Visa & entry in China

Whether you need a visa for China, and the three routes that get most travellers in without one.

What everyone needs to know

Unilateral visa-free entry lets a fixed list of nationalities stay up to 30 days — the list is revised, always re-check it before booking.
The 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit requires arriving from one country and departing to a different one, with a confirmed onward ticket.
A visa-free stay cannot normally be extended in-country; overstaying is a fine plus a possible entry ban.
Hotels register you with the police automatically. If you stay in a private home you must register at a police station within 24 hours.

Item	Typical value
Automatic 30-day entry	≈48 nationalities (unilateral visa-free)
Visa-free transit	240 hours / 10 days, 65 ports
Transit time limit	Counted from 00:00 the day after entry
Standard L visa	Single/double/multi-entry, 30–90 days per stay

Check your nationality against the current unilateral visa-free list on the National Immigration Administration site.
If not covered, check whether your route qualifies for 240-hour transit — you need an onward ticket to a third country.
If neither applies, apply at a China Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in your country; allow 4–10 working days.
Carry a printed hotel address in Chinese on arrival — immigration and taxi drivers may ask for it.

Booking a return ticket to the same country you arrived from, then expecting 240-hour transit to apply.
Assuming a visa-free entry can be extended at the local exit-entry bureau.
Leaving the visa application until three weeks before travel in peak season.