- China has extended 30-day visa-free entry to citizens from 50 countries through December 2026.
- Eligible travel purposes include tourism, business, and transit for ordinary passport holders.
- The 30-day stay period is calculated from midnight on the day following arrival.
(CHINA) — China extended its 30-day visa-free entry policy to travelers from 50 countries, keeping the measure in place for most of them through December 31, 2026.
Chinese authorities confirmed the policy status in updates from China’s National Immigration Administration and Ministry of Foreign Affairs as of February 17, 2026. The policy applies to holders of ordinary passports from the covered countries.
Eligible visitors can stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, visits to relatives or friends, exchange visits, and transit. The entry window now covers a wider group than before, with the Canada and United Kingdom expansion taking effect on February 17, 2026.
China counts the permitted stay from 00:00 on the day after entry. That implementation rule determines how the full 30-day period is calculated after arrival.
Most of the countries covered by the current arrangement fall under the same end date, but two exceptions stand apart. Russia’s separate expiry applies, with the unilateral waiver remaining in effect until September 14, 2026, while Brunei remains under a separate visa-free arrangement with no stated expiry date.
The list spans Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Latin America. It includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Brunei.
The addition of Canada and the United Kingdom on February 17, 2026 placed both countries inside the same basic framework that already governs most other participants. Holders of ordinary passports from those countries can enter under the same 30-day visa-free entry terms for the listed purposes.
China’s latest arrangement sets out a straightforward rule on length of stay but leaves the policy differentiated at the margins. Russia does not share the common end date that applies to most of the other countries, and Brunei continues under a separate arrangement rather than the broader expiry structure.
That means the practical scope of the policy rests on three points set out by the authorities: nationality from one of the covered states, possession of an ordinary passport, and travel for one of the permitted purposes. Business trips, tourist visits, family or friend visits, exchange visits, and transit all fall within the approved categories.
The covered countries reach across several established travel corridors for China. Western and Northern European states make up a large share of the list, while Asia is represented by Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Brunei; Oceania by Australia and New Zealand; and Latin America by Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.
European countries named in the policy include 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, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Canada and Russia also appear in the broader 50-country group, alongside the Asian, Gulf, Oceanian, and Latin American states listed by the authorities.
The duration rule remains fixed regardless of purpose within the approved categories. Travelers admitted under the policy receive a maximum stay of 30 days, and the clock starts not at the moment of arrival but at midnight, 00:00 on the day after entry.
That counting method can affect itinerary planning in cases where travelers arrive late at night or early in the morning. By setting the starting point at the next day’s midnight mark, the authorities established a single standard for calculating the permitted period.
Official confirmation from China’s National Immigration Administration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs places the measure on a current footing as of February 17, 2026. The updates present the policy as active for the 50 listed countries, with the ordinary-passport requirement and purpose limits attached.
China’s expansion of visa-free access adds to a broader easing of short-stay entry for selected foreign nationals, though the present policy is defined narrowly by passport type, duration, and accepted reasons for travel. It does not cover every passport holder from the named countries, only those traveling on ordinary passports.
That distinction matters for travelers who may hold diplomatic, service, or other non-ordinary travel documents. The policy described by the authorities is framed specifically around ordinary passports, not a blanket waiver for all passport categories.
Purpose also remains central to eligibility. Entry under the scheme covers business activity, tourism, visits to relatives or friends, exchange visits, and transit, and the policy language ties the visa-free allowance to those uses rather than to open-ended travel.
The inclusion of transit places the measure alongside more traditional short-visit categories, while family and friend visits broaden it beyond purely commercial or tourist travel. Exchange visits add another channel for short-term movement under the same framework.
Canada and the United Kingdom occupy a distinct place in the timeline because their expansion began on February 17, 2026, the same date reflected in the official updates. Most of the remaining countries share the broader validity period running through December 31, 2026.
Russia’s separate expiry date of September 14, 2026 leaves it outside that common timeline, and Brunei’s separate visa-free arrangement leaves it without a stated expiry date in the current outline. Those two country-specific notes are the main exceptions inside the 50-country framework.
By extending 30-day visa-free entry and confirming the policy through late 2026 for most participants, China has kept in place a short-stay access route that now reaches 50 countries and spans much of Europe as well as parts of Asia, the Gulf, Oceania, and Latin America.
