Visa-free entry to China: what is currently in effect and until when

What exactly has been announced

The original embassy announcement is brief, and every word in it matters. From 00:00 on 15 September 2025 to 24:00 on 14 September 2026 Beijing time, holders of ordinary passports of the Russian Federation may enter the territory of the People’s Republic of China without a visa for purposes of business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchange visits, and transit through the country, for a stay of no more than 30 days.

That was a trial arrangement for one year. On 20 May 2026, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced at a regular press conference that China is extending the visa-free regime for Russian citizens until 31 December 2027. The terms remain unchanged: an ordinary passport, the same permitted purposes of travel, and a stay of no more than 30 days.

This results in four constraints. The passport must be an ordinary one: official and diplomatic passports are not covered by this scheme and follow their own rules. The purposes must be from the listed ones: study and work are not included. The duration is capped at 30 days per trip. And the dates: the scheme is still temporary — the new cut-off is simply end of 2027 rather than September 2026.

The notice ends with a direct caveat: those who do not meet the visa-free entry conditions must arrange a visa in advance.

• A standard international passport only
• Named purposes only: business, tourism, family and friends, reciprocal visits, transit
• No more than 30 days per trip
• Study and work — on a visa only
• The regime is temporary: extended until 31 December 2027, not made permanent

240-hour transit: a separate regime that does not expire

This is an independent policy of the State Migration Service and is unrelated to the annual visa-free entry announcement. It applies to nationals of 57 countries, including Russia.

The condition is single and strict: you are transiting to a third country or region. You need a regular passport and an onward ticket with a confirmed seat and departure date. Entry is through any of the 65 designated ports of entry across 24 provinces, autonomous regions, and centrally administered municipalities.

The length of stay must not exceed 10 days, i.e. 240 hours. This is the result of a reform: the previous 72- and 144-hour limits were extended to 240 hours by an authority announcement that also designated 21 additional ports of entry.

What you are allowed to do during these days is stated explicitly: travel, conduct business activities, visit friends, and meet with family. What requires a separate visa and permits is also stated: working, studying, and engaging in journalism.

The geographic restriction remains: you may only be present in permitted zones, not throughout the country. The list of border crossings and permitted zones is maintained by the authority and updated by notice.

24-hour transit: available to everyone

This regime applies at all open ports of entry in China and to citizens of every country in the world, without exception.

Foreigners transiting to third countries or regions may stay in China for no more than 24 hours without a visa — provided they hold valid international travel documents and onward confirmed tickets by air, sea, or rail.

There is, however, one condition that typically determines everything: not leaving the restricted area of the checkpoint. Anyone who needs to exit that area must first obtain a temporary entry permit from the border control authority at the relevant checkpoint.

Hainan and cruises: regional visa regimes

Hainan Province operates under its own rule: nationals of 61 countries, including Russia, holding ordinary passports may enter and stay within the administrative boundaries of the province for up to 30 days without a visa. Permitted purposes are short-term: tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions, sporting events, and the like.

The same caveat applies as everywhere else: this arrangement does not cover entry for the purpose of work or study. Entry and exit are through any open border crossing in Hainan.

A separate scheme applies to cruise groups. A group of two or more people, organised and received by a travel agency registered in China, may enter visa-free through the cruise ports of 13 cities and stay in Beijing and 11 coastal regions for up to 15 days, continuing the itinerary and departing on the same vessel as scheduled.

What visa-free entry does not waive

The absence of a visa does not mean the absence of obligations. The main one is registering your place of residence.

A foreigner staying at a hotel is registered by the hotel itself. Someone living in private accommodation — with friends or in a rented apartment — must register personally at the local public security office, and the deadline to do so is short. The procedure, timelines and penalties are covered separately in our guide on residential registration in China.

Second, what cannot be waived — the purpose of the visit. The visa-free arrangement was introduced for a specific list of purposes, and work is not among them in any form. Arriving without a visa and taking up employment is not a grey area — it is a violation of the terms of stay.

Third point: 30 days is the maximum duration of a single trip, not a pool to be drawn down in instalments. The announcement makes no provision for extending this period from within the country.

• Residence registration is mandatory even when entering visa-free
• Work and study require a visa regardless of the entry regime
• 30 days — the maximum for a single trip; extension by declaration is not available

From 15 September 2026: false information means a ban on entry of up to five years

On 22 July 2026, the Premier of the State Council signed Regulation No. 841 ’On the Administration of Exit and Entry’, which takes effect on 15 September 2026. Most of it addresses Chinese citizens and intermediaries, but several provisions apply to anyone travelling to China, including those entering visa-free.

The first concerns the purpose of travel. The reason for entry, stay, and residence must be genuine and lawful. Immigration and visa officers, when verifying identity and the stated purpose, may ask questions and request documents, materials, and electronic data, and the individual is obliged to cooperate. For visa-free entry — which comes with a closed list of permitted purposes — this means you must not only state your purpose but be prepared to substantiate it.

The second concerns the consequences of misrepresentation. A foreigner who submits false documents or provides false information when applying for a Chinese visa abroad or at a port of entry may be banned from entry for one to five years by the immigration authority or visa body. The same ban — from one to five years from the date the penalty is served — may follow an administrative penalty for obtaining documents by fraud or for illegally crossing the border.

Third — on those who extend invitations. The individual or organisation that issued the invitation or other supporting materials is responsible for the accuracy of the invitation and the information contained in it, and must assist with verification. For a false invitation, an individual faces a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan; an organisation faces a fine of 10,000 to 50,000 yuan, with a separate fine for the responsible employee.

Frequently asked questions

Verified September 13, 2026. The thresholds and amounts are tied to indicators that are reviewed annually — check the official source for your country before filing.