SHANGHAI / China Visa & Entry
China Visa & Entry
Planning a trip to Shanghai? Compare China’s visa-free travel and transit policies, check the published passport lists, and find official entry guidance.
For short tourist visits to mainland China, including Shanghai. This is a dated guide, not an entry approval. Recheck official notices before booking and departure; border inspection authorities make the final decision. Hong Kong and Macao have separate entry rules.
01 / China Visa & Entry
Find policies for your passport
Checks the 30-day unilateral and 240-hour transit lists only. Ordinary passports, tourist travel. Nationality means the passport you will use, not where you live. Other exemptions and bilateral agreements may apply.
30 days · visa-free visits
Ordinary passport holders from 50 listed countries may visit for tourism, business, family or friends, exchanges or transit for up to 30 days. The passport must cover the trip. Work, study and journalism are not covered. No advance embassy application is needed when the conditions are met.
48 countries: entry through 31 December 2026. Russia: through 31 December 2027. Brunei: no published end date. These are policy-validity dates, not the length of a visit.
View the published country list (50)
Andorra · Argentina · Australia · Austria · Bahrain · Belgium · Brazil · Brunei · Bulgaria · Canada · Chile · Croatia · Cyprus · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Japan · Kuwait · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Luxembourg · Malta · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · New Zealand · North Macedonia · Norway · Oman · Peru · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Slovakia · Slovenia · South Korea · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · United Kingdom · Uruguay
240 hours · onward transit
For ordinary passport holders from 57 listed countries continuing to a third country or region. You need a confirmed onward ticket, a passport valid for at least three months and permission to enter the next destination. Use approved ports and stay only in permitted areas. Shanghai Pudong, Hongqiao and Shanghai Port (Passenger) are included.
↗ US → Shanghai → Japan: an onward route to check
↩ US → Shanghai → US: not third-country transit
View the published country list (57)
Albania · Argentina · Australia · Austria · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia & Herzegovina · Brazil · Brunei · Bulgaria · Canada · Chile · Croatia · Cyprus · Czechia · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Indonesia · Ireland · Italy · Japan · Kyrgyzstan · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malta · Mexico · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · New Zealand · North Macedonia · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Qatar · Romania · Russia · Serbia · Singapore · Slovakia · Slovenia · South Korea · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Ukraine · United Arab Emirates · United Kingdom · United States · Vietnam
Other visa exemptions
Bilateral agreements can provide a different route to visa-free entry. Being absent from the unilateral list does not mean you need a visa. Check the exact passport category, permitted purpose, single-stay limit and cumulative limit in the applicable agreement.
Bilateral visa-exemption agreements ↗Need a tourist visa?
For tourism outside an applicable exemption, check the L visa instructions of the Chinese embassy or consulate serving your place of residence. Follow its official application channel and current document checklist. Fees, appointments, fingerprints and processing times vary by location; do not assume one worldwide procedure.
Shanghai official visa guide ↗02 / Before you travel
Before you travel
- Carry your passport, onward or return bookings, accommodation details and a clear itinerary. Temporary or emergency travel documents do not qualify for the ordinary-passport unilateral exemption. Visa-free FAQ in English ↗
- For these 30-day and 240-hour policies, the stay count starts at 00:00 on the day after entry. Check the expiry recorded or confirmed by immigration; do not plan an overstay. Unilateral visa-free entry: countries & conditions ↗ Shanghai ports and transit guidance ↗
- Use the NIA’s official arrival-card service when applicable. An arrival card is not a visa or an entry approval. A 24-hour airside transit exemption does not automatically allow a city visit: leaving the restricted area requires a temporary entry permit. Official online arrival card ↗ 240-hour and 24-hour transit: NIA rules ↗
- Hotels register guests’ accommodation. For a private home or other non-hotel stay, you or your host must register with the local public security authority within 24 hours of arrival at the accommodation. Accommodation registration ↗
Official sources & services
The English FAQ predates the Russia extension. Use the later dated Russia announcement for that expiry. Source-check date is not a promise that policies cannot change.
- Unilateral visa-free entry: countries & conditions ↗MFA Commissioner’s Office in Macao · 2026-05-22
- Visa-free FAQ in English ↗Chinese Consulate-General in Montreal · 2026-02-17
- Russia: extension to 31 December 2027 ↗Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 2026-05-20
- 240-hour and 24-hour transit: NIA rules ↗National Immigration Administration · 2026-08-20
- Shanghai ports and transit guidance ↗Shanghai Municipal Government · 2026-08-20
- Bilateral visa-exemption agreements ↗Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 2026-05-29
- Shanghai official visa guide ↗Shanghai Municipal Government
- Accommodation registration ↗National Immigration Administration
- Official online arrival card ↗National Immigration Administration