As of 20 October 2026. This page is informational, not legal advice. China's visa-free scheme for these passports ends at 24:00 Beijing time on 31 December 2026 unless extended, and entry is always at the border officer's discretion. Verify with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Immigration Administration and your own government's travel advice before you fly.
UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders can enter mainland China without a visa for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit. US citizens cannot: they still need a visa, or must use the 240-hour transit with an onward ticket to a third country.
Passport | Visa-free? | Days per entry | Since | Runs until |
|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | Yes (British citizen passports) | 30 | 17 February 2026 | 31 December 2026 |
Canada | Yes | 30 | 17 February 2026 | 31 December 2026 |
Australia | Yes | 30 | 1 July 2024 (30 days from 30 November 2024) | 31 December 2026 |
New Zealand | Yes | 30 | 1 July 2024 (30 days from 30 November 2024) | 31 December 2026 |
Ireland | Yes | 30 | 14 March 2024 (30 days from 30 November 2024) | 31 December 2026 |
United States | No — visa needed | 240-hour transit only | — | — |
Who gets 30 days visa-free in China in 2026?
Ordinary-passport holders from the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland get up to 30 days per entry without a visa, for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit. The scheme ends at 24:00 Beijing time on 31 December 2026. The United States is not on the list.
China’s unilateral visa-free list grew in steps. Ireland joined on 14 March 2024, Australia and New Zealand on 1 July 2024, all at 15 days. On 30 November 2024 the stay went up to 30 days. The UK and Canada were added from 17 February 2026, announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs two days earlier. The current term for all five runs to the end of 2026.
Two limits apply to everyone on the list. Diplomatic and official passports are not covered and still need a visa. And visa-free means no visa, not guaranteed entry: border officers decide.
For UK travelers there is one more check. The UK government’s advice describes the waiver for passports showing the nationality “British citizen”. If your passport says anything else, such as British National (Overseas), confirm with the Chinese embassy before you book; we could not find an official statement that covers it.
Do US citizens need a visa for China?
Yes. The United States is not on China's visa-free list in 2026, so US citizens need a tourist (L) visa from a Chinese embassy or consulate. The only visa-free route is the 240-hour transit, which requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region within 10 days.
This is the corridor where bad information costs the most. Several commercial visa sites state that Americans get 30 days visa-free. No official list we checked includes the United States: not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcements of 3 November 2025 and 15 February 2026, and not the embassy notices that reproduce the full list. An American who boards on that claim can be refused at check-in.
The visa route starts with an online application through the Chinese embassy’s system in the US, after which the passport is submitted in person. Check the current steps and fees with the embassy or consulate that covers your state.
How the 240-hour visa-free transit works
Nationals of 57 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, can stay up to 240 hours without a visa when transiting China to a third country or region. You need a confirmed onward ticket, a passport valid at least 3 months, and you must stay within 24 provincial-level regions.
The transit scheme is the real option for Americans, and a useful one for everyone else on a multi-stop trip. The National Immigration Administration lists 57 eligible countries and 65 open ports as of 20 August 2026, when Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added. Travel between the 24 participating provincial-level regions is allowed.
The trap is the word “third”. A ticket from the US to Shanghai and back to the US is not a transit: you would be returning to where you came from. A ticket from the US to Shanghai and on to Seoul or Tokyo qualifies. Hong Kong and Macau are widely reported as counting as a separate region for this purpose, but we did not find that in an official text, so confirm it with your airline before you rely on it.
Hainan Island runs its own 30-day visa-free scheme for nationals of 61 countries, valid only within Hainan Province. Check whether your passport is on that list before you plan around it.
What happens after 31 December 2026?
No extension has been announced for the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland as of 20 October 2026. Russia's visa-free entry was extended to the end of 2027 in May 2026, and the last renewal for the others came in early November 2025. Check again before booking travel for 2027.
Beijing has renewed this scheme before rather than letting it lapse. The 2026 term for most countries was announced on 3 and 4 November 2025, about eight weeks before the old term ended. That is a pattern, not a promise. If your trip starts in January 2027 or later, treat a visa as possibly required until the Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the new term, and we will update this page when it does.
What visa-free entry does not cover
Work, study and journalism need a visa, whatever your passport. Stays longer than 30 days need a visa. And Hong Kong and Macau are separate immigration systems with their own, longer visa-free stays for these passports, so a trip that starts in Hong Kong is two border crossings, not one.
For every country your passport reaches without a visa, see our pages for US, UK, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and Irish passport holders.
FAQ
Sources
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson remarks, 15 February 2026 — visa-free entry for Canada and the UK from 17 February 2026 to 31 December 2026.
- Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto, notice, 17 February 2026 — 30 days, permitted purposes, end date.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, press conference, 3 November 2025 — extension of the scheme to 31 December 2026.
- Chinese Embassy in Ireland, notice, 4 November 2025 — full country list, 30 days, purposes.
- Chinese Consulate-General in Adelaide, notice, 4 November 2025 and Auckland, notice, 4 November 2025 — Australia and New Zealand.
- National Immigration Administration, 20 August 2026 — 240-hour transit at 57 countries; Hainan 30-day scheme.
- Shanghai municipal government, 240-hour transit policy, updated 20 August 2026 and Beijing municipal government, transit FAQ — third-country ticket, passport validity.
- Shanghai municipal government, 20 May 2026 — Russia extended to 31 December 2027.
- GOV.UK, China entry requirements and travel.gc.ca, China — UK and Canadian government advice (checked 20 October 2026).
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