China Visa Free Transit Expands At Airports And Ports

Published on Nov 20, 2025, 8:46 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

China adds 10 more airports to its 24 hour visa free direct transit program from November 5, 2025
Five Guangdong ports including Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hengqin and the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge now support 240 hour visa free transit
From November 20, 2025 many foreign travelers can prefill China arrival cards online via official NIA channels before flying
China extends 30 day unilateral visa free entry for over 40 mainly European countries through December 31, 2026 and adds Sweden from November 10, 2025
U S State Department keeps mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau at Level 2 advisories because of arbitrary law enforcement and exit ban risks

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Transit risks concentrate at the 10 newly added airports and the five new Guangdong ports where more connecting traffic will funnel through
Best Times To Travel: Off peak daytime or overnight connections under 24 hours that avoid tight banked waves at major hubs remain easiest to manage through these airports and ports
Onward Travel And Changes: Travelers using visa free transit should build extra buffer for misconnects, use through tickets where possible, and keep rail or regional flight options in reserve
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check whether routes can legally use 24 hour or 240 hour visa free transit, practice the online arrival card ahead of time, and save screenshots and confirmation emails
Health And Safety Factors: Treat the Level 2 advisory and exit ban stories as a reason to keep itineraries simple, limit sensitive data carried on devices, and register with your consulate when appropriate

China visa free transit airports now cover more hubs after new rules took effect on November 5, 2025, widening the options for travelers who route through mainland Chinese gateways on their way to a third country. At the same time, five more ports in Guangdong joined China s 240 hour visa free transit program, and a new digital arrival card system launched on November 20, 2025 so many foreign travelers can submit entry details online before they land. These changes make it easier to plan same day airside transfers or short stopovers, but they also sit against a Level 2 caution advisory from the U S State Department for mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau that flags arbitrary enforcement of local laws and risks of exit bans.

The practical shift for travelers is that China s visa free transit options now touch more airports and ports across the country, including regional hubs such as Tianjin and Wuhan, while the new arrival card platform moves a paper based form into an online system that you can complete in advance. In simple terms, the China visa free transit airports expansion gives connecting passengers more ways to use 24 hour or 240 hour transit privileges without applying for a full visa, provided their itineraries meet strict rules about onward travel and length of stay.

What Changed In The Transit Rules

According to the National Immigration Administration, as of November 5, 2025 the 24 hour visa free direct transit policy, which allows eligible travelers to stay airside without passing immigration, now covers 10 additional international airports. The newly listed airports are:

Tianjin Binhai International Airport (TSN)
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport (DLC)
Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG)
Fuzhou Changle International Airport (FOC)
Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (TAO)
Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH)
Nanning Wuxu International Airport (NNG)
Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK)
Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG)
Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)

If you have an international ticket that arrives at one of these airports and departs to a third country within 24 hours on a through itinerary, and you remain inside the secure transit area, you can usually connect without immigration inspection, which removes the need for a separate China visa for that segment.

At the same time, China s 240 hour visa free transit scheme, which lets travelers from 55 eligible countries enter certain regions for up to 10 days when transiting to a third country, has been expanded from 60 to 65 ports. The five new entry points are Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hengqin Port, Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Port, Zhongshan Port, and West Kowloon Station on the Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong Express Rail Link, all located in Guangdong Province.

How Visa Free Transit Works Now

Under the 24 hour visa free direct transit scheme, most travelers holding valid passports and onward tickets to a third country can transit through eligible airports without a visa, as long as the total time in China is under 24 hours and they do not formally enter the country. In practice, that usually means staying on the airside of the terminal and following your airline s transfer procedures rather than lining up at immigration.

The 240 hour visa free transit regime is very different. It is intended for passengers from 55 specified countries who arrive via one of the 65 designated ports, hold onward tickets to a third country, and stay within defined regions for up to 240 hours, generally 10 days. In Guangdong, this can include stays in cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, provided you respect the geographic limits published for the program.

For example, a traveler from France flying Paris to Guangzhou to Sydney could land at Guangzhou Baiyun, enter Guangdong on a 240 hour transit waiver to spend several days in the region, then continue to Australia, all without applying for a full Chinese visa in advance. However, a traveler using 24 hour direct transit through Tianjin on a tight overnight connection to Seoul would not be allowed to leave the airside area and explore the city.

Digital Arrival Card And Exemptions

The second major change is procedural rather than eligibility based. From November 20, 2025, foreign nationals can fill in China s Arrival Card online before travel through the National Immigration Administration website, a national government service portal, the NIA 12367 app, and WeChat or Alipay mini programs.

Travelers who do not complete the form in advance can still do it on arrival by scanning a QR code in the immigration area, using a kiosk, or falling back to a paper card during the transition period. The digital card captures the same core data as the paper version, such as personal details, passport number, travel purpose, flight information, and where you will stay in China.

Seven categories of travelers are exempt from completing any arrival card at all. These include holders of a Chinese Foreign Permanent Resident ID Card, non Chinese citizens using Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, travelers on group visas or eligible group visa free entries, passengers making 24 hour direct transits without leaving port areas, cruise travelers entering and exiting on the same ship, users of fast track lanes, and foreign crew members of international transport vehicles.

In other words, if you are using 24 hour airside transit at one of the newly added airports, you are doubly insulated from extra paperwork, because the direct transit program itself avoids immigration and the arrival card exemption confirms that there is nothing to fill in.

Visa Free Entry For Short Stays

Alongside the transit expansions, China has extended its unilateral 30 day visa free entry scheme for ordinary passport holders from more than 40 mainly European and associated countries through December 31, 2026, and is adding Sweden to the list from November 10, 2025. Nationals covered by this policy may enter mainland China visa free for tourism, business, family visits, or transit for up to 30 days per stay.

This is separate from the 240 hour transit program. A German traveler who qualifies for full 30 day visa free entry, for instance, would not need to rely on transit rules at all for a short business trip to Shanghai or a combined Guangdong and Beijing itinerary, but might still use 24 hour or 240 hour transit when stringing China into a broader multi country trip.

Advisory Levels, Data, And Risk Context

Despite the easing of entry and transit rules, the U S State Department and other foreign ministries continue to warn that mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau present elevated legal risks for visitors, especially around opaque investigations, exit bans, and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws. The current U S advisory sits at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and recent cases involving business travelers and government employees who were prevented from leaving China have kept those concerns in the headlines.

For transit passengers, the main practical implication is that a formally legal visa free stay can still become complicated if you get caught in a local dispute, are asked to share device contents, or become a witness in an investigation. Combining the new digital arrival card with existing data retention and security practices also means that more of your travel information is logged centrally before you ever reach the border.

Travelers who are risk averse, or who work in sensitive fields, may want to stick to same day airside transits under 24 hours, avoid carrying sensitive corporate or personal data on devices, and enroll in consular registration schemes that make it easier for embassies to contact them if something goes wrong.

Concrete Itinerary Examples Using The New Rules

To see how the new China visa free transit airports and ports can be used in practice, consider a traveler from Spain flying Madrid to Chongqing to Tokyo on one ticket. If the layover at Chongqing Jiangbei is 10 hours and they remain airside, that is a standard 24 hour direct transit without immigration, and neither a China visa nor an arrival card is required.

Now consider a traveler from Italy who wants a short Guangdong stop on the way from Rome to Bangkok. They could route through Hong Kong, board a cross boundary train to Guangzhou via West Kowloon Station under the 240 hour visa free transit program, spend several days in Guangzhou and nearby cities, then continue by air from Guangzhou Baiyun to Thailand as their third country destination, all within the 10 day limit.

A third example is a Swedish traveler planning a trip in late 2026. Once Sweden s 30 day visa free entry is live, that traveler could fly Stockholm to Beijing for a 10 day visit without a visa and then return directly, never touching the transit programs at all. Alternatively, they could fold a Guangdong side trip into a long Asia itinerary by using the 240 hour transit program instead of spending one of their 30 day entries.

Planning Tips For Using Visa Free Transit

For travelers and advisors, the first step is to map whether an itinerary is truly a transit, in which the traveler arrives from Country A, spends limited time in China, then departs to Country B, or a full visit, in which China is the main destination. Transit based privileges only apply when China is not your start or end point.

Second, you should verify whether your nationality appears on the 55 country list for the 240 hour scheme or the broader 30 day visa free entry list that now runs through the end of 2026. Third, practice the digital arrival card before travel by walking through the online form, so you know what information will be requested and can decide what to store on your devices versus on paper.

Finally, keep itineraries simple where possible, avoid back to back self connections across different tickets inside China, and build a few hours of buffer when you do use the new visa free transit gateways, because schedule changes or irregular operations can quickly push a short transit over the legal time limit.