# Visa-free entry: who qualifies, and until when Source: https://chinachecked.org/china/visa-free-entry/ Publisher: China Checked Last checked: 12 Nov 2026 Evidence checks supported: 4 of 4 Status: Online evidence reviewed; not a field test. ## Short answer Eligible ordinary-passport holders can visit for up to 30 days for the permitted purposes. Check the NIA country list and the current notice for your own passport. The cited general extension covers entry through 31 December 2026; the Russian notice runs through 31 December 2027. Do not apply one expiry date to every nationality. ## Verification on 12 Nov 2026 These checks assess evidence for the stated route and conditions. Source support is separate from personal testing; read each finding and its limits below. ## Steps - 1 Find your country on the official list. Chinese embassies publish it in their notice on the extension of the unilateral visa-free policy.Official rule - 2 Check that your whole stay is 30 days or fewer and that your purpose is tourism, business, a family visit, an exchange or transit.Official rule - 3 Check the deadline for your nationality. The embassy FAQ lists 31 December 2026 for 48 countries, 31 December 2027 for Russia, and no expiry for Brunei. Recheck the official notice before travel.Official rule - 4 If you do not meet the conditions, apply for a visa before you travel.Official rule ## How to tell it worked A red seal means the stated requirement or route has sufficient supporting evidence. It does not mean our team registered, paid or travelled. Official instructions can establish supported requirements; a live form alone does not prove a successful card settlement. Independent checks may remain incomplete, and not-applicable items are excluded from the total. [Evidence behind these checks](#verification) ## If it fails ### Your country is not on the list You need a visa, unless you qualify for visa-free transit, which has its own rules. We have not yet written the transit guide. ### Your trip runs past 31 December 2026 The policy has been renewed each year so far, usually with an announcement in early November, but no extension into 2027 had been announced when we last looked. Plan for a visa as the fallback. ### You plan to stay more than 30 days Visa-free entry does not cover it. Apply for a visa before you travel. ## Every fact on this page Each fact has its own link, so you can point to exactly what you are relying on. Visa-free entry allows a stay of no more than 30 days. Official rule Chinese embassy notice on the extension of the unilateral visa-free policy · read 10 Nov 2026 It covers business, tourism, family visits, exchanges and transit. Official rule Chinese embassy notice · read 10 Nov 2026 It applies to holders of ordinary passports from the listed countries. Official rule Chinese embassy notice · read 10 Nov 2026 The cited general extension notice sets entry eligibility through 31 December 2026 for the countries it covers; country-specific notices can differ. Official rule State Council news release, 4 Nov 2025 · embassy notice Travellers who do not meet the conditions must get a visa before travelling. Official rule Chinese embassy notice · read 10 Nov 2026 For Russian passport holders, visa-free entry was extended to 31 December 2027. Official rule [Source checked · 11 Nov 2026](https://khabarovsk.china-consulate.gov.cn/rus/lsfw/fhqz/202605/t20260520_11914506.htm) The cited general notice still states 31 December 2026; it is not evidence that every nationality has that expiry date or that a future renewal is guaranteed. Secondary report Our search of official and news sources on 10 Nov 2026 ## Sources [Source checked 1](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html) [Source checked 2](https://bs.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyw/qz/202511/t20251107_11748694.htm) [Source checked 3](https://khabarovsk.china-consulate.gov.cn/rus/lsfw/fhqz/202605/t20260520_11914506.htm) [Embassy of China, Notice on the Extension of the Unilateral Visa-Free Policy](https://bs.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyw/qz/202511/t20251107_11748694.htm) [State Council, China to extend unilateral visa-free policy, 4 Nov 2025](https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202511/04/content_WS690964b0c6d00ca5f9a0749d.html) ## Changes to this page 11 Nov 2026 We compared the NIA eligibility list with embassy notices. Expiry dates depend on the passport: the cited general extension notice gives 31 December 2026, while the 20 May 2026 Russian notice gives 31 December 2027. The list alone is not an expiry-date table. No registration, payment or border crossing was performed; check the notice for your own nationality. 10 Nov 2026 Page drafted from official notices. Checked again for an extension into 2027: none announced. ## Evidence checks 4 of 4 applicable checks supported. Online evidence review; not a China Checked field test. ### Official rules — Evidence verified NIA and embassy notices establish nationality, passport type, purposes and validity constraints. Source-backed requirements and supported routes; not a successful transaction by China Checked. - [Unilateral visa-exemption eligibility list](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html) — National Immigration Administration, 2026-02-17 - [Passport eligibility, purposes and policy validity](https://bs.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyw/qz/202511/t20251107_11748694.htm) — Embassy of China in The Bahamas - [Embassy FAQ: nationalities, validity dates and entry documents](https://se.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyfw/202511/t20251110_11750037.htm) — Chinese Embassy in Sweden, 2026-05-27 ### Procedure and interface — Evidence verified Official notices specify the documents and eligibility to check before travelling; the traveller still undergoes border inspection. Source-backed requirements and supported routes; not a successful transaction by China Checked. - [Passport eligibility, purposes and policy validity](https://bs.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyw/qz/202511/t20251107_11748694.htm) — Embassy of China in The Bahamas - [Unilateral visa-exemption eligibility list](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html) — National Immigration Administration, 2026-02-17 - [Embassy FAQ: nationalities, validity dates and entry documents](https://se.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyfw/202511/t20251110_11750037.htm) — Chinese Embassy in Sweden, 2026-05-27 ### Foreign-passport requirements — Evidence verified Eligibility explicitly requires an ordinary passport from a covered nationality; it is not an account-registration test. Source-backed requirements and supported routes; not a successful transaction by China Checked. - [Unilateral visa-exemption eligibility list](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html) — National Immigration Administration, 2026-02-17 - [Passport eligibility, purposes and policy validity](https://bs.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyw/qz/202511/t20251107_11748694.htm) — Embassy of China in The Bahamas - [Embassy FAQ: nationalities, validity dates and entry documents](https://se.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsyfw/202511/t20251110_11750037.htm) — Chinese Embassy in Sweden, 2026-05-27 ### Payment route — Not applicable Visa-free entry itself has no ticket-purchase or card-payment step. Not counted as a completed payment test, and excluded from the denominator. ### Entry or use requirements — Evidence verified NIA reports actual visa-free admissions in 2026, establishing that these policies are operational. Aggregate data includes multiple visa-free schemes; eligibility for a specific passport still depends on its own notice and inspection. - [Actual visa-free entries during Spring Festival 2026](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c196350/content.html) — National Immigration Administration, 2026-02-26