How China’s Visa-Free Policies Expanded: From 72 Hours to 30 Days

China’s visa-free policies can look like they appeared all at once. Today, eligible travelers may be able to enter for 30 days without a visa, or stay for up to ten days under the 240-hour transit policy.

But this system was built step by step. It started with small transit trials, expanded from individual cities into larger regions, and only much later became a nationwide 30-day option for dozens of passports.

This is the verified timeline of how that happened, and what each change actually meant.

What this article covers

This article is about the history, not how to apply. It covers when the main visa-free policies started, how the time and areas grew, and how today’s 30-day and 240-hour systems came to be.

For the rules that apply to a real trip, use the current policy guides linked on this page. Old rules help explain the system, but don’t use them to plan a trip today.

The starting point: 24-hour direct transit

Before the longer transit policies, China already had a basic 24-hour visa-free direct-transit rule. It remains separate from the 240-hour policy today.

Under the current rule, foreign travelers of any nationality may be able to transit through an open Chinese port for no more than 24 hours if they hold the required onward ticket for an international aircraft, ship, or train. Travelers who remain in the restricted transit area normally don’t need to enter mainland China formally. Anyone who needs to leave that area must ask the border inspection authorities for a temporary entry permit.

Official English sources don’t give one clear nationwide launch date for this basic rule, so it is safer not to attach a specific year to it. In 2013, China introduced a much more useful policy that let eligible transit travelers enter a city and stay for several days.

January 1, 2013: the 72-hour experiment begins

On January 1, 2013, Beijing and Shanghai introduced 72-hour visa-free transit for travelers from 45 countries.

This was still a transit policy, not general visa-free tourism. Travelers needed confirmed onward tickets to a third country or region. They couldn’t fly from one country to China and then return directly to the same country under the policy.

The difference was that eligible travelers could now pass immigration, enter Beijing or Shanghai, and spend up to three days there instead of remaining inside the airport for less than 24 hours.

The early system was narrow:

• It covered only selected nationalities
• It was tied to specific ports
• Travelers had to remain inside the approved city or area
• A confirmed onward route to a third country or region was required

Other cities later joined, but the basic idea stayed the same: China tested longer visa-free entry through controlled transit zones before expanding it further.

January 30, 2016: the first 144-hour region

The next major step came on January 30, 2016. China introduced 144-hour visa-free transit across Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang for travelers from 51 countries.

The stay doubled from three days to six. But the bigger change was where travelers could go. Instead of staying in one city, they could enter through one port, move around Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, and leave through another, as long as they had onward tickets and met the other transit rules.

This regional approach shaped how the policy grew later.

2018–2019: more regions, longer stays

Hainan gets its own 30-day policy

On May 1, 2018, Hainan introduced a separate 30-day visa-free policy for ordinary-passport holders from 59 countries. At first, travelers had to arrange the trip through a qualifying travel agency.

Hainan’s policy wasn’t transit. Travelers could make the island their destination, but they had to remain within Hainan. It developed separately from the 72-hour and 144-hour transit system.

On February 9, 2024, China broadened the purposes covered by the Hainan policy beyond tourism to include short visits for business, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions, sports competitions, and other permitted activities. The current policy still covers 59 countries and allows stays of up to 30 days within Hainan.

The 144-hour system spreads

On January 1, 2019, Qingdao, Xiamen, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Kunming moved from 72-hour to 144-hour visa-free transit.

By the end of 2019, the system covered travelers from 53 countries at 30 ports in 23 cities across 18 provincial-level regions. Twenty-seven of those ports used the 144-hour policy. Only Changsha, Guilin, and Harbin still had 72-hour transit.

China had also connected important travel regions. Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei operated as one coordinated area, while Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang formed another. This made multi-city itineraries possible without leaving the approved region.

Use of the policy was growing as well. By September 2019, around 452,000 foreign travelers had entered through the 72-hour or 144-hour system. In 2018 alone, about 101,000 used it, 24 percent more than in 2017.

December 1, 2023: unilateral visa-free entry begins

This is the part of the history that is often described incorrectly.

China’s unilateral visa-free trial began on December 1, 2023 for ordinary-passport holders from six countries:

• France
• Germany
• Italy
• the Netherlands
• Spain
• Malaysia

The original stay was 15 days, not 30 days. The trial was initially scheduled to run through November 30, 2024.

This policy was fundamentally different from visa-free transit. China could be the traveler’s actual destination, and no onward ticket to a third country or region was required. Eligible visitors could enter for business, tourism, visiting family or friends, or transit.

2024: the unilateral list grows

China added countries in several rounds during 2024:

• March 14: Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg
• July 1: New Zealand, Australia, and Poland
• October 15: Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovenia
• November 8: Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, and South Korea

These additions still used the original 15-day maximum. The policy hadn’t yet become the 30-day system travelers know today.

November 30, 2024: 15 days becomes 30

On November 30, 2024, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan joined the scheme.

At the same time, China:

• increased the maximum visa-free stay from 15 days to 30 days
• added exchange visits to the permitted purposes
• brought the unilateral list to 38 countries

This is the date when the unilateral scheme became a 30-day policy. Saying that the 30-day policy began in December 2023 skips an important year of its history.

December 17, 2024: 240 hours replaces 72 and 144 hours

On December 17, 2024, China unified the longer visa-free transit system under one limit: 240 hours, or ten days.

The change took effect immediately. The previous 72-hour and 144-hour transit zones were upgraded to 240 hours, so those older versions no longer operate as the current longer-stay transit policy.

At launch, the new system covered:

• 54 eligible countries
• 60 approved entry and exit ports
• 24 provincial-level regions
• stays of up to 240 hours within the permitted areas

China added 21 ports in one step, increasing the total from 39 to 60, and expanded coverage from 19 to 24 provincial-level regions. Eligible travelers could also move across provincial boundaries where the approved stay areas connected.

The routing rule didn’t disappear. A traveler still had to arrive from one country or region and leave for a different country or region.

2025: more countries and more ports

More countries join the 30-day policy

China continued adding ordinary-passport holders from new countries:

• June 1, 2025: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay
• June 9, 2025: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain
• September 15, 2025: Russia
• November 10, 2025: Sweden

In November, China also extended the unilateral arrangements for more than 40 countries through December 31, 2026.

Indonesia joins the transit list

On June 12, 2025, Indonesia was added to the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. That raised the number of eligible transit countries from 54 to 55. The port count remained 60 at that stage.

Malaysia moves to a mutual agreement

Malaysia was one of the original six countries in the 2023 trial. But on July 17, 2025, China and Malaysia signed a mutual visa-exemption agreement instead.

Under that agreement, ordinary-passport holders can stay up to 30 days per visit, and up to 90 days total within any 180-day period. So Malaysia is now covered by its own agreement, not the unilateral list.

Five more transit ports open

On November 5, 2025, five ports in Guangdong were added to the 240-hour system, including West Kowloon Station and the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge port.

This increased the total number of 240-hour ports from 60 to 65. It made qualifying rail, ferry, and land routes through the Greater Bay Area more practical, but travelers still have to meet the third-country or region rule and all other transit conditions.

February 17, 2026: Canada and the UK join

On February 17, 2026, Canada and the United Kingdom joined the 30-day unilateral visa-free policy. Their current trial period runs through December 31, 2026.

That brought the current official unilateral list to exactly 50 countries.

As of July 2026, eligible ordinary-passport holders from those countries may enter for up to 30 days for permitted short-term purposes such as business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange, and transit.

How the policies differ today

30-day unilateral visa-free entry

China can be your final destination. You’re not required to have an onward ticket to a third country. As of July 2026, the official unilateral list contains 50 countries.

240-hour visa-free transit

This is still a transit policy. You must arrive from one country or region and leave for a different one, enter through an eligible port, and remain within the policy’s approved stay areas. It currently covers 55 countries, 65 ports, and 24 provincial-level regions.

24-hour direct transit

This is the shorter baseline rule. It is available to foreign travelers of all nationalities at open ports when the transit conditions are met. Leaving the restricted transit area requires permission.

Mutual visa-exemption agreements

These are separate agreements between China and individual countries. Their permitted stay, cumulative limits, passport types, and allowed purposes can differ from the unilateral policy.

Regional policies

Policies such as Hainan’s 30-day entry, the Greater Bay Area group route, and other tour-group options have their own nationalities, ports, stay areas, and travel conditions.

Why China kept expanding

The official numbers show why these policies continued to grow.

In the first half of 2026, foreign nationals made 22.91 million inbound trips to China. Of those, 17.82 million were visa-free entries, accounting for 77.7 percent of all foreign entries and increasing 30.6 percent from the year before.

The history follows a clear pattern:

• start with a small number of ports and countries
• test how travelers use the policy
• increase the permitted time
• connect neighboring cities and provinces
• add countries, ports, and travel purposes

What this means for your trip today

The direction since 2013 has consistently been toward more time, more ports, and more eligible passports. But individual policies can still be extended, replaced, or changed, and several current unilateral arrangements have published end dates.

For the practical side of the trip, including payments, internet, transport, and arrival preparation, read our first China trip guide or keep our complete China trip PDF offline.

Quick reference: the main milestones

• January 1, 2013: 72-hour transit begins in Beijing and Shanghai for 45 countries
• January 30, 2016: first 144-hour regional policy begins in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
• May 1, 2018: Hainan’s 30-day policy begins for 59 countries
• 2019: 144-hour transit spreads; only Changsha, Guilin, and Harbin remain at 72 hours by year-end
• December 1, 2023: unilateral visa-free entry begins for six countries, initially for 15 days
• November 30, 2024: the unilateral stay increases from 15 to 30 days; list reaches 38 countries
• December 17, 2024: 240-hour transit replaces the previous 72-hour and 144-hour system
• June 12, 2025: Indonesia joins the 240-hour policy, bringing the transit list to 55 countries
• July 17, 2025: the China–Malaysia mutual visa-exemption agreement takes effect
• November 5, 2025: five ports are added, bringing the 240-hour total to 65
• February 17, 2026: Canada and the UK join the 30-day unilateral policy; current list reaches 50 countries

FAQ

When did China’s modern visa-free transit policy begin?
The modern longer-stay transit system began on January 1, 2013, when Beijing and Shanghai introduced 72-hour visa-free transit for travelers from 45 countries. China’s separate 24-hour direct-transit rule is older, but official English sources don’t identify one single nationwide launch date for it.

Did China’s 30-day visa-free policy begin in 2023?
Not exactly. The unilateral policy began on December 1, 2023, but it initially allowed only 15 days for six countries. It became a 30-day policy on November 30, 2024.

Does the old 72-hour or 144-hour policy still exist?
No. On December 17, 2024, the longer visa-free transit system was unified at 240 hours, or ten days. The separate 24-hour direct-transit rule still exists.

How many countries currently qualify for the 30-day unilateral policy?
As of July 2026, the official list contains 50 countries. Separate mutual visa-exemption agreements and regional policies operate under their own rules.

How many countries currently qualify for 240-hour transit?
As of July 2026, the policy covers nationals of 55 countries. It operates through 65 approved ports across 24 provincial-level regions.

What is the main difference between the 30-day and 240-hour policies?
The 240-hour option is a transit policy. You enter China from one country and then leave for a different one, using an eligible port and staying within the permitted areas. The 30-day policy is different: China can be your final destination, and a return ticket is not a requirement.

Can I use an old article that mentions 72-hour or 144-hour transit?
Only as historical information. Anything written before December 17, 2024 may describe ports, areas, or time limits that have since been replaced by the 240-hour system.

Sources

• Chinese Embassy — 72-hour visa-free transit from January 1, 2013
• Chinese Embassy — First 144-hour policy in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
• National Immigration Administration — Hainan policy effective May 1, 2018
• National Immigration Administration — Development of the 72-hour and 144-hour system through 2019
• Chinese Embassy — Original six-country, 15-day unilateral trial
• State Council — Unilateral stay increased from 15 to 30 days
• State Council and NIA — 240-hour policy launched December 17, 2024
• National Immigration Administration — Indonesia added to 240-hour transit
• Chinese Embassy — China–Malaysia mutual visa exemption
• National Immigration Administration — Five ports added in November 2025
• State Council — 2025 visa-free extensions and Sweden addition
• State Council — Canada and the UK added from February 17, 2026
• National Immigration Administration — Current 30-day unilateral country list
• National Immigration Administration — Current 24-hour and 240-hour transit rules
• National Immigration Administration — First-half 2026 entry statistics

Bottom Line

China’s current visa-free system wasn’t created in one step. It grew from a tightly controlled 72-hour transit trial in Beijing and Shanghai into several different routes: 30-day destination-based entry for 50 unilateral-policy countries, 240-hour transit for 55 countries through 65 ports, separate mutual agreements, and regional policies such as Hainan.

The most important correction to remember is that the unilateral policy launched in December 2023 with a 15-day stay. It didn’t become a 30-day policy until November 30, 2024.

The direction has consistently been toward broader access, but the exact country lists, end dates, ports, and permitted areas can change. Check the current official rules for your passport and route before you book.