- China has added the UK and Canada to its 30-day unilateral visa-free entry program starting February 17, 2026.
- Eligible travelers can enter for tourism, business, or family visits for up to 30 days per entry.
- The expansion brings the total number of eligible countries to 79 through the end of 2026.
(CHINA) — China expanded its unilateral 30-day visa-free entry policy to ordinary passport holders from the United Kingdom and Canada, with the change taking effect on February 17, 2026 and raising the total number of eligible countries to 79.
China’s Foreign Ministry announced the move on February 16, 2026 through spokesperson remarks. The policy runs from 00:00 on February 17, 2026 to 24:00 on December 31, 2026, Beijing time.
Ordinary passport holders covered by the measure can enter mainland China for business, tourism, visits to family and friends, cultural exchanges, and transit. Each stay can last up to 30 days per entry, counted from 00:00 on the day following arrival, and travelers can make multiple entries with no limit on the number.
Entry under the policy carries basic document and arrival requirements. Travelers need a valid ordinary passport, a confirmed onward ticket within 30 days, and proof of accommodation such as a hotel reservation.
Arrival does not end the process. Visitors must complete biometric fingerprinting on arrival and register with the local public security bureau within 24 hours.
The policy applies to mainland China only. Travelers who do not meet the criteria must obtain a visa.
The addition of the United Kingdom and Canada extends a visa-free entry program that China widened in stages through 2025 and into 2026. Earlier expansions in 2025 covered 43-48 countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay from June 1, 2025, before the current total reached 79.
Official compilations from China’s National Immigration Administration put the count at 79 eligible countries as of February 17, 2026. Some reports had cited 50, but the official total is higher and reflects a broader regional spread.
Europe accounts for 35 of the countries listed in the official compilation. That group includes the United Kingdom alongside Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Other regions round out the list. Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand, while Asia includes Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Qatar, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, along with Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Kazakhstan in some updates.
The Americas group includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay, with Canada now added under the expanded arrangement. Other eligible countries identified in the broader set include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The latest move gives travelers from the United Kingdom and Canada a route distinct from China’s other visa-free options, which remain in place but operate under different rules. One of those is the 240-Hour Transit policy, available to nationals of 55 countries at 65 ports in 24 provinces, after China expanded the earlier 72/144-hour transit system.
Separate regional arrangements also continue. Hainan Province allows 30 days for nationals of 59 countries, holders of the APEC Business Travel Card can enter without a visa, and the Pearl River Delta program allows 6 days for nationals of countries with diplomatic ties when entering from Hong Kong or Macau.
Those options matter because the new 30-day visa-free entry policy does not replace every other path into China. It creates another channel for short-term travel while keeping the mainland-only limitation and the document checks at the border.
For British and Canadian passport holders, the change removes the need for a standard visa if they fit the listed purposes and conditions. Business visitors, tourists, people visiting relatives or friends, participants in cultural exchanges, and transit passengers can all use the policy if they carry the required documents and meet the timing rules.
Counting begins after arrival rather than at the moment of landing. The stay is measured from 00:00 on the day following arrival, which sets a fixed starting point for the 30-day period.
The multiple-entry feature broadens the policy beyond a one-off visit. Travelers can leave and return repeatedly during the effective period, with no cap on the number of entries stated in the policy.
That places China’s latest expansion among the more permissive short-stay arrangements in the region for eligible travelers, at least through the end of 2026. It also gives the United Kingdom and Canada a status already extended to dozens of countries across Europe, Oceania, Asia, the Americas and the Gulf.
China has framed the measure through official announcements and immigration compilations rather than a single stand-alone scheme for every traveler category. The structure leaves the country operating several parallel entry arrangements at once: the unilateral 30-day visa-free entry program, the 240-Hour Transit system, Hainan’s provincial plan, the APEC Business Travel Card channel, and the Pearl River Delta arrangement from Hong Kong and Macau.
Each route serves a different type of visitor. The new expansion, however, carries the broadest immediate effect for ordinary passport holders from the United Kingdom and Canada because it covers routine short-term travel purposes without limiting them to transit or a single region.
Travelers still face standard border checks. A valid ordinary passport, an onward ticket within 30 days, proof of accommodation, fingerprinting on arrival, and registration with the local public security bureau within 24 hours remain part of the process.
China’s decision, effective from February 17, 2026, leaves the country with 79 eligible states under this unilateral policy through December 31, 2026. The inclusion of the United Kingdom and Canada marks the newest step in that expansion.
