(CHINA) — China expanded its unilateral visa waiver program on February 17, 2026, adding Canada and the United Kingdom and bringing the total to 50 countries eligible for 30-day visa-free entry.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs framed the move as a bid to boost travel flows, saying China will “extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK” and that the policy “will be effective until December 31, 2026.”
“To further facilitate cross-border travel, China decides to, starting from February 17, 2026, extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the UK,” the spokesperson said. “Ordinary passport holders from the two countries can be exempted from visa to enter China and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes. The policy will be effective until December 31, 2026.”
Chinese authorities confirmed the change through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the National Immigration Administration (NIA), in announcements that followed high-level visits by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in January 2026.
Beijing’s expansion matters for travelers and companies because it removes a pre-trip visa step for eligible short stays, opening more scope for short-notice travel for meetings, tourism and family visits, while keeping the program explicitly time-limited.
China’s embassy in Canada emphasized the precise start and end times in Beijing time and warned that not everyone will qualify under the waiver even if they hold Canadian citizenship.
“From 00:00 on February 17, 2026, to 24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time), Canadian citizens holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free. individuals who do not meet the above visa-free requirements are still required to obtain a visa prior to entering China,” the embassy said.
Eligibility hinges on nationality and passport type, with both the MFA and the embassy notice referring to “ordinary passport holders.” Travelers using other passport classes or travel documents can face different rules, and the policy language also assumes travelers still meet China’s entry conditions on arrival.
“Unilateral” means China sets the terms of the visa waiver on its own side, rather than as a mutual visa-free arrangement. Even for eligible nationalities, airline checks and border inspections still apply, and travelers can face questions about the purpose and length of stay.
The 50-country roster spans Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas, including a wide swath of the Schengen area such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, alongside Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. The list provided by Chinese authorities also includes Russia “(until Sept 14).”
For travelers, the key practical limit is “up to 30 days per entry.” That “per entry” wording typically matters for people who plan to leave and re-enter China during the trial period, because each admission can trigger a separate stay calculation even though the overall policy window ends on December 31, 2026.
China’s permitted purposes under the waiver cover common short visits but draw a clear line between travel and long-term relocation. The MFA statement lists “business, tourism, family/friends visit, exchange and transit purposes,” which can fit meetings, conferences, sightseeing, seeing relatives, and certain exchange activities, but does not turn visa-free entry into a right to work or reside.
Travelers who plan paid work, long-term study, or residence-type activity still need to check the visa route that matches their purpose, because a visa waiver provides entry for a limited stay and does not itself function as a work authorization or residence permission.
The time-bounded nature of the policy makes trip timing central. China’s embassy in Canada tied the policy explicitly to a start time of “00:00 on February 17, 2026” and an end time of “24:00 on December 31, 2026 (Beijing time),” language that can matter for flights crossing dates or travelers arriving close to the cutoff.
Because China describes the expansion as a trial period scheduled to run through December 31, 2026, travelers and companies planning later trips may still want flexible bookings, clear itineraries and supporting documents that align with their stated purpose, especially when travel falls near the end of the trial window.
The change also sits alongside other visa-free pathways, including China’s 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy. That separate arrangement operates “at 65 ports for 55 countries,” giving some travelers options to enter for a longer stopover tied to onward travel, depending on their itinerary and eligibility.
Choosing the right pathway can depend on whether a traveler plans a point-to-point visit to China or a stopover en route to a third country. Travelers who qualify for the 30-day visa-free entry may prefer it for straightforward short stays, while others may rely on transit rules when their trip structure and port of entry fit the transit framework.
The expanded waiver can also reduce cost and preparation time for many travelers. The material accompanying the policy described savings of approximately “$140 (USD)” in visa fees and avoiding “the weeks-long consular application process,” though travelers still need to satisfy airline and border checks.
In the United States, officials drew a clear distinction between China’s visa waiver for certain foreign nationals and U.S. immigration processing for Chinese nationals. The U.S. Department of State addressed confusion after an alert appeared on the USTravelDocs website that suggested China was included in a “75-country immigrant visa processing pause.”
“The DOS confirmed that the information was posted in error and that China is not part of the immigrant visa processing pause. Chinese nationals may continue to apply for and receive immigrant visas without interruption,” the State Department said on February 12, 2026.
That clarification concerned U.S. immigrant visa processing and did not relate to China’s entry rules for third-country travelers. China’s visa waiver expansion applies to ordinary passport holders from eligible countries seeking entry to China under the stated purposes and within the specified time window.
USCIS announcements from February 13-18, 2026 focused on “domestic enforcement and visa caps,” including “the reaching of the H-2B supplemental cap for returning workers and ‘Operation Twin Shield’ enforcement actions.” The same period brought no USCIS statement on China’s internal visa waiver policies for third countries.
For travelers preparing to use the China visa waiver, the most practical steps are to confirm nationality eligibility close to departure, verify they hold an ordinary passport, and prepare documents that match the purpose of travel, such as hotel bookings, invitations for business meetings, and onward or return plans if asked at check-in or arrival.
Airline check-in can become a pinch point when rules are time-limited or depend on passport class, because carriers can refuse boarding if a traveler cannot show they qualify for visa-free entry. Travelers arriving near the end of the trial window may also want to ensure their arrival date and intended stay fit the “up to 30 days per entry” limit within the validity period.
Official Chinese sources for checking current policy wording and eligibility include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC, the National Immigration Administration (NIA), and the Embassy of the PRC in Canada. For safety planning rather than entry eligibility, the U.S. government points travelers to the U.S. Department of State China Travel Advisory.
