Visa procedures used to be the first hurdle for many foreign visitors. To revive inbound tourism and boost China’s global appeal, Beijing has been loosening entry rules since 2023. Thirty-eight countries—including France, Germany, Brazil and Japan—now enjoy one-way visa-free stays of up to 30 days; reciprocal waivers are already in place with Thailand, Singapore and others. Citizens of 54 nations can transit any of 60 ports in 24 provinces for up to 240 hours (10 days) without a visa, while ASEAN tour groups may spend six visa-free days in Xishuangbanna.
The impact was instant. Between January and October 2025, visa-free arrivals jumped 123 % year-on-year and accounted for 71 % of all foreign entries. During the May-Day holiday, inbound travel orders doubled, and long-haul visitors switched from “transit selfies” to multi-city itineraries. International flight searches spiked, hotels report three-month advance bookings, and payment, language and accommodation services have all been streamlined.
With the waiver list still expanding, airline capacity rebounding and high-speed rail now connecting major border gateways, China is on track to welcome well over 100 million foreign tourists in 2025-26. The ripple effect will lift retail, MICE and cultural spending, offering the world an open, confident and vibrant destination that can truly be visited on impulse.
The following are the detailed contents for China’s visa-free policy:
30-day Visa-free Entry: Ordinary-passport holders who travel for tourism, family visits or business and stay ≤ 30 days:
Europe (34 countries): France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, Sweden
Oceania (2 countries): Australia, New Zealand
Asia (7 countries): South Korea, Japan, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain
South America (5 countries): Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay
10-day Transit Visa-free Entry: Citizens of the 55 countries listed below may enter China visa-free if they hold a through ticket to a third country/region. Permitted stay: up to 10 days, multi-province travel allowed via 65 ports in 24 provinces (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an, etc.):
Austria, Belgium, Czech Rep., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, Russia, U.K., Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Norway, U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, UAE, Qatar, Indonesia
