Visa policy of China

Visitors to the Mainland of the People's Republic of China must obtain a visa from one of the Chinese diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries. The two Special Administrative Regions – Hong Kong and Macau – maintain their own independent border control policy and thus have their own visa requirements.
Chinese visas are issued both outside China, by the Chinese diplomatic missions, and in China, by the Exit and Entry Administrations (EEAs) of the county-level Public Security Bureaus (PSBs). In order to enter China, however, a non-Chinese national should apply to the visa-issuing authorities outside China for a Chinese visa.Because Hong Kong and Macau maintain their independent border control policies, ordinary Chinese visas are valid for Mainland China only and are not valid for Hong Kong or Macau, so travelers must apply for separate visas for Hong Kong or Macau should they require one for travelling to these regions.
The government of the People's Republic of China allows holders of normal passports issued by 13 countries to travel to Mainland China for tourism or business purposes for up to 15, 30 or 90 days without having to obtain a visa. Visitors of other nationalities, as well as residents of Hong Kong and Macau, are required to obtain either a visa or a permit prior to arrival, depending on their nationality. In order to increase the numbers of tourists visiting the country, some ports of entry of China allow nationals of certain countries to visit specified regions within 72 or 144 hours if they are in transit to a third country. In 2014 the PRC government announced its intention to sign mutual visa facilitation and visa-free agreements with more countries in the future. Since then, a number of such agreements were concluded with some countries.
All non-Chinese travelers as well as Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents who stay in Mainland China for more than 24 hours must register with the local PSBs. When staying in a hotel, the registration is usually done as a part of the check-in process. When staying in a private home, however, the visitor must physically report to the local PSB within 24 hours of arrival for cities or 72 hours for rural areas. All visa-free passengers, including those in transit who stay for more than 24 hours, must adhere to the rule, as failure to comply can result in a fine or be detained by PSB for up to 15 days.
Starting from 9 February 2017, holders of non-Chinese travel documents aged between 14 and 70 will be fingerprinted upon entry, with the exception of holders of diplomatic passports. This new policy has started in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and will gradually roll out in all border checkpoints and international airports before the end of 2017
Travelers who are nationals of the following nations are not required to obtain a visa prior to travel to China as long as their trip lasts no more than the visa waiver limit listed below.

Eligible nationalities for visa-free entry.

Visa-free for ordinary passports

Holders of ordinary passports issued by the following 13 countries do not need a visa to enter China as long as their trip does not last longer than the visa-free period listed below. All of these countries have concluded mutual visa-free agreements with China, except for Brunei, Japan and Singapore which China offers unilateral waivers.

90 days

San Marino

60 days

Mauritius

30 days

15 days

Visa-free for Passport for Public Affairs or its equivalents

The list includes countries which had signed visa-free agreements with China for holders of passports for public affairs or ordinary passports endorsed for public affairs. Exceptions are listed below.

_{1 - Visa free only for holders of "E-series" normal passports.}
_{2 - Visa free for both "Passport For Public Affairs" or "Passport For Official Trip".}
_{3 - Visa free only if the passport for public affairs has a sheet
attached on the visa page showing in red capitals "AB" and an additional
validity date.}

Visa-free for diplomatic, official, and/or service passports

Visa policy of China for holders of various categories of official passports

China

Diplomatic, official, service or special passports

Diplomatic, service or special passports

Diplomatic, official or service passports

Diplomatic or service passports

Diplomatic or official passports

Diplomatic or special passports

Diplomatic passports

Under reciprocal agreements, holders of passports or laissez-passers issued by the following jurisdictions are allowed to enter and remain in China for up to 30 days (unless otherwise noted)

Under reciprocal agreements, holders of passports or laissez-passers issued by the following jurisdictions are allowed to enter and remain in China for up to 30 days (unless otherwise noted).

All European Union citizens¹ ^D ^LP (conditional for Ireland and the United Kingdom)

Afghanistan ^D
Albania ^D ^S ^Sp
Angola ^D ^S
Argentina ^D ^O ^S
Armenia ^D ^S
Azerbaijan ^D ^S
Bahamas ^D ^O ^S ^Sp
Bangladesh ^D ^O ^S
Barbados ^D ^O
Belarus ^D ^S
Benin ^D ^S
Bolivia ^D ^O ^S
Bosnia-Herzegovina ^D ^S
Brazil ^D ^O ^S
Brunei ^D ^O ^S
Bulgaria ^D ^S
Burundi ^D ^S
Cambodia ^D ^S
Cape Verde ^D ^S
Chile ^D ^O ^S
Colombia ^D ^O ^S
Comoros ^D ^O ^Sp
Congo ^D ^S
Costa Rica ^D ^S
Croatia ^D ^O ^S
Cuba ^D ^O ^S
Cyprus ^D ^S
Djibouti ^D ^S
Dominica ^D ^O ^S
Ecuador ^D ^O ^S ^Sp
Egypt ^D ^S ^Sp
Equatorial Guinea ^D ^O ^S
Eritrea³ ^D ^S
Ethiopia ^D ^S
Fiji ^D ^O ^S ^Sp
Gabon ^D ^S
Georgia ^D ^S
Ghana ^D ^S
Grenada ^D ^O ^S

Guyana ^D ^O ^S
Hungary ^D ^S
Iceland ^D
Indonesia ^D ^S
Iran ^D ^S
Iraq ^D
Ireland⁴ ^D ^O
Israel ^D ^S
Ivory Coast ^D ^S
Jamaica ^D ^O ^S
Jordan ^D ^S ^Sp
Kazakhstan ^D ^S
Kenya ^D ^S
Kuwait ^D ^Sp
Kyrgyzstan ^D ^S
Laos ^D ^O ^S
Lesotho ^D ^O
Liberia ^D
Lithuania ^D ^S
Macedonia ^D ^S
Malaysia ^D ^O ^S
Maldives ^D ^O
Mali² ^D ^S
Malta ^D ^S
Mauritania ^D ^S
Mauritius ^D ^O ^S ^Sp
Mexico ^D ^O ^S
Moldova ^D ^S
Mongolia ^D ^O ^S
Montenegro ^D ^S
Morocco³ ^D ^S
Mozambique^D ^S
Myanmar ^D ^O ^S
Nepal ^D ^O ^S
Nigeria ^D ^O ^S
North Korea ^D ^O ^S
Oman ^D ^S ^Sp
Pakistan ^D ^O ^S
Peru ^D ^S ^Sp

Philippines ^D ^O ^S
Poland ^D ^S
Romania ^D ^S
Russia ^D ^S
Samoa ^D ^O ^S
San Marino² ^D ^S
Senegal ^D ^S
Serbia ^D ^O
Seychelles ^D ^S
Singapore ^D ^O
Slovakia ^D ^S ^Sp
Slovenia ^D ^S
South Africa ^D ^O
South Korea ^D ^O
South Sudan ^D ^Sp
Sri Lanka ^D ^O
Sudan ^D ^O ^S ^Sp
Suriname ^D ^S
Switzerland² ^D
Tajikistan ^D ^S
Tanzania ^D ^S
Thailand ^D ^O ^S
Timor-Leste ^D ^S
Togo ^D ^S ^Sp
Tonga ^D ^O
Trinidad and Tobago ^D ^O ^S
Tunisia ^D ^S ^Sp
Turkey ^D ^S ^Sp
Turkmenistan ^D ^S
Ukraine ^D ^S
United Arab Emirates ^D ^S ^Sp
United Kingdom⁵ ^D ^O
Uruguay ^D ^O ^S
Uzbekistan ^D
Venezuela ^D ^S
Vietnam ^D ^O ^S
Zimbabwe ^D ^S

_{D — diplomatic passports}
_{O — official passports}
_{S — service passports}
_{Sp — special passports}
_{LP — laissez-passers}
_{1 – 90 days in 180 days, for EU countries not otherwise indicated

2 – 90 days

3 – 60 days

4 – only when accompanying a Minister of the Irish government on an official visit for official passport holders

5 – only when containing a "Visa Exempted" label for official passport holders}
An agreement between China and Cameroon on mutual visa-free visits for holders of diplomatic and service passports was signed in July 2016 and is yet to be ratified

Merchant seamen

All merchant seamen who benefit from the visa waiver must travel on duty and hold the following documents:

a Port Visa Notification;

a Letter of Employment or Letter of Guarantee issued by a Chinese shipping company;

a seaman book; and,

onward tickets and all documents required for their next destination if they are arriving by air in order to board a ship, or arriving by ship and proceeding to the airport.

Merchant seamen from the 11 visa-free countries can enter China without a visa if they satisfy the conditions listed above.
Merchant Seamen from the following countries can also enter China without a visa if they satisfy the conditions listed above and enter China via the following ports of entry:
For nationals of

Ukraine:

Beijing Capital International Airport

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

Nanjing Lukou International Airport

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport

Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Tianjin Binhai International Airport

Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport

For nationals of

Poland:

For nationals of

Lithuania and

Russia:

APEC Business Travel Card

Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the code "CHN" on the back of the card can enter China visa-free for business trips for up to 60 days.
ABTCs are issued to nationals of:

ABTCs are also issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong, however permanent residents with Chinese nationality are required to use their Home Return Permits instead. Only holders of non-Chinese passports can use the card to enter Mainland China.
Although Taiwan is a member of this program, its nationals are also not allowed to use ABTC to enter Mainland China, instead they are required to use Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.

Entry procedures for residents of Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and nationals of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Due to the complicated Cross-Strait relations between People's Republic of China (PRC) and Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan) as well as the One Country, Two Systems policy within PRC regarding Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, travelers who are residents of these three regions cannot use their passports to enter Mainland China if they are nationals of PRC and/or ROC. Instead, they are required to hold different types of permits listed below when travelling to Mainland China.

Overview

Nationality	Residency	Travel with...	Validity	Number of entries	Duration of stay
People's Republic of China	Hong Kong Macao	Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Home Return Permit)^[1]	10 years (for adults)	Multiple	Unlimited stay
			5 years (for minors under 18)	Multiple	Unlimited stay
		Exit and Entry Permit	3 months	Single	3 months
Republic of China	Taiwan	Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents (Taiwan Compatriot Permit)^[1]	5 years	Multiple	Up to 5 years
	Taiwan		3 months	Single	3 months
	None (Nationals without household registration)	Chinese Travel Document	2 years (maximum)	Multiple	Up to 2 years

Residents of Hong Kong or Macau

Although Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR are constituents of China, they maintain their own immigration policies, which are vastly different from those of Mainland China, and individual border controls, which separate the territories from the Mainland. The Chinese government, however, does not consider Chinese nationals with resident status of Hong Kong and Macau travelling to China as international travelers, and hence the SAR passports or British National (Overseas) passports cannot be used when entering or transiting through China, regardless of whether they are arriving from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan or from overseas.
Therefore, in order to enter Mainland China, all permanent residents and some non-permanent residents of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR with Chinese nationality are required to apply for a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (commonly called a "Home Return Permit"), a travel document which also serves as the de facto ID card in Mainland China. The permit is valid for 5 years for individuals under 18 or 10 years for those over 18. All first-time applicants must submit their applications to the China Travel Service (CTS) branch in Hong Kong or Macau while subsequent renewals of the permit can be done in either Mainland China or the two SARs. It is not possible to apply or renew the permit outside the PRC. Holders of the permit can enter Mainland China regardless of purpose of entry and can remain in Mainland China indefinitely, although their social benefits are restricted unlike Chinese nationals with residency in Mainland China. Home Return Permit holders also need to obtain an employment authorization from the municipal governments in order to work legally in Mainland China.
Those who need to travel to Mainland China urgently but do not have a valid Home Return Permit can apply for a Chinese Exit and Entry Permit, also only through the CTS, in Hong Kong or Macau or at the ports of Luohu and Huanggang. The Exit and Entry Permit is valid for 3 months and only good for a single trip to Mainland China. Unlike ROC nationals, there is no permit-on-arrival service at other ports of entry for SAR passport holders, and those seeking to enter Mainland China who arrived at a port of entry without acceptable documentations for entering will be denied entry and removed from Mainland China.

Nationals of Republic of China (Taiwan)

The Chinese government also does not recognize the sovereignty of Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China or ROC), and considers all territories of Taiwan as part of its own. Hence, travelling between Taiwan and Mainland China are also not considered by Chinese government as international travel. As a result, Taiwan passports are not accepted for entry and transit through Mainland China, and ROC nationals with right of abode in Taiwan ("right of abode" is defined as the eligibility of holding a Taiwanese National ID Card) are required to apply for a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, commonly known as "Taiwan Compatriot Permit", before visiting Mainland China.
The 5-year permit, which also serves as the de facto ID card in Mainland China, can be applied from travel agencies in Taiwan and CTS in Hong Kong or Macau. Holders of the permit are allowed to enter Mainland China for any purpose and remain in Mainland China until the expiration date of the permit (up to 5 years). Those who have settled in Mainland China, however, may elect to renew their permits in Mainland China, and they can continue to reside in Mainland China provided that their permits do not expire. A 30-day stay for each visit to Hong Kong is also permitted with the strength of the permit. Like Home Return Permit holders, holders of Taiwan Compatriot Permit also require to obtain a separate employment authorization before working in Mainland China. They can, however, enjoy social benefits in certain municipalities like Shanghai once they have legally settled in Mainland China, some of which are only offered to local residents.^[30]^[31]
For those who have never held a 5-year permit or whose permit has expired, single-entry Taiwan Compatriot Permits may be applied on arrival at some airports. Those who have entered China with single-entry Taiwan Compatriot Permits can apply for a long-term permit at the local EEA office

Applications outside the Greater China Region

As these two permits can only be applied and renewed from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan, residents of Hong Kong and Macau as well as all ROC nationals (including those without right of abode in Taiwan) can apply for a passport-like Chinese Travel Document through the Chinese foreign missions if their permits are expired or if they are residing outside the Greater China region and have never applied for the permits. The travel document is valid for up to two years. Those who also have multiple citizenship with other countries, however, are not eligible to apply for the travel document, and they must use their non-SAR or non-ROC passports (along with appropriate visas) to travel to Mainland China, or they can apply for Home Return Permits or Taiwan Compatriot Permits if they are physically in Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan and they are eligible to do so.

Other visa-free arrangements

Tour group

Citizens of following countries may visit China without a visa for up to 30 days if traveling as part of a tour group that is accompanied by a representative of a tour operator registered in both countries:

Crew members

Citizens of following countries may visit China without a visa if they are travelling as part of the airline crew:

_{1 - only when travelling on duty with Emirates Airlines.}
Nationals of

Russia who hold an identity certificate for suite stewards on international trains can enter visa-free.^[33]
In addition, visa is not required for crew members of airlines that have an agreement with the Chinese government exempting crew members from visa requirements.

Visa-free transit

There are two types of transit-without-visa (TWOV) programs in Mainland China: the 24-hour TWOV, available to passengers of most nationalities at most ports of entry; and the 72/144-hour TWOV, available to certain nationalities and only through specific ports of entry.

24-hour transit

Under the 24-hour TWOV policy, visa is not required for travelers who:

arrive from an international airport (except for Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, Mudanjiang Hailang Airport and Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport, where all passengers in transit are required to hold a visa);
hold confirmed air, cruise or train ticket receipts to a third-country final destination outside Mainland China (with assigned seats, if applicable) departing in 24 hours; and,
depart Mainland China on flight, cruise or train within 24 hours after arrival (if transiting through Urumqi Diwopu International Airport, passengers are permitted to stay in transit for a maximum of 2 hours, afterwards they need to either continue to other domestic transit points and depart China in the next 22 hours, or depart Mainland China from Urumqi immediately in the 2-hour period on an international flight)

Like TWOV rules of other countries, travelers must be in transit to a different country other than the country of departure, hence passengers who travel between the U.S. territories and contiguous United States, Alaska or Hawaii are ineligible for TWOV, unless one of their flights has a stop in another country or territory. The only exceptions to the rule are Hong Kong and Macau, which are considered as countries under the context.
The 24-hour transit rule allows multiple stops within Mainland China, as long as the traveler has a flight segment leaving Mainland China in 24 hours, so it's possible to enter through a port of entry in China, take multiple segments of domestic flights within China, and depart from a different port of entry in under 24 hours. Contrary to the transit rules of other countries, all travelers in transit are required to go through immigration and customs even if they do not intend to leave the airport, except for passengers arriving and departing from Beijing Capital International Airport where they can proceed directly to the sterile transit area without immigration checks.
Leaving the transit area is allowed even for passengers who only have one transit point within Mainland China, however they must also depart China within 24 hours.
Unlike the 72/144-hour TWOV, most nationalities are eligible for the 24-hour TWOV except those listed below. Some individual airports, however, impose their own restrictions on certain nationalities.

Restrictions

Holders of the following travel documents are not eligible for 24-hour TWOV and are required to hold additional permits or identity documents:

British National (Overseas) passport (Home Return Permit or visa required in addition to holder's Hong Kong Identity Card)
Hong Kong SAR passport (Home Return Permit required)
Macau SAR passport (Home Return Permit required)
Taiwan passport (Taiwan Compatriot Permit required)

Holders of SAR passports who are not in possession of Home Return Permits are only allowed to transit through Beijing Capital International Airport or Kunming Changshui International Airport. Holders of Taiwan passports not in possession of their Taiwan Compatriot Permits are only allowed to transit through Beijing Capital International Airport without having to apply for a single-entry Taiwan Compatriot Permit.
The restriction does not apply to holders of these passports who also hold Chinese Travel Documents.
In addition to those listed above, some ports of entry place additional restrictions on nationals of certain countries:

Nationals of Canada and United States are not eligible for the multiple-stop transit within China if one of their transit points is Weihai Dashuibo Airport or Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.^[1]
Nationals of these countries require a visa to transit through Urumqi Diwopu International Airport:^[1]

Nationals of Syria are not eligible for visa-free transit if transiting through Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

72-hour stay / 144-hour stay

Holders of passports issued by the following 51 countries do not require a visa for a 72-hour or a 144-hour stay if they are transiting through the following ports of entry, provided that they:

enter through a port of entry listed below;
hold valid passports and visas for the destination countries (if required); and
hold ticket receipts with confirmed seats departing in 72 or 144 hours, which shows that their first destination (including stopovers) outside China is a third country. Hong Kong and Macau are considered as third countries for transit purposes.

In order to qualify for the 72 or 144-hour TWOV, the traveler's inbound and outbound flights must directly arrive at and depart from one of the acceptable ports of entry from or to a third country (including one of the two SARs). Both flights must have no stopovers of any kind within Mainland China prior to arrival or after departure at the port of entry, and the outbound flight's first stop or destination must be in a different country than the inbound flight's. Travels between U.S. territories and the contiguous U.S. are also ineligible for 72 or 144-hour TWOV, unless one of their flights has a stopover in a third country or a SAR.
A passenger who completed the inspection process will be given a temporary entry permit, which may be in the form of a stamp or a sticker, with the approved area of stay as well as date of entry and departure. The 72 or 144-hour duration of stay starts from 12:01 a.m. on the day following the date of arrival for most ports of entry. For ports of entry marked with ^* below, however, the duration of stay starts on the day of arrival.
Travelers utilizing this scheme are only authorized to visit certain municipalities or provinces listed below, cannot leave the municipalities or provinces and must depart from the same port of entry, except for travelers who enters through ports of entry marked with ^# below, in which they can also depart from any port of entry marked with ^# within the certain municipalities or provinces.
Since 30 January 2016, any traveler who enters through ports of entry marked with ^# in the list below within Shanghai, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province can stay within these areas for up to 144 hours.^[35] A similar policy was reported to be implemented throughout Guangdong Province in late 2016,^[41] but is postponed to early 2017 and as of March 2017 still not materialized.^[42] Similar moves are also under discussion in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province which will not be implemented before the latter half of 2017.
This scheme also applies for holders of valid single or double-entry Chinese visas, who will normally be assessed by the immigration officers first to check whether their itineraries fit the rules listed above. If their travel is deemed to comply with the 72/144-hour TWOV rule and they confirm that they do not intend to leave the approved municipalities, they will be granted the 72/144-hour TWOV temporary entry permit instead and their Chinese visas will not be utilized, unless the traveler specifically requests to use the visa for entry.
Abusing the facility in any way, including cancelling the original outbound ticket and purchasing another to return directly to the inbound country, can cause the traveler to be considered as an illegal resident who may be penalized and blacklisted by the PSB.