China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit, Explained
Ten days in China with no visa at all — if you understand the one rule that trips everyone up.
The 240-hour transit visa-free policy is the most underused travel hack into China right now: 55 nationalities can spend up to 10 days in China with no visa, as long as they're on their way to somewhere else. Here's how it actually works at the border.
The one rule that matters: A → B → C
You must be in transit. Your route has to be Home country → China → Third country or region. A round trip home does not qualify — and airline staff check this before they let you board.
- ✅ New York → Shanghai → Tokyo
- ✅ London → Beijing → Hong Kong (HK, Macau and Taiwan count as third regions)
- ❌ New York → Shanghai → New York
- ❌ New York → Shanghai → Toronto via a US layover (your next country is still effectively home)
What you need at check-in
- A passport from one of the 55 eligible nationalities, valid 3+ months beyond arrival
- A confirmed onward ticket with a fixed date and seat, departing within 240 hours of arrival
- Entry through one of the 65 designated ports — all the majors are covered: Beijing (PEK/PKX), Shanghai (PVG/SHA), Guangzhou (CAN), Shenzhen (SZX), Chengdu (TFU/CTU), Xi'an (XIY), Hangzhou (HGH) and more
Key point
The 240-hour clock starts at midnight of the day AFTER you arrive. Land at 23:00 on Monday and your 10 days effectively start Tuesday — a small bonus that can rescue a tight itinerary.
Where you can go once you're in
You can move freely across 24 designated provinces — including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Zhejiang and Yunnan — and your exit port can be different from your entry port. Fly into Shanghai, take the train to Beijing, fly out to Seoul: completely legal under this policy.
The mistakes that get people turned away
- Open-jaw confusion: arriving Shanghai, departing Beijing is fine — but your onward flight must still leave China for a third country.
- No confirmed onward ticket: 'I'll book it later' does not work. Airlines deny boarding without it.
- Overstaying the window: overstay even by a day and you face fines and a mark on your record. Set an alarm for day 9.
- Wrong port: a small number of ports are still on the older 72/144-hour schemes with tighter regional limits. Check your specific arrival port.
Want the answer for your exact route and port? The checker on our homepage runs the full logic:
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