangement.

The group must have at least two ordinary-passport holders and be organized and received by a travel agency registered in China. Members must enter and leave as a group through Guilin’s airport, and remain within Guilin in Guangxi.

From Hong Kong or Macao to Guangdong

Ordinary-passport holders from countries with diplomatic relations with China can visit ten Guangdong cities for up to six days after first arriving in Hong Kong or Macao.

This route requires a tourist group of at least two people organized by a travel agency registered in Hong Kong or Macao. The group must enter and leave together through open entry-exit ports in the ten permitted cities.

Those cities are Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shantou, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai.

From Hong Kong or Macao to Hainan

A separate six-day arrangement covers Hainan for ordinary-passport holders from countries with diplomatic relations with China who first arrive in Hong Kong or Macao.

They must travel in a group of at least two people organized by a Hong Kong- or Macao-registered travel agency, and enter and leave Hainan together. All Hainan ports open to international travel are covered, and travel is limited to Hainan Province.

When does the clock start?

For all six arrangements, the permitted stay is counted from midnight on the day after entry.

The FAQ also states that the relevant provisions of bilateral visa-exemption agreements or China’s other applicable visa-exemption policies prevail for travelers who qualify for them.

Source: 国家移民管理局

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