China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: 10 Days in China Without a Visa (2026 Guide)
China's 240-hour visa-free transit lets citizens of 55 countries — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, most of Europe, Japan, South Korea and Singapore — stop over in China for up to 10 days (240 hours) without applying for a visa, as long as you are travelling onward to a third country or region and enter through one of the eligible ports. The clock starts at 00:00 the day after you arrive, and you can now move freely across the eligible provinces. If you're already passing through, those 10 days are more than enough to fit in a same-day health check-up or dental consultation — see below.
240-hour transit at a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| How long | Up to 240 hours (10 days) |
| When the clock starts | 00:00 on the day after you enter — your arrival day doesn't count |
| Who qualifies | Passport holders of 55 eligible countries |
| Key condition | A confirmed onward ticket (date + seat) to a third country or region |
| Where you can enter | 65 ports across 24 provinces and regions (as of November 2025) |
| Where you can travel | Across the eligible provinces — no longer confined to one city |
| Cost | Free — no visa fee, applied for on arrival at immigration |
Policy details on this page are verified against the National Immigration Administration and China's State Council and are current as of November 2025. The scheme keeps expanding, so confirm your specific port before you fly.
What is China's 240-hour visa-free transit?
It's a transit exemption: if you're flying (or sailing, or taking the train) from one country to another via China, you can leave the airport and spend up to 10 days in the country without a visa. It replaced the older 72-hour and 144-hour transit schemes at most ports in December 2024, and coverage has kept expanding — Indonesia became the 55th eligible nationality in June 2025, and the number of open ports grew from 60 to 65 in November 2025.
This is different from applying for a visa in advance. If you'd rather compare full visa options — including the 30-day visa-free entry many nationalities now qualify for, and standard tourist (L) visas — start with our China visa guide by country.
Who is eligible?
As of late 2025, citizens of 55 countries can use 240-hour visa-free transit. They include:
- North America: United States, Canada, Mexico
- Europe: the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and most other Schengen and non-Schengen states, plus Russia
- Asia-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand
- Middle East & South America: the UAE, Qatar, Brazil, Argentina, Chile
Check your own country's exact entry rules on its dedicated page — for example United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia.
The one rule people get wrong: you must be going to a third country
This is the single most common reason travellers are turned away. Visa-free transit is for transit — you must arrive from Country A and depart to Country C, where C is different from A. A round trip (home → China → home) does not qualify, and neither does entering China as your final destination.
You'll need to show a connecting ticket with a confirmed date and seat to that third country or region, booked before you arrive — Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan count as separate "regions" for this purpose. Immigration officers check this at the border, so have it ready.
A handy option if you enter via Shenzhen or Guangzhou: because Hong Kong counts as a separate region, an onward ticket to Hong Kong satisfies the rule — and the high-speed train from Shenzhen to Hong Kong West Kowloon takes about 15 minutes, making it one of the easiest onward journeys to arrange.
How the 10 days are counted
The 240 hours begin at 00:00 on the day after you enter. So if you land on a Monday afternoon, Monday is effectively free and your 10-day count runs from Tuesday at midnight. That quirk gives you a little extra time — plenty to land, rest, and still have a full working week on the ground.
Where you can enter — and where you can go
You can enter through any of 65 designated ports across 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and — unlike the old rules — you can now travel between the eligible regions rather than being confined to your entry city. Major gateways include:
| Entry city | Region | SinoCareLink medical hub? |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | Shanghai | Yes — Ruijin & Yueyang hospitals |
| Beijing | Beijing | Yes — leading tier-3A hospitals |
| Shenzhen / Guangzhou | Guangdong | Yes — Taikang Qianhai, HKU-SZH |
| Hangzhou | Zhejiang | Reachable from Shanghai |
| Chengdu | Sichuan | — |
| Xi'an | Shaanxi | — |
Because you can combine neighbouring eligible regions, the practical travel clusters are:
- Yangtze River Delta — enter at Shanghai or Hangzhou, then move across Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
- Greater Bay Area — enter at Shenzhen or Guangzhou (Guangdong), with Hong Kong a short hop away for your onward leg.
- Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei — enter at Beijing, with Tianjin and Hebei within reach.
- Chengdu-Chongqing — enter at Chengdu (Sichuan) or Chongqing for western China.
A few regions have a narrower designated scope than others, so check the official National Immigration Administration port list for the exact boundaries of your route before you book.
Can you get medical care during visa-free transit?
Yes — for genuine transit travellers, a routine health check-up or consultation is a personal activity the policy doesn't prohibit. The stated transit purposes are tourism, business, visiting family and exchanges, so your trip should be a genuine onward journey — but within that, those 10 days are ideal for the kind of care that fits a single visit:
- A comprehensive health check-up — most packages are completed in one morning, with preliminary results the same or next day and a full English report to follow. A comparable executive physical runs $3,000–$8,000 in the US or UK, often with a months-long wait; in China a 30+ test panel is $399–$599 on Siemens/GE/Philips-class equipment. Shenzhen offers an HKU-hospital screening from around $399.
- A sedated gastroscopy or colonoscopy — the prep, procedure and recovery fit inside a 36–48 hour window, comfortably within your stay. See sedated GI endoscopy in China.
- A dental consultation, scan and written quote — a smart first step before planning implant treatment. See dental tourism in China.
- Advanced imaging — MRI, CT or a full-body PET-CT scan at a fraction of Western prices.
- A Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation or a wellness assessment.
A practical tip: land in the evening, sleep through your 8–12 hour fast, and do the bloodwork first thing in the morning — the fasting happens while you rest, and the afternoon is free to sightsee. Wherever you land, we can coordinate care in English: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou all have English-speaking medical companions and same-day scheduling.
A sample 3-day transit health-check itinerary
Here's how a check-up slots into a genuine stopover without eating into your trip:
- Day 1 — Arrive & rest: land in the afternoon or evening, clear immigration on your visa-free transit, check into your hotel and begin your overnight fast.
- Day 2 — Health check-up: a fasted morning screening — bloods, imaging, cardiac and cancer-marker tests — usually wrapped up by early afternoon, leaving the rest of the day to explore the city.
- Day 3 — Results & onward: collect your preliminary results and a doctor's consultation, then continue to your third-country destination — all well within the 10-day window.
Being honest: when transit is not the right route
Some treatments don't fit a stopover, and some travellers aren't really transiting. Please note:
- Multi-visit treatment — dental implants, All-on-4 and orthodontics need two trips months apart, so they can't be completed inside one transit window. Use the first stopover for the consultation and scan, then return on a proper visa for treatment.
- If China is your destination — coming specifically for treatment and flying home again is a round trip, which does not qualify for transit. You'll want the 30-day visa-free entry (available to many nationalities) or a tourist visa instead — our visa guide shows which applies to you.
Not sure which route fits your plans? Tell us your passport, your dates and what you'd like done, and we'll map out the simplest legal way to do it — get in touch.
240-hour vs 144-hour vs 72-hour transit
You may still see references to 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit. As of December 2024 the 240-hour policy replaced both at the participating ports, so at eligible entry points you now get the full 10 days rather than 3 or 6. A handful of ports and rules can still differ, which is why it's worth confirming your specific airport before you fly.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I stay in China without a visa on 240-hour transit?
Up to 240 hours — 10 days — counted from 00:00 the day after you enter. Your arrival day itself isn't counted, so you effectively get a little extra.
Do I really need an onward ticket to a third country?
Yes. You must hold a confirmed onward ticket (with a fixed date and seat) to a country or region different from where you came from, and it must be booked before you arrive. This is the number-one reason travellers are refused, so have it ready at immigration.
Can I travel between cities during visa-free transit?
Yes. Under the current rules you can move across the eligible provinces and regions, not just stay in your entry city — though a few areas limit you to specific cities, so check the port list for your route.
Can I see a doctor or get a health check-up during a China stopover?
For genuine transit travellers a routine check-up or consultation is a personal activity the policy doesn't prohibit. A one-day health check-up, dental consultation, imaging scan or TCM assessment all fit comfortably within 10 days. Treatments needing two trips (like dental implants) should be started on the stopover and completed later on a proper visa.
Do I need to apply in advance, or is it granted on arrival?
It's granted on arrival at the immigration counter — there's no advance application and no fee. Just have your passport and your confirmed onward ticket ready.
Can I use 240-hour visa-free transit more than once a year?
Yes. There's no annual cap — each qualifying entry starts a fresh 240-hour period, as long as you meet the onward-travel condition each time.
Do Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region for my onward ticket?
Yes. An onward ticket to Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan satisfies the third-region requirement, since they are treated as separate regions for the policy.
Do I need to register with the police after I arrive?
Yes, within 24 hours of arrival. If you stay in a hotel this is usually handled automatically at check-in; if you stay privately, register at the local police station.
How many months of passport validity do I need?
You need a valid passport from an eligible country. Allow at least six months' validity to be safe, and check any port-specific requirements before you fly.
Which cities can I fly into?
65 ports across 24 provinces and regions, including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Xi'an. Check the official National Immigration Administration list for the full, current set.
What if China is my final destination, not a transit stop?
Then 240-hour transit doesn't apply — it's only for onward travel to a third country. Many nationalities now qualify for 30-day visa-free entry for tourism, or you can apply for a tourist visa. See our China visa guide by country.
Planning a China stopover? Let us fit in your health check-up or dental consult →