China Visa-Free Entry: The Shenzhen Guide for 2026

The short version

China now runs two separate visa-free schemes that cover most Western and many Asian travellers:

• 30-day unilateral visa-free entry for passport holders of 50 countries — for tourism, business, family visits, exchange and simple transit. No onward-ticket rule and a normal round trip is fine.
• 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit for passport holders of 57 countries — only when you are passing through China on the way to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket.

You can reach Shenzhen through Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport or the Shekou Cruise Center (ferry). Transit visitors entering in Guangdong may move around the whole province and enter or exit through any open port.

Two ways to enter visa-free

People often mix these up. They have different rules, and the one you use depends on your route.

	30-day unilateral	240-hour transit
Eligible passports	50 countries	57 countries
Maximum stay	30 calendar days	240 hours (10 days)
Confirmed onward ticket	Not required (proof of trip advised)	Required, to a third country/region
Where you can go	Nationwide, all open ports	The designated region (Guangdong for Shenzhen)
Simple round trip	Yes	No

If your passport is on the 30-day list, you usually don't need the transit rule at all — just enter visa-free, even for a round trip. The transit rule mainly helps nationalities who are not on the 30-day list.

The 30-day visa-free policy (50 countries)

Nationals of the following 50 countries, holding a valid ordinary passport, may enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family or friend visits, exchange visits or transit, staying no more than 30 days.

Europe (35)

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Asia (7)

Bahrain, Brunei, Japan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea.

Americas (6)

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Uruguay.

Oceania (2)

Australia and New Zealand.

How the 30 days are counted

The stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter, and you may stay 30 consecutive calendar days. You can use the policy multiple times; at present there is no cap on the number of entries or total days, though you must not do anything that doesn't match your stated purpose.

How long the policy lasts

Check before you book: the waiver for Brunei has no expiry date, the one for Russia runs until 31 December 2027, and the policies for the other 48 countries run until 31 December 2026. They are widely expected to be extended, but that is not guaranteed.

240-hour visa-free transit (57 countries)

If you hold an ordinary passport of one of the 57 countries below and a confirmed-date onward ticket taking you through China to a third country or region, you may enter visa-free through any of 65 ports in 24 provinces and stay in the designated region for up to 240 hours (10 days).

Europe (40)

Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Americas (6)

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United States.

Asia (9)

Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Oceania (2)

Australia and New Zealand.

The onward rule is the key. You must be travelling on to a different country or region than the one you came from. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as third regions. A classic round trip — fly into Shenzhen and later fly straight back home from Shenzhen — is not transit and does not qualify.

Entering through Shenzhen

Shenzhen's main international entry points are:

• Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX) — international and regional flights.
• Shenzhen Shekou Cruise Center — ferries to and from Hong Kong (including the airport), Macau and Zhuhai.

For 240-hour transit, Guangdong is treated as a single region: you may enter and exit through any open port in the province. That includes Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, the high-speed rail link at West Kowloon, and the Hong Kong land crossings into Shenzhen such as Luohu, Futian, Huanggang, Liantang and Shenzhen Bay. During your 10 days you can travel around Guangdong — Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan and beyond.

Under the 30-day unilateral policy you can use any sea, land or air port open to foreigners, including all of the land crossings from Hong Kong.

Documents to carry

• A valid ordinary passport. Its validity should cover your whole stay. Travel documents, emergency passports and temporary documents generally do not qualify.
• For transit only: an onward passenger ticket with a confirmed date, seat and itinerary to a third country or region.
• Proof of your purpose — border officers may ask to see an invitation letter, hotel booking, return or onward ticket, or a simple itinerary. Carrying these speeds things up.
• An arrival card (often handed out on the plane or ferry; some ports use digital kiosks).

What you can and can't do

Allowed: tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchange, and transit. Coming for a sports event, conference, exhibition or a study tour/camp under 30 days is also within scope, with an ordinary passport.

Not allowed without the right visa or permit: working, studying and news reporting. During 240-hour transit you may do tourism, business and visits within the region, but the same exclusions apply. Overstaying or doing things that don't match your stated purpose is taken seriously.

Common mistakes

1. Treating a round trip as transit. If you don't continue to a third country, transit doesn't apply — use the 30-day policy or get a visa.
2. Turning up with an emergency or temporary passport. You generally need an ordinary passport.
3. Counting the 30 days from the day you land. It starts at 00:00 the following day.
4. No onward ticket for transit. It must be confirmed, with a date and seat.
5. Assuming you can work or report the news. Neither is covered.
6. Overstaying by even a day, which can affect future entry.

At the border, step by step

1. Have your passport, onward ticket (for transit) and supporting bookings within easy reach.
2. Complete the arrival card before you reach the counter.
3. Join the foreign-national / visa-free queue.
4. Provide biometrics (photo and/or fingerprints) where requested.
5. State your purpose and show your hotel, return ticket or invitation if asked.
6. Receive your entry stamp and check the date before walking away.

Rules can change with little notice, and the waiver for most countries is currently set until 31 December 2026. Always confirm with an official source before you book flights.