China visa-free entry for Canadian, British, Australian and New Zealand passports (2026)
Updated Aug 26, 2026
Short version, as of 26 August 2026: if you hold an ordinary Canadian, British, Australian or New Zealand passport, you can enter mainland China without a visa for up to 30 days — for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit — and the policy currently runs to 31 December 2026. If you hold a US passport, you can't: the United States is not on the unilateral list, so a 10-day trip needs either a visa or the separate 240-hour transit rule. Everything below comes from the two official pages linked at the end, checked on the date above.
Who qualifies, and for how long
China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) publishes the list of countries whose ordinary-passport holders get unilateral visa-free entry. The version dated 17 February 2026 lists 50 countries, including the four below, all at 30 days per entry:
- Canada — 30 days, on the NIA list.
- United Kingdom — 30 days, on the NIA list.
- Australia — 30 days, on the NIA list.
- New Zealand — 30 days, on the NIA list.
- United States — not on the list. A visa, or the 240-hour transit rule, is still required.
Two fine-print points. First, it's ordinary passports only — diplomatic and official passports run on different agreements. Second, the arrangement has an end date: on 3 November 2025 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extended the visa-free policy for the 40-plus countries whose exemption was about to lapse to 31 December 2026. China has renewed these extensions each year so far, but until Beijing says otherwise, treat 31 December 2026 as real. Our March 2027 departures fall after it — we'll confirm the rules in writing before anyone books flights, and the 240-hour transit and visa routes exist either way.
How the 30 days are counted
The NIA's rule is that the stay is calculated from 00:00 on the day after you enter. So the day you land is a free day: enter on 15 March and day one is 16 March, which puts the last permitted day at 14 April. A 10-day trip is nowhere near the limit, but it matters if you're tacking on family time before or after — or planning to hop out to Hong Kong and back, which resets the clock on re-entry only if you're actually admitted again under the same policy.
What you still need at the border
- A passport with plenty of validity. China doesn't print a minimum for visa-free entry on the NIA page, but airlines and border staff apply the usual six-months-beyond-your-trip standard — renew first if you're close.
- The arrival card. Since late 2025 China's arrival declaration is digital: fill it in online before you fly, or at the kiosks and QR codes in the arrivals hall. It isn't a visa and it isn't optional — details in the first-timers guide linked below.
- Somewhere to stay that registers you. Hotels file your accommodation registration automatically when you check in with your passport. Staying with family or in an apartment? You (or your host) must register with the local police within 24 hours — there's an online route in some provinces since March 2026.
- Proof you're leaving. A return or onward ticket isn't always asked for, but it's the first thing an officer wants if there's a question.
- Travel insurance. Not a Chinese entry requirement, but it is a condition of travelling with us: emergency medical, evacuation and repatriation cover, plus cancellation cover.
Americans: the two routes that work
A US passport still needs a tourist (L) visa for a straightforward 10-day trip — our visa guide walks through the application, the timing and the costs. The alternative is the 240-hour visa-free transit policy: the NIA page (dated 4 July 2025) lists 55 eligible countries, the United States among them, and allows up to 240 hours (10 days) inside designated areas, provided you're genuinely transiting to a third country or region with a confirmed onward ticket. A Beijing → Xi'an → Shanghai trip that continues to, say, Seoul or Tokyo can fit it; a simple US → China → US round trip can't. The transit guide below covers the paperwork line by line.
Dual citizens, Hong Kong and Macau
China does not recognise dual nationality. If you hold a Chinese passport (or were born in mainland China and never formally gave up citizenship) as well as one of the four above, talk to a Chinese consulate before you book anything — the visa-free policy is written for foreign nationals, and entering on the wrong document is a conversation you don't want at the border. Separately, Hong Kong and Macau run their own entry rules: a visa-free stay on the mainland doesn't cover them, and their own visa-free periods don't cover the mainland.
Read the sources
Related reading
Ten days, three cities, one entry — the flagship sits comfortably inside a 30-day visa-free stay, and we confirm the entry rules for your passport in writing before you book flights.
