China 30-day visa-free entry (October 2026): the 50-country list and the December 31, 2026 deadline

Which 50 countries get 30 days visa-free in China?

This is the National Immigration Administration's list, published on 17 February 2026. We checked it on 1 October 2026 against the embassy FAQs updated in May and June 2026 and found no change. Holders of an ordinary passport from these countries can enter for tourism, business, family visits, exchange visits or transit, for up to 30 days.

Unless marked, the end date is 31 December 2026. Sweden joined on 10 November 2025.

My country is not on the list. What are my options?

• US citizens. The US is not on the 30-day list. Two routes avoid a visa. The 240-hour transit allows up to 10 days with an onward ticket to a third country or region, inside each province's permitted area: see where you can go, province by province. Hainan's regional policy allows 30 days visa-free for 61 countries including the US, but you must enter and leave China through one of Hainan's own open ports, such as Haikou or Sanya airport, and stay inside Hainan (NIA regional policy page). A route that clears immigration in Shanghai or Guangzhou first does not qualify: Hainan's public security department says the policy cannot apply if you complete entry procedures at another open port in China before coming to Hainan (Hainan Provincial Public Security Department, 6 Nov 2024). For anything else you need a visa.
• Czechia and Lithuania. Both are missing from the 30-day list, although both are on the 240-hour list. Both are also on Hainan's 61-country list (30 days, Hainan only).
• Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and others enter visa-free under separate bilateral agreements. See below.
• Everyone else. The notices say that anyone who does not meet the conditions must get a visa before entering China.

Does the 30-day visa-free entry end on December 31, 2026?

For 48 of the 50 countries, the stated end date is 31 December 2026. The Foreign Ministry's notice of 3 November 2025 extended the policy for France and the other listed countries to 24:00 on that day and added Sweden from 10 November 2025. The English text of that notice counts the listed countries as 45. A notice of 15 February 2026 gave the UK and Canada the same end date. Those 45, plus Sweden, the UK and Canada, make the 48. Russia's policy runs to 31 December 2027, under a notice of 20 May 2026. Brunei's has no end date. As of 1 October 2026 we have found no announcement about what happens after 31 December 2026.

What if my trip crosses 31 December?

The official texts do not say. We read the three Foreign Ministry notices, the ministry spokesperson's answer on the UK and Canada, and the embassy FAQs (updated May and June 2026). They give the end date. None of them says whether someone who enters on or before it can stay on past it. We have no official basis to tell you it is allowed, or that it is not.

The arithmetic shows who is exposed. Your 30 days are counted from the day after you enter. Enter on 1 December 2026 and a full stay ends on 31 December, inside the period. Enter on 2 December or later and a full 30 days runs into 2027. That is our calculation, not an official example.

The embassy FAQ has only two related rules. A stay of more than 30 days needs a visa applied for in advance. If a justified need to stay longer comes up after you have entered, you apply for a stay permit at the local public-security exit-entry office.

What we would do:

1. Trip ends by 31 December. You are inside the stated period.
2. Trip crosses 31 December. Do not count on visa-free days after the end date. Shorten the trip to leave by 31 December, apply for a visa before you travel, or ask a Chinese embassy or consulate in writing and keep the reply.
3. Trip starts after 31 December 2026 (Russia and Brunei are the exceptions). Do not book on a visa-free assumption until an extension is announced.
4. Check again before you pay. Read en.nia.gov.cn and the Foreign Ministry's consular notices on cs.mfa.gov.cn. We re-check the official notices every week and update this page when the rules change.

Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and other mutual-exemption countries

A second group enters visa-free under bilateral agreements instead of the unilateral list. Singapore has had one since 9 February 2024, Thailand since 1 March 2024 and Malaysia since 17 July 2025. The UAE, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Serbia and Belarus are in the same group. The Foreign Ministry's agreement table (updated 29 May 2026) is the reference. Counting its ordinary-passport rows ourselves, we get 29 countries. The table prints no total, so treat 29 as our count and look up your own country's row.

The rules usually differ from the unilateral policy: under the agreements a single stay is generally up to 30 days and no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, according to the National Immigration Administration. Check your own country's agreement for its exact terms. The unilateral policy has, for now, no limit on the number of entries or the total days.

Passport, tickets and arrival rules

• Passport. You need an ordinary passport valid for at least the length of your intended stay in China. The FAQs give no fixed number of months, unlike the 240-hour transit, which asks for three months. Airlines may apply their own validity rules at check-in, so ask yours. Travel documents and temporary or emergency documents do not qualify.
• Return or onward ticket. The official conditions are an ordinary passport, a permitted purpose and a stay of up to 30 days. A ticket out of China is not among them, which is a difference from the 240-hour transit. The FAQ only recommends carrying documents that match your purpose: invitation letters, air tickets and hotel bookings.
• Purpose check. Border officers check that your purpose fits the policy. If it does not, for example because you are coming to work, they can refuse entry.
• Ports, repeat visits and advance declaration. Any sea, land or air port open to foreigners works. Repeat visits are allowed, and there is currently no cap on entries or total days. You do not need to declare anything to a Chinese embassy before you travel.
• Register where you stay. A hotel registers you. If you stay anywhere else, such as with friends or in a private rental, you or your host must register with the local public security authorities within 24 hours of arriving there. Failing to register brings a warning and can bring a fine of up to ¥2,000 (Exit and Entry Administration Law, Articles 39 and 76).