China's visa rules have loosened more in the last two years than in the twenty before, and for most of our travellers the answer is now no visa at all. This guide was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice and the Chinese government's own notices in September 2026.
Visa-free for 30 days: since 17 February 2026, British and Canadian passport holders can enter China without a visa and stay up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits or transit. The same 30-day scheme covers Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway and almost every EU country, including Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland and Sweden. The two EU exceptions are the Czech Republic and Lithuania.
It runs until 31 December 2026: the scheme is a one-sided policy that China has renewed a year at a time. If you are travelling in 2027, check whether it has been extended before you book flights, and apply for a visa if it has not.
US citizens need a visa: the United States is not on the 30-day list, so American travellers need a tourist (L) visa. The one exception is the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme, which gives up to 10 days in China if you are flying on to a third country or region. It covers the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and every EU country, including the Czech Republic and Lithuania, but you need a confirmed onward ticket and must use one of the 65 designated ports. Our 13-day trip is longer than 10 days, so US travellers joining it need the L visa.
Hong Kong and Macao are separate: they have their own entry rules, and crossing from either into mainland China is a new entry into China.
Only needed if your passport is not on the 30-day visa-free list (the US is the main one for our travellers), or if you are staying longer than 30 days. The visa must be issued before you fly; there is no e-visa and no visa on arrival for tourists.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here are the 3 trips we run in China.
Once you are in, the whole of mainland China is open to you on visa-free entry or a tourist visa: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie and Shanghai need no extra paperwork. The exception is Tibet, which needs a separate Tibet Travel Permit arranged through a licensed tour operator. Our 13-day Backpacking China trip runs from Beijing to Shanghai by way of the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an, the giant pandas of Chengdu and the Avatar mountains of Zhangjiajie, and its 13 days sit comfortably inside the 30-day allowance. For when to go, read our China weather guide.
Check the latest visa requirements:
Not for a trip of up to 30 days. Since 17 February 2026, British citizens can enter China visa-free for tourism, business, family visits or transit, and the scheme runs until 31 December 2026. You need a visa to stay longer than 30 days, or to work or study.
Yes, unless you are transiting. Americans need a tourist (L) visa, applied for online and completed in person at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center. The 240-hour visa-free transit scheme allows up to 10 days if you fly on to a third country, which is too short for our 13-day China trip.
Almost all of them, for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026: Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Sweden and the rest. The Czech Republic and Lithuania are the exceptions; their citizens need a visa or must use the 240-hour transit scheme.
Citizens of more than 50 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and every EU state, can spend up to 10 days in China without a visa if they arrive from one country and fly on to a third country or region. You need a confirmed onward ticket and a passport valid for at least 3 months, and you must enter and leave through one of the 65 designated ports.
Nobody can say yet. The current scheme ends at midnight on 31 December 2026 and China has so far extended it a year at a time. If your trip is in 2027, check the Chinese embassy's notices before you book flights.
Yes, within 24 hours of arrival, but if you are staying in a hotel it registers you when you check in. You only need to do it yourself if you stay in a private home.
For most of you the paperwork is now a passport and an arrival card, which leaves all the more time for the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army and the dumplings. Check out our China backpacking tours.
We run 3 trips in China, and 31 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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