- Can I Travel to China Without a Visa?
- Which Countries Don’t Need Visas for China?
- China Visa on Arrival
- How Do I Get a Chinese Visa?
- Preparing for Your China Trip
Can I Travel to China Without a Visa?
No, all US citizens are required to have some sort of visa to enter China for an extended period of time. However, China allows 72- or 144-hour visa-free transit for US passport holders—in essence, a temporary entry permit.
To qualify, you need to enter through an eligible port of entry (like Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, or Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport) and show proof of departure from an approved port of entry within either the 72- or 144-hour time period. Your arrival and departure flights must have no stopovers within Mainland China and must originate and terminate in a different country. You also need a valid passport, with validity at least three months beyond your intended arrival date.
If you’re just looking for a few days to explore Beijing or another major city, this is an easy way to do it. This option is also available to 48 other countries, including Singapore and those in the European Union.
US citizens are also allowed visa-free entry to China if they’re transiting through a major Chinese airport for less than 24 hours and aren’t actually passing through customs and immigration to enter Mainland China.
Which Countries Don’t Need Visas for China?
Twenty-two visa-free countries have agreements that permit visa-free entry into China for a set number of days for ordinary passport holders.
For citizens of Singapore and Brunei, China permits visa-free travel for up to 15 days for tourism and business purposes. For the other 20 visa-exempt countries, entry is permitted for 30, 60, or 90 days. Those countries include: Armenia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and San Marino (90 days); Mauritius (60 days); and Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Dominica, Ecuador, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, Mongolia, Qatar, Serbia, Suriname, Seychelles, Tonga, and the United Arab Emirates (30 days).
China Visa on Arrival
Under the 72- and 144-hour visa-free transit rules, travelers from those 49 countries are technically permitted a visa upon arrival, as long as they have a valid passport, arrive and depart from an eligible port of entry, and have proof of departure from the country within either the 72- or 144-hour time frame.
Visas upon arrival are also available to some eligible countries, including the US, Australia, and the UK for entry into non-Mainland China areas, like Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen, and Hainan.
How Do I Get a Chinese Visa?
You may not be able to visit China visa-free, but it’s easy to obtain the proper documentation through Entriva’s visa application portal. There are several types of Chinese visas available, the most popular of which is valid for 10 years.