China’s 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy Expanded to Hainan Province

At a Glance

• Under China’s 144-hour visa-free transit policy, approved visitors are allowed to stay in permitted area(s) for a limited time without applying for a visa.
• Foreign visitors holding a passport from qualifying countries are now allowed to visit Hainan Province for tourism purposes under this policy, provided that they will travel to Hainan from Hong Kong or Macao SAR in a tourist group organized by a travel agency.

China has implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to qualified foreign visitors at designated immigration ports of entry starting from December 1, 2019. Qualified visitors from 54 countries may apply for 144-hour visa-free transit at 37 immigration ports of entry upon arrival in China. With the approved 144-hour visa-free transit, visitors are allowed to stay in the permitted area(s) for a limited time without applying for a visa. The duration of stay for begins at 00:00 on the day after entry. Within the stay period, these visitors are permitted to engage in tourism, business and personal activities. It is important to note that, in order to be eligible for visa-free transit, the visitor must be going to a third country after leaving China. Below we summarized the requirements and scope of this policy:

1. Countries Eligible for 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy

   No.	Region	Country
   1.	Europe	Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Monaco, Russia, the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Belarus and Norway.
   2.	Americas	Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United States.
   3.	Oceania	Australia and New Zealand.
   4.	Asia	Brunei, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea.

2. Chinese Immigration Ports of Entry Offering 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit

   No.	Provincial-Level Administrative Division/Region	Eligible City	Eligible Port	Permitted Stay Area(s)	Notes
   1	Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region	Beijing	Beijing Capital International Airport	Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province	Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province have collaboratively implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through all the eligible ports within the region and stay for a maximum of 144 hours in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei regions.
   2			Beijing Daxing International Airport
   3			Beijingxi Railway Station
   4		Tianjin	Tianjin Binhai International Airport
   5			Tianjin International Cruise Home Port
   6		Shijiazhuang, Hebei	Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport
   7		Qinhuangdao, Hebei	Qinhuangdao Port (for passenger transport)
   8	Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region	Shanghai	Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport	Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu, Provinc eand Zhejiang Province	Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province and Shanghai Municipality have collaboratively implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through all the eligible ports within the region and stay for a maximum of 144 hours in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions.
   9			Shanghai Pudong International Airport
   10			Shanghai Port (for passenger transport)
   11			Exit-Entry Port of Shanghai Railway Station
   12		Nanjing, Jiangsu	Nanjing Lukou International Airport
   13		Lianyungang, Jiangsu	Lianyungang Port (for passenger transport)
   14		Hangzhou, Zhejiang	Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport
   15		Ningbo, Zhejiang	Ningbo Lishe International Airport
   16		Wenzhou, Zhejiang	Wenzhou Port (for passenger transport)
   17		Zhoushan, Zhejiang	Zhoushan Port (for passenger transport)
   18	Guangdong Province	Guangzhou, Guangdong	Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport	Guangdong Province	Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter China through the airports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Jieyang, as well as Nansha Port and Shekou Port, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours. Foreign nationals having entered China through the aforementioned ports in Guangdong Province are permitted to leave China through all the 36 exit-entry ports providing passenger transport services within the province.
   19			Nansha Port (for passenger transport)
   20		Shenzhen, Guangdong	Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
   21			Shekou Port (for passenger transport)
   22		Jieyang, Guangdong	Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
   23	Liaoning Province	Shenyang, Liaoning	Shenyang Taoxian International Airport	Liaoning Province	Foreign nationals meeting the policy's requirements can enter and exit China through the airports in Shenyang and Dalian, as well as Dalian Port, and stay for a maximum of 144 hours.
   24		Dalian, Liaoning	Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport
   25			Dalian Port (for passenger transport)
   26	Shandong Province	Qingdao, Shandong	Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport	Shandong Province
   27			Qingdao Port (for passenger transport)
   28	Chongqing Municipality	Chongqing	Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport	Chongqing Municipality
   29	Sichuan Province	Chengdu, Sichuan	Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport	Chengdu City, Deyang City, Leshan City, Luzhou City, Meishan City, Neijiang City, Suining City, Ya'an City, Yibin City, Zigong City and Ziyang City
   30	Shaanxi Province	Xi'an, Shaanxi	Xi'an Xianyang International Airport	Xi'an City and Xianyang City
   31	Fujian Province	Xiamen, Fujian	Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport	Xiamen City
   32			Port of Xiamen (for passenger transport)
   33	Hubei Province	Wuhan, Hubei	Wuhan Tianhe International Airport	Wuhan City
   34	Yunnan Province	Kunming, Yunnan	Kunming Changshu International Airport	Kunming City, Lijiang City, Yuxi City, Pu Er City, Chuxiong City, Dali City, Xishuangbanna, Honghe City, Wenshan City
   35		Lijiang, Yunnan	Lijiang Sanyi International Airport
   36		Xishuangbanna, Yunnan	Mohan Railway Port
   37	Henan Province	Zhengzhou, Henan	Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport	Henan Province

3. Criteria for 144-hour Visa-free Transit Applicants

   • The applicant shall be a citizen of one of the 54 countries which are eligible for 144-hour visa-free transit.
   • The applicant must hold a valid international travel document, which shall be valid for no less than three months and can prove their nationality and identity, and meet the conditions for entering a third country/region.
   • The applicant shall hold a connecting ticket to a third country/region with a confirmed date and seat for departure within 144 hours.
   • The applicant shall complete the Arrival Card for Temporary Entry of Foreigners and accept check and inquiry by immigration officials at the port of entry.
   • The applicant must not have any record of illegal entry or exit, illegal residence, illegal employment, etc. in China within the last five years.
   • The applicant must not have any visa rejection stamp applied by a Chinese visa-issuing agency in any of their travel documents.

4. 144-Hour Visa-Free Policy for Foreign Tourist Groups Entering Hainan Province from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SAR)

   Effective from July 30, 2024, foreign visitors holding a general passport from a country which has diplomatic relations with China are allowed to visit and stay for up to 144 hours without a visa in Hainan Province for tourism purposes, provided that they will travel to Hainan from Hong Kong or Macao SAR in a tourist group organized by a travel agency. Such travel agency shall be legally registered in any of the two SARs and the tourist group shall consist of at least two persons. The eligible foreign visitors may enter and exit in groups through any of the immigration ports set up by the Central government in Hainan province and shall stay within the administrative region of Hainan. The duration of stay begins at 00:00 on the day after entry.