Short answer
The 144-hour visa-free transit no longer exists as a separate scheme. On December 17, 2024 China's National Immigration Administration merged the old 72-hour and 144-hour transit policies into one 240-hour (10-day) policy, effective that day. If you are searching for a 144-hour visa, the 240-hour rule is what you want.
As of the August 20, 2026 update it covers ordinary passport holders from 57 countries arriving through 65 designated ports in 24 provinces. It is free, and you need a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region.
Your passport decides the route. US: transit is your main visa-free path. UK, Australia: use the 30-day visa-free entry instead. India: neither scheme applies, so apply for a visa unless you are only changing planes within 24 hours.
The 144-hour visa is now 240 hours: what changed, and when
The old rules were two policies: a 72-hour transit stay and a 144-hour transit stay. Both were withdrawn on December 17, 2024 and replaced by a single 240-hour policy from the National Immigration Administration (NIA), which added 21 ports at the same time.
| Scheme | In force | Countries | Ports | Maximum stay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72-hour visa-free transit | Until December 17, 2024 | Superseded | Superseded | 72 hours (3 days) |
| 144-hour visa-free transit | Until December 17, 2024 | Superseded | Superseded | 144 hours (6 days) |
| 240-hour visa-free transit | From December 17, 2024 | 57 (as of August 20, 2026) | 65 | 240 hours (10 days) |
The country and port numbers, and why older guides disagree
The headline figures moved during 2026, so official pages dated a few months apart do not match. Both of these are real published positions:
- 55 countries and 60 ports: the wording in Chinese embassy material from around May 2026.
- 57 countries and 65 ports: the position after the NIA announcement of August 20, 2026, which added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to the 240-hour transit policy (and to Hainan's 30-day visa-free entry).
The port count had already risen from 60 to 65 when further entry points were added, including Guangzhou, Hengqin and Zhongshan in Zhuhai and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, so the port figure is the one most likely to be stale in whatever guide you read. Before you book, check your nationality and arrival port against the current NIA announcement, and call the NIA public service hotline on +86-12367 if anything is unclear.
Which rule applies to your passport: US, UK, Australia, India
Two different policies get mixed up constantly, and being on one list does not put you on the other.
- 240-hour visa-free transit — for nationals of 57 listed countries, only when passing through China to a third country or region.
- 30-day unilateral visa-free entry — a separate list, for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges and transit, valid for eligible ordinary passport holders until 24:00 on December 31, 2026.
- 24-hour visa-free transit — open to nationals of all countries at all open ports, provided you stay inside the port's restricted area and leave within 24 hours.
| Passport | 240-hour visa-free transit | 30-day unilateral visa-free entry | Bottom line |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Yes | No | Transit to a third country, or get a visa |
| United Kingdom | Yes | Yes, until December 31, 2026 | Use the 30-day entry, keep transit as backup |
| Australia | Yes | Yes, until December 31, 2026 | Use the 30-day entry, keep transit as backup |
| India | No | No | Visa in advance; 24-hour airside transit is visa-free |
United States: transit is your main visa-free route
US passports are on the 240-hour visa-free transit list, in the Americas group. If your trip is a genuine transit from the United States to a third country or region through a Chinese port, you can enter without a visa and stay up to ten days inside the permitted area. What the United States is not on is the 30-day unilateral visa-free list, whose Americas group covers Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. So there are two US routes: transit, when the itinerary continues to another country or region (US–China–Japan, US–Shanghai–Hong Kong), or a visa, when you want to arrive and leave from the same place or stay longer than ten days. China normally issues US citizens a multi-year B1/B2 tourist and business visa. The lists are tracked separately in our 2026 visa-free entry rules.
United Kingdom: skip transit and use the 30-day visa-free entry
UK passports are on both lists. The United Kingdom sits in the Europe group of the 240-hour transit list, so transit is available to you. More usefully, from February 17, 2026 UK ordinary passport holders can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges and transit, and that policy runs until 24:00 on December 31, 2026. A 30-day stay with no onward-ticket and no third-country rule is simply easier than a ten-day transit exemption. Two details matter: the 30-day policy has a published end date while the transit policy has none, and the 30-day stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter, not from your arrival time.
Australia: 30 days now, 240 hours as the backup
Australian passports are on both lists too. Australia and New Zealand make up the Oceania group of the 240-hour transit list, and Australia is on the 30-day unilateral visa-free list, currently valid to December 31, 2026. The logic matches the UK case, with the same caveat: the 30-day scheme carries an expiry date, the transit scheme does not. Transit still fits two situations — a journey that is anyway a connection to a third destination, and the case where the 30-day policy is not extended past December 31, 2026, leaving transit as the only visa-free route for a 2027 trip.
India: neither list, so apply for a visa in advance
Indian passports are on neither the 240-hour visa-free transit list nor the 30-day unilateral visa-free list, and there is no visa on arrival. To enter China — leave the airport, sleep in a hotel, walk around a city — you need a visa issued before you travel, applied for through the Chinese embassy or visa application centre serving your location.
The one thing Indian passport holders should know is the separate 24-hour visa-free transit, which applies to nationals of all countries at all open ports. If you are only changing planes in China, hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, and leave within 24 hours, you do not need a visa. Be precise about the scope: that exemption is for transit that stays inside the port's restricted area, not for 24 hours in a city. Clear immigration, collect a bag and go into town, and it stops applying — while the 240-hour transit rule never applied to an Indian passport in the first place.
The 24-hour rule that covers every nationality
China applies 24-hour visa-free transit to nationals of all countries at all open ports. The conditions are a valid international travel document, an onward international flight, ship or train ticket with a confirmed seat to a third country or region departing within 24 hours, and staying inside the port's restricted area. If you need to leave that area — an airport hotel outside the terminal, or a transfer to a different airport in the same city — the rule does not cover you, and you need either a visa or a nationality that qualifies for 240-hour transit. That distinction is the most common source of confusion for travellers from countries on neither of the longer lists.
The conditions you must meet for 240-hour transit
- It must genuinely be transitThe country or region you arrived from and the one you are travelling to must differ. London–Shanghai–London fails; London–Shanghai–Hong Kong works.
- A confirmed onward ticketA booking with a confirmed seat to a third country or region departing within 240 hours. This is the most common reason travellers are turned away, and the airline usually catches it first.
- An eligible portEntry and exit both have to run through one of the 65 designated ports. A nationality can qualify while the port does not.
- Staying inside the permitted areaThe 240 hours are valid within designated regions across 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and travel between them is allowed inside those areas.
- No application, no feeYou arrive, use the 24/240-hour transit channel, complete the entry card and receive a temporary entry permit. Transport and hotels are your own cost.
Why people are refused at check-in or at the border
Almost every refusal traces back to one of these, and most are visible to the airline before you reach China:
- The onward ticket has no confirmed seat. A held reservation or waitlisted flight does not satisfy the rule, and the carrier refuses boarding.
- The trip returns to where it started. Arriving from and departing to the same country or region is not transit, which catches round trips such as Sydney–Beijing–Sydney.
- A port that is not eligible. Only the designated ports count, and that list has changed more than once.
- Using transit for a long stay or for work. The exemption is for transit; working or living in China on it is outside its terms, and enforcement is serious.
- Passport validity that is too short. Renew first rather than argue at the counter — carriers expect months of remaining validity, not weeks.
- Nothing to show when asked. Carry the confirmed onward ticket, hotel reservation and return ticket, printed or saved offline. An app that needs data to load is a bad answer.
At the airport: how the 240-hour process works
- Check in with your onward ticket readyThe airline verifies eligibility before boarding, so keep the onward booking and hotel details offline.
- Follow the transit channel on arrivalChinese ports run a dedicated 24/240-hour visa-free transit lane; do not join the standard foreign-passport queue.
- Complete the arrival cardThe card and the temporary entry permit are handled at the counter. Our arrival card guide covers what you have to write.
- Check the dates on your permitYour 240 hours run from the permit, not from your flight booking. Read the expiry before you leave the desk.
- Keep the permit with your passportHotels ask for it at check-in and you hand it back on departure.
Ten days is enough for a real trip rather than a stopover: you can cross provinces inside the permitted regions and use high-speed rail. If you plan to use the transit for attractions that sell out, book before you fly — see our timed-entry booking guide. Check which hotels reliably register foreign guests in our hotels guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 144-hour visa-free transit still available?
Not as a separate policy. It was replaced on December 17, 2024 by the 240-hour visa-free transit, covering the same eligible countries plus later additions. The counter treats it as one policy.
How long can I stay now, 144 or 240 hours?
240 hours, which is ten days, for nationals of the 57 eligible countries who meet the transit conditions. The 144-hour and 72-hour versions are no longer issued.
Do US citizens need a visa for China in 2026?
For a normal visit, yes — the United States is not on the 30-day unilateral visa-free list. US passports are on the 240-hour transit list, so a trip continuing to a third country or region can be visa-free for up to ten days.
Can Indian passport holders use visa-free transit?
Not the 240-hour version, because India is not on that list, and not the 30-day visa-free entry either. They can use the 24-hour transit exemption at all open ports with a confirmed onward ticket and no exit from the port's restricted area.
Does Hong Kong count as a third country or region?
Yes. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are treated as separate destinations for the transit rules, which is why London–Shanghai–Hong Kong qualifies as transit while London–Shanghai–London does not.
How much does the 144-hour visa cost?
Nothing. There is no fee for the policy itself and no application fee, because you do not apply in advance. Transfers, hotels and travel inside China are your own cost.
Can UK citizens just use the 30-day visa-free entry instead?
Yes, and for most 2026 trips you should. UK ordinary passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 30 days from February 17, 2026 until 24:00 on December 31, 2026, with transit left as a backup.
Do I need to apply for anything before I fly?
No application is needed for visa-free transit. You must have a valid passport and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, with offline copies of the ticket and hotel booking.
Can I travel to another city or province on the 240-hour transit?
Inside the permitted areas, yes. The policy covers 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities and allows movement between them. You must still enter and exit through an eligible port and leave within 240 hours.
What if my return flight goes back to the country I came from?
Then it is not transit and the exemption does not apply — where you came from and where you are going must differ. Routing home via a different country or via Hong Kong or Macau fixes it.
Will the 30-day visa-free entry still exist in 2027?
Unknown. It is stated to run until 24:00 on December 31, 2026 and has been extended before, but any continuation has not been announced. The 240-hour transit policy has no published end date.
Who do I ask if my case is unclear?
Check the NIA announcement for your arrival port and call the NIA public service hotline on +86-12367. Your airline's check-in desk matters too, because the carrier can refuse boarding before you reach Chinese immigration.
Related reading
Visa-free policies change frequently. This page was verified on September 28, 2026 against the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announcement of August 20, 2026 and the unilateral visa-free policy in force until December 31, 2026. Older embassy material quoting 55 countries and 60 ports is shown above as a documented earlier position, not as the current one. Before you travel, confirm your nationality, arrival port and permitted stay against the latest NIA announcement and the Chinese embassy or consulate nearest you.