Official-source query manual
Visa and entry rules for China
Start with your entry route, then check the visa class and the official documents.
Four entry routes, in the order that decides between them
Visa exemption and transit figures retrieved 2026-10-01
- 01 Unilateral visa exemption Ordinary passport holders from listed countries Up to 30 days Purpose limited to business, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, exchange visit, transit
- 02 Visa-free transit Travellers passing through China to a third country 24 / 240 hours Needs a valid visa for the onward country; 240 hours must leave from a covered port
- 03 Port visa Ordinary passport holders who can apply at an open port Valid for one entry Officially a way of obtaining a visa, not a visa class
- 04 A visa applied for abroad Anyone staying long, or whose purpose exceeds the first three As annotated on the visa L/M/F/Z/X1/X2/Q/S/R — the class follows the purpose
National Immigration Administration (nia.gov.cn) Consular Affairs (cs.mfa.gov.cn)
In the handbook
- 01
Entry routes
Which way in? Visa-free, transit, port visa, or a visa you apply for abroad
Every route into mainland China rests on one test: what is your nationality and passport, and why are you coming. Start here before you look at any visa class.
- 02
Visa classes
The visa classes: L, M, F, Z, X, Q, S and R, and which reason puts you in which one
Chinese visas are grouped by what you are coming to do. The class letter follows your purpose, and each class carries its own document requirements.
- 03
After arrival
After you land: the 30-day residence permit, visa extensions, and what a port visa does not do
Landing is the start of an obligation, not the end of the process. Two deadlines exist and they belong to different people: a 30-day residence permit for the long-stay classes, and an extension applied for before your stay expires for short stays.
Where the facts come from
- National Immigration Administration — visa exemption, transit, port visas, the exit-entry law.
- Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs — who each visa class is issued to and what it requires.
- Chinese Visa Application Service System — where an application abroad is actually filed.