Visa requirements for China

China has exceptionally complicated visa requirements. If you are planning to use visa-free entry or transit without a visa, read up carefully and make sure you fulfill all the requirements, or risk being denied entry. If you're applying for a visa, make sure all your documentation is in order before applying for your visa, or risk being denied if even one required document is missing. However, the government has granted visa-free access to citizens of numerous rich developed countries. Hong Kong and Macau have their own separate visa requirements; see those articles for details.

Visa-free entry

Citizens of certain countries may enter China without a visa for varying durations:

Up to 90 days: Citizens of San Marino;
- 90 days per each 180-day period: Citizens of Albania, Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina;
Up to 60 days: Citizens of Mauritius;
Up to 30 days: Citizens of Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, Mongolia, Qatar, Seychelles, Singapore, Suriname, Tonga and the United Arab Emirates;
- 30 days per each entry, up to 90 days per each calendar year: Citizens of Belarus;
- 30 days per each entry, up to 90 days per each 180-day period: Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Solomon Islands and Thailand;
- 30 days per each 60-day period: Citizens of Serbia;
- Temporary exemption until 31 December 2025: Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland.

The "up to * days per *-day period" visa-free entry policy is intended to prevent extended stays in China by repeatedly exiting and re-entering, such as by making visa runs to neighboring countries like Mongolia through the border town of Erlian. For example, in the case of Georgia, the rule allows for staying in China for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period. This typically requires travelers to leave around day 30 and again around day 60 to avoid exceeding the stay limit. After spending a total of 90 days in China, the traveler would then need to remain outside the country for the rest of the 180-day period before becoming eligible to re-enter without a visa.

Transit without a visa (TWOV)

Visa exemptions are also available for citizens of 54 countries (all European Union members plus Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States) if they are transiting through some provinces, to enable you to make short visits. These rules are dizzyingly complicated and subject to sudden changes, so check with your airline shortly before attempting this method of entry, especially check if your validity of passports remain for at least three months.

Citizens of the designated countries who arrive at one of the 47 airports, 13 water ports or by railway at Mohan can stay within the allowed areas in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) for up to 240 hours (of which, some countries may de facto have longer-than-240 durations according to previous, restriction-less visa free regimes, those also apply for transits), which cross-province travels within the allowed areas is permitted, and the count of periods start from 00:00 (UTC+08:00) of next day. The onward ticket must be to a country other than the one from which their arriving flight originated, and they must have the required entry documents for the third country; Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as separate countries with regard to this scheme. Passengers without a visa who intend to leave the transit area will typically be directed by an immigration officer to wait in an office for around 20 minutes while other officials review the passengers' onward travel documentation.

Citizens of other countries may only transit within 24 hours, and only via international airports (not nessary same one). Even for the 54 countries, transit at other provinces of the designated are also limited to 24 hours unless noted else. A transit visa is required for citizens of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Yemen at Urumqi, and forced for Syrians at both Guangzhou and Urumqi.

Hainan

Citizens of 59 countries may visit Hainan without a visa for up to 30 days. See the Hainan article for more information.

Cruise ship passengers and tour groups

Cruise ship passengers may visit China without a visa for up to 15 days provided they join a group tour organized by a Chinese travel agency, enter via the cruise ports in Tianjin, Dalian, Shanghai, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beihai, Haikou or Sanya, and depart on the same cruise ship. They are only permitted to visit the coastal provinces (i.e. Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan) and Beijing.

Citizens of all countries that maintain diplomatic relations may visit 10 cities in Guangdong, namely Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou and Shantou, without a visa for up to 144 hours (6 days) provided they join an approved group tour from Hong Kong or Macau, and do not travel beyond those 10 cities.

Citizens of all ASEAN countries may visit Guilin (include Yangshuo and Longsheng) without a visa for up to 144 hours (6 days) provided they join an approved group tour, enter and exit mainland China via Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, and do not travel beyond those 3 cities.

Citizens of Russia may visit China for up to 15 days without a visa if they join an approved group tour, with the group size being at least 5. Likely, citizens of Azerbaijan, Moldova and Turkmenistan may visit for up to 30 days without a visa by group tours, although the group size requirements are unclear.

Visas

If you need a visa, in most cases, it must be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate before departure. Visas for Hong Kong or Macau may be obtained from a Chinese embassy or consulate, but they must be applied for separately from the mainland Chinese visa; there is no visa that serves both mainland China and either of those areas. A single-entry mainland China visa is terminated if you go to Hong Kong or Macau, so ensure that you have a multiple entry visa if you plan to return to mainland China.

Chinese embassies and consulates only issue visas to citizens and legal residents of the countries they are accredited to. If you are planning a trip around East Asia visiting multiple countries, make sure you apply for your Chinese visa in your country of citizenship or residence before leaving for your trip, as Chinese embassies and consulates will not issue visas to short-term visitors in the host country.

You must submit your fingerprints during the visa application process. Children under 14, and senior citizens over 70 are excepted. Your fingerprints may also be taken when you enter China.

Residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents of Chinese nationality must apply at the China Travel Service, the sole authorized issuing agent, to obtain a Home Return Permit (回乡证 huíxiāngzhèng), a credit card-sized ID allowing multiple entries and unlimited stay for up to ten years (5 years for those under 18-year-old) with no restrictions including on employment.
Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents without Chinese nationality can apply for a Home Return Permit (non-Chinese Citizens) which is valid for five years, and allows them to stay in mainland China for up to 90 days each time. They may not work, study or conduct journalism activities while in mainland China.
Hong Kong and Macau passports are only valid for transiting up to 24 hours (see above).
Taiwanese citizens are required to obtain a Taiwan Compatriot Pass (台胞证 táibāozhèng), a credit card-sized ID that is typically valid for five years, and may live in mainland China indefinitely for the duration of the permit's validity with no restrictions including on employment. Some TCPs may valid for 3 months in single entry, usually if obtained just for travelling in Hainan.
Taiwanese passports, Hong Kong Documents of Identity or Macau Travel Permits are not valid for entry to mainland China. Chinese authorities do not recognize British National (Overseas) (BNO) passports. BNO passport holders should use appropriate travel documents (foreign passport/home return permit) to enter China.
Contrary to popular belief, foreigners whose passports contain Taiwanese stamps and visas face no additional restrictions when visiting mainland China.

Types of visas

To apply for a tourist visa, you will first need to fill in an online application form on the China Online Visa Application web-site.

Once that is done and your form has been submitted, you will need make appointment with the nearest Chinese consulate for an in-person interview, and print out a copy of the form to bring to your interview.

Before your interview, you will need to have booked a return ticket to China, and made hotel bookings for each night you intend to stay in China.

You must bring to the consulate for your interview:

printed copies of your air tickets,
hotel bookings,
a detailed itinerary
two visa photos, and
a photocopy of your passport's data page and photo page.

If you have previously been issued a Chinese visa, you will need to bring:

the passport containing your most recent Chinese visa, and
photocopies of its data page and the visa.

If you are a former citizen of China, you are also required to bring along:

your most recent Chinese passport,
a photocopy of data page of your former Chinese passport and current passport side-by-side on the same page, and
both the original and a photocopy of your citizenship certificate (of your current country of citizenship).

If you are not a citizen of the country you are applying for your Chinese visa in, you will also need to bring:

proof of legal residence in the country, such as your work or student visa, or your permanent residence card.

Your visa will be denied if any of these documents are missing during your interview.

For business visas, in addition to the tourist visa documentation requirements, you will need a letter of invitation from the company that will be hosting you in China.

For family visit visas, you will need:

a letter of invitation from the family member who will be hosting you,
evidence of your familial relationship with the person (e.g. marriage certificates, birth certificates, etc.),
a photocopy of your family member's identity card if (s)he is a Chinese citizen, or passport and residence permit if (s)he is a foreign resident in China.

Tourist visa extensions can be applied for at the local Entry & Exit Bureau or Public Security Bureau (公安局 Gōng'ānjú) after handing in the following documents:

valid passport,
visa extension application form including one passport-sized photo,
a copy of the Registration Form of Temporary Residence which you received from the local police station at registration.

Tourist visas can be only extended once. Processing time is usually five working days and it costs ¥160. See city articles to find out the local bureau.

Some travelers will need a dual entry or multiple entry visa. For example, if you enter China on a single entry visa, then go to Hong Kong or Macau, you need a new visa to re-enter mainland China.

Obtaining a Visa on Arrival is possible usually only for the Shenzhen or Zhuhai Special Economic Zones, and only if you're arriving directly from Hong Kong or Macau. Such visas are limited to their respective areas, and travelling beyond the respective city boundaries is strictly forbidden. See the respective city articles for details. The rules change consistently, and citizens of developing countries in particular are often denied this visa, so you are advised to get a full Chinese visa in your home country prior to your trip to be safe.

Holders of a valid APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) except those issued by Canada, United States and Taiwan may visit mainland China without a visa for up to 60 days provided they do not work in China. For Hong Kong ABTCs, this is available only for non-Chinese nationalities.

See Working in China for information for those who want to work in China, and their family members.

Registering your abode

Chinese immigration law requires that hotels, guest houses and hostels register their guests with the local police when they check in. The staff will scan your passport including your visa and entry stamps. In some places, your face may be photographed. Help staff out if they do not know where the most recent stamp is — immigration officers are sometimes known to stamp in the wrong order.

If you are staying in a private residence, you are required to register your abode with the local police within 24 hours (city) to 72 hours (countryside) of arrival, though the law is enforced inconsistently. The police will ask for a copy of the photograph page of your passport, a copy of your visa, a copy of your immigration entry stamp, a photograph and a copy of the tenancy agreement or other document concerning the place you are staying in. That agreement might not be in your name but it will still be asked for. Alternatively, online registration is possible for Beijing, and one may finish the registration process by uploading images of these documents.

If you are in China on a long-term visa, you must re-register if your visa or residence permit undergoes any changes, such as extensions, or if you get a new passport. In some cities, you must re-register every time you re-enter mainland China even if your residence permit is still valid; check with your local police station to see if this is necessary.

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