
72/144-hour Visa-Free Transit Policies for Foreign Nationals
2024-07-15
According to the National Immigration Administration (NIA), China has implemented a 24/72/144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals. The details can be found in the original anouncement of NIA: link. As the 24-hour visa-free transit policy requires the applicants to remain within the ports, we only cite the 72/144-hour visa-free transit policy here. An FAQ page is provided by Chinese Visa Application Service Center. Other visa-free policy may also apply to the nationals of certain countries, and you may consult the China Embassy in your country for details.
Currently, 41 exit-entry ports in 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government of China have implemented the 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from 54 countries. The country list are as below:
Continents | Countries |
Asia (6) |
Brunei, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Qatar, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates |
Europe (40) |
Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine |
North America (3) |
Canada, Mexico, and the United States |
Oceania (2) |
Australia and New Zealand |
South America (3) |
Argentina, Brazil, and Chile |
Foreign nationals from these countries holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets with information on confirmed dates and seats for transit via China to third countries or regions within specified time frames can apply for visa-free transits at the exit-entry border inspection authorities of the ports in the cities where the visa-free transit policies are in effect. The exit-entry border inspection authorities will then process their applications and grant temporary entry to the eligible foreign nationals. The duration of stay for each foreign national starts from 0:00 on the day following the day of entry.
The list of the ports in cities where the 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policies are in effect is stated below.
S/N | Provincial-Level Administrative Division/Region | Eligible City | Eligible Port | Permitted Stay Area(s) | Notes |
72-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy | |||||
1 | Hunan Province | Changsha, Hunan | Changsha Huanghua International Airport | Hunan Province | |
2 | Heilongjiang Province | Harbin, Heilongjiang | Harbin Taiping International Airport | Harbin City | |
3 | Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region | Guilin, Guangxi | Guilin Liangjiang International Airport | Guilin City | |
4 | Beihai, Guangxi | Beihai Port (for passenger transport) | Beihai City | ||
144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy | |||||
1 | Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region | Beijing | Beijing Capital International Airport | Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province | Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province have collaboratively implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through all the eligible ports within the region, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. |
2 | Beijing Daxing International Airport | ||||
3 | Beijingxi Railway Station | ||||
4 | Tianjin | Tianjin Binhai International Airport | |||
5 | Tianjin International Cruise Home Port | ||||
6 | Shijiazhuang, Hebei | Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport | |||
7 | Qinhuangdao, Hebei | Qinhuangdao Port (for passenger transport) | |||
8 | Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region | Shanghai | Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport | Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province | Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Municipality have collaboratively implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through all the eligible ports within the region, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. |
9 | Shanghai Pudong International Airport | ||||
10 | Shanghai Port (for passenger transport) | ||||
11 | Exit-Entry Port of Shanghai Railway Station | ||||
12 | Nanjing, Jiangsu | Nanjing Lukou International Airport | |||
13 | Lianyungang, Jiangsu | Lianyungang Port (for passenger transport) | |||
14 | Hangzhou, Zhejiang | Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport | |||
15 | Ningbo, Zhejiang | Ningbo Lishe International Airport | |||
16 | Wenzhou, Zhejiang | Wenzhou Port (for passenger transport) | |||
17 | Zhoushan, Zhejiang | Zhoushan Port (for passenger transport) | |||
18 | Guangdong Province | Guangzhou, Guangdong | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport | Guangdong Province | Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter China through the airports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Jieyang, as well as Nansha Port and Shekou Port, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours. Foreign nationals having entered China through the aforementioned ports in Guangdong Province are permitted to leave China through all the 36 exit-entry ports providing passenger transport services within the province. |
19 | Nansha Port (for passenger transport) | ||||
20 | Shenzhen, Guangdong | Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport | |||
21 | Shekou Port (for passenger transport) | ||||
22 | Jieyang, Guangdong | Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport | |||
23 | Liaoning Province | Shenyang, Liaoning | Shenyang Taoxian International Airport | Liaoning Province | Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through the airports in Shenyang and Dalian, as well as Dalian Port, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours. |
24 | Dalian, Liaoning | Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport | |||
25 | Dalian Port (for passenger transport) | ||||
26 | Shandong Province | Qingdao, Shandong | Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport | Shandong Province | |
27 | Qingdao Port (for passenger transport) | ||||
28 | Chongqing Municipality | Chongqing | Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport | Chongqing Municipality | |
29 | Sichuan Province | Chengdu, Sichuan | Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport | Chengdu City, Deyang City, Leshan City, Luzhou City, Meishan City, Neijiang City, Suining City, Ya'an City, Yibin City, Zigong City and Ziyang City | |
30 | Shaanxi Province | Xi'an, Shaanxi | Xi'an Xianyang International Airport | Xi'an City and Xianyang City | |
31 | Fujian Province | Xiamen, Fujian | Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport | Xiamen City | |
32 | Port of Xiamen (for passenger transport) | ||||
33 | Hubei Province | Wuhan, Hubei | Wuhan Tianhe International Airport | Wuhan City | |
34 | Yunnan Province | Kunming, Yunnan | Kunming Changshui International Airport | Kunming City, Lijiang City, Yuxi City, Pu'er City, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture | |
35 | Lijiang, Yunnan | Lijiang Sanyi International Airport | |||
36 | Xishuangbanna, Yunan | Mohan Railway Port (for passenger transport) | |||
37 | Henan Province | Zhengzhou,Henan | Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport | Henan Province |