Transit Visa Exemptions in China: 24-Hour, 72-Hour, and 144-Hour Options

UPDATE (December 17, 2024): The National Immigration Administration (NIA) of China has announced a major expansion and optimization of its visa-free transit policy, effective December 17, 2024. Under the upgraded policy, eligible foreign travelers transiting through China can now stay for up to 240 hours (10 days), a significant extension from the previous 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit policy. In addition, 21 new ports have been added, increasing the total number of visa-free entry/exit points to 60 across 24 provinces.

Foreign travelers transiting through China have several options for transit visa exemptions. These transit visa exemptions allow eligible foreign travelers a visa-free visit for 24, 72, or 144 hours.

Although requirements for each transit visa exemption are different, each transit visa exemption stipulates that foreign travelers are only eligible when traveling through China between two different countries. Further, onward travel must occur within 24, 72, or 144 hours of arrival.

To obtain a transit visa exemption, travelers should review eligibility requirements, and confirm their eligibility before departure.

After confirmation, travelers must communicate their intention to obtain a transit visa exemption to their airline prior to travel. The airline will liaise with border control officials, who grant transit visa exemptions to travelers who meet requirements after verification.

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In most cases, the transit visa exemption only allows the traveler to visit the province of their arrival. However, travelers entering China via Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing can travel within Shanghai, Zhejiang province, and Jiangsu province, and travelers entering via Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and Qinhuangdao can travel within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

As China endeavors to promote people-to-people exchange, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been expanded multiple times. Currently, citizens from 54 countries can enjoy this preferential transit policy to enter and travel in more than 30 cities of the Chinese mainland.

In this article, we walk you through the details of these transit visa exemption policies.

The 24-hour transit visa exemption

Foreign travelers transiting through China within 24 hours to reach another country of destination may be eligible for a 24-hour Transit Visa Exemption. This visa exemption is available to all foreigners (except those exempted due to special circumstances), and most ports of entry in China.

Travelers must provide a connecting ticket to a third country. They are not permitted to leave the city in which they arrived during their 24-hour stay and must leave the country within 24 hours.  

The 72-hour transit visa exemption

Foreign travelers transiting through China within 72 hours to reach another country of destination may be eligible for the 72-hour Transit Visa Exemption. This visa exemption is only available to citizens of participating countries traveling through participating ports of entry in China.

To obtain this visa exemption, the foreign national must have a valid passport from one of the 54 countries, which includes:

• 25 Schengen countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland);
• 15 other European countries (Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, UK, and Ukraine);
• Six countries in North and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the US);
• Two Oceanic countries (Australia and New Zealand); and
• Six Asian countries (Brunei, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, and UAE).

There are currently only four entry ports in China that offer 72-hour visa-free entry, as the majority of ports that previously offered it now offer the 144-hour permit instead. The ports are Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, Beihai Port (Passenger), Harbin Taiping International Airport, and Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

The 144-hour transit visa exemption

Foreign travelers transiting through China within 144 hours to reach another country of destination may be eligible for the 144-hour transit visa exemption. This visa exemption is available to citizens of 54 countries who are eligible for the 72-hour transit visa exemption.

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Under the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, foreign travelers can apply for a six-day entry permit to certain Chinese cities upon arrival at the port of entry, provided they hold a passport from one of the 54 eligible countries. They also must show that they are traveling to a third country after leaving China, which means they must show a connecting ticket to a third country when arriving in China. This is a great option for people who want to make a short stop-over to explore various areas of the country. 

Eligible travelers can only apply for the 144-hour visa-free transit if they enter through one of the 35 designated ports. In addition, travelers are only allowed to travel within a certain area on the entry permit and exit the country through designated ports as well. People who travel outside the permitted area and exit the country through a non-designated port may face certain penalties. 

The 144-hour transit visa exemption was first introduced to three cities in East China’s Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang area: Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing in 2016. This exemption policy has gradually been expanded to over 20 cities in the past eight years.

The applicable cities are:

• Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang (Hebei Province), Qinhuangdao (Hebei Province), Shanghai, Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province), Ningbo (Zhejiang Province), Wenzhou (Zhejiang Province), Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province), Nanjing (Jiangsu Province), Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Guangzhou (Guangdong Province), Shenzhen (Guangdong Province ), Jieyang (Guangdong Province), Shenyang (Liaoning Province), Dalian (Liaoning Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Zhengzhou (Henan Province), Chongqing, Kunming (Yunnan Province), Lijiang (Yunnan Province), Xishuangbanna (Yunnan Province), Chengdu (Sichuan Province), Xi’an (Shaanxi Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), and Wuhan (Hubei Province).

The applicable city, entry and exit ports, and scope of permitted travel of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy are as below:

Confirm eligibility before departure

Travelers planning on visiting China with a visa exemption are advised to confirm their eligibility with the relevant port of entry in China or their local Chinese embassy/consulate before departure. The nature of the traveler’s itinerary and other factors may influence eligibility to qualify for a visa exemption.

Prospective travelers may also use a tool released by China’s State Council to determine their eligibility for a visa exemption based on their nationality and port of entry.

A comparison of the three policies can be found in below table:

For more detailed information, please read our China Briefing articles:

• A Complete Guide to China’s Visa-Free Policies
• China Further Expands the 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy- A Complete Guide
• China Resumes 144-hour Visa-Free Transit Policy for Foreigners – Who Can Apply?

(This article was originally published on September 6, 2017. It was republished on October 17 to reflect the recent updates.)

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