Germany, France & EU Citizens: China Visa-Free Guide 2026

Booked a China trip from Europe? Most EU passports get you in without a visa now — but the rules aren't identical for everyone.

Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and most of Western and Central Europe are on China's 30-day visa-free list. If you hold one of those passports, you can enter for business, tourism, visits to family or friends, exchange visits, or transit, for up to 30 days — no visa, no embassy appointment, no paperwork ahead of time. But a few EU countries aren't on that list yet. If you hold a Czech or Lithuanian passport, you have a different route: the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Here's exactly which European passports qualify, what the conditions are, and what to do if yours isn't covered.

What the 30-Day Visa-Free Policy Actually Is

China's 30-day visa-free policy lets people from eligible countries who hold an ordinary passport enter China without a visa for business, tourism, visits to family or friends, exchange visits, or transit, for up to 30 days.

You don't apply in advance. You show up at the border with your passport, and the immigration officer processes you under the policy. You fly in, stay up to 30 days, travel the mainland, and leave — no visa application, no embassy appointments, no paperwork ahead of time.

Which EU Countries Are on the 30-Day List

Most of the EU is now covered. If you hold an ordinary passport from any of these countries, you're among the nationalities eligible for the 30-day visa-free policy:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Ireland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

Also covered from Europe, outside the EU:

• Andorra
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Russia
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom

Not on the 30-day list: the Czech Republic and Lithuania — the only two EU members left off it. They're eligible for a different visa-free route (see the next section). Ukraine is also not on the 30-day list, but is eligible for the same transit route.

Check your passport instantly 👇

If Your EU Country Isn't on the 30-Day List

Citizens of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Ukraine are among the countries eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit policy — that's up to 10 days in China, as long as China sits between two different countries or regions on your itinerary.

Here's how it works: you need an onward ticket out of China to a third country or region, and the country you fly to has to be different from the one you arrived from. And a layover counts. That third country can just be a quick stop on your way home, not a place you visit. So usually you only need to change how you fly home.

A few examples:

Prague → Beijing → Prague ❌
Same country before and after China. Doesn't qualify.

Prague → Beijing → Tokyo (layover) → Prague ✅
You're really just heading home to Prague, but by routing back through Tokyo — even a short airport layover you never leave — you exit China to a different country than the one you arrived from. That's enough to qualify. You don't have to actually visit Japan.

Prague → Beijing → Hong Kong ✅
Here Hong Kong is a genuine next destination. You arrived from the Czech Republic and you're leaving for Hong Kong — two different places, so it qualifies.

So it's not as strict as it sounds. In most cases, adding a single stopover on the way home is all it takes to unlock the visa-free transit.

You need confirmed onward tickets to a third country or region with departure dates within 240 hours, and a valid travel document with at least 3 months' validity.

Your visa-free stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after you enter. The full guide, with flight examples and a city-by-city breakdown, is in our 240-hour visa-free transit article.

If you hold a Czech, Lithuanian, or Ukrainian passport and you want a normal China trip without the transit-routing requirement, you'll need to apply for a regular tourist visa (L-visa) at a Chinese embassy or consulate before you travel.

How Long You Can Stay

Up to 30 days. The count starts at 00:00 on the day after you enter, so if you land on a Wednesday, your 30 days start at midnight going into Thursday.

If you want to stay longer, you need to apply for an extension with the local Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Administration before your 30 days run out. Extensions aren't guaranteed — they're granted case by case, usually only for serious reasons like illness or a missed flight.

Don't overstay. Overstaying a visa-free entry can lead to fines, detention, a ban on re-entering China, or deportation.

What You Can and Can't Do

You can enter for business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchange visits, or transit. That covers most normal short trips: sightseeing, visiting family or friends, attending a conference or trade show, short business meetings, or passing through China on your way somewhere else.

You can't work. You can't go to school there long-term. You can't move to China to live. If you're coming for a job, a university program, or anything beyond a short visit, this policy doesn't cover it — you need the right visa or permit before you arrive.

Where You Can Enter and Travel

You can enter through any open port in mainland China — airports, seaports, and land crossings. There's no restricted-port list for the 30-day policy.

Once you're in, you can travel anywhere in mainland China, with two exceptions:

• Tibet Autonomous Region requires a separate Tibet Travel Permit, which you have to arrange through a registered travel agency before you go.
• Certain border or military zones may have access restrictions. These aren't common tourist destinations.

Hong Kong and Macao are separate regions with their own entry rules. Your 30-day visa-free entry covers mainland China only. If you visit Hong Kong or Macao and then re-enter the mainland, that's a new entry and a new 30-day count.

What to Carry at the Border

Have these ready when you go through immigration:

• Valid passport. Keep at least 6 months' validity to be safe — airlines and border officers sometimes ask for it.
• Return or onward ticket. Officers may ask to see proof that you're leaving China within 30 days.
• Accommodation details. A hotel booking or the address where you're staying.
• Arrival card. It's all electronic now — fill it out online before you fly, or online at the airport. We show you exactly where to find it and how to fill it in our China entry requirements guide.

At immigration, the officer may ask about your trip: why you're visiting, where you're staying, when you're leaving. Keep it simple and truthful. Meeting these requirements is routine for most travelers, but final approval always rests with the immigration inspection officers at the port of entry.

How It Differs From China's Other Visa-Free Systems

China has several visa-free routes, and they don't all work the same way. Here's how the 30-day unilateral policy compares:

30-day unilateral policy (this article). If your country is on the list, you can enter for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visits, or transit. No onward ticket to a third country required. No restricted entry ports. You can travel freely across the mainland (except Tibet, which needs a permit). This is the simplest route for most Europeans.

240-hour transit policy. For nationals of 55 countries, including the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Ukraine from Europe. You need an onward ticket to a third country or region within 240 hours, and the country you arrive from and the one you fly to must be different. You can stay up to 10 days and travel across the 24 regions of China the policy covers. Check that guide for the full details.

Mutual visa exemption agreements. Some European countries — such as Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia — have permanent mutual agreements with China instead of being on the unilateral list. These often have a "90 days in any 180-day period" cumulative limit. Check that guide for the country list.

Hainan's 30-day visa-free. If your trip is just Hainan Island, there's a separate policy that lets eligible travelers stay on the island for up to 30 days. Most European countries on the national 30-day list also qualify for Hainan. Check that guide for the details.

If you qualify for more than one policy, just tell the officer your travel plan and which one you want to enter under, and they'll apply the right rules.

Quick Checklist Before You Fly

• Your passport is valid well beyond your arrival date (6 months is the safe target)
• You have a return or onward ticket leaving China within 30 days
• You have hotel bookings or accommodation addresses ready to show
• You've filled out your arrival card online (before you fly, or online at the airport)
• Your trip purpose is tourism, business, visiting, or transit — not work or study

Practical Travel Prep Before You Go

These aren't immigration requirements, but they make the trip easier:

• Book your flights and hotels early. Having confirmed bookings ready to show makes immigration smoother. You can book flights and hotels across mainland China on Trip.com, a China-native platform with strong mainland coverage and support in many languages. It also has plenty of refundable, free-cancellation flights and hotels — handy if your plans shift, so if something changes you're not out the money. A confirmed Trip.com booking gives you exactly the proof of accommodation and onward travel that officers look for.
• Get mobile data before you land. Grab a China eSIM before you fly so you have internet the moment you arrive, with no hunting for a SIM counter.
• Set up your apps before you enter China. Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, and most Western sites are blocked behind China's Great Firewall, so install a VPN before you arrive — you usually can't download one once you're in the country.
• Get China's payment apps ready. Almost everything in China is paid by phone, so download WeChat and Alipay and link your credit or debit card inside each app before you go — that's how you'll pay for taxis, food, trains, the metro, and shops once you land. Our complete guide to preparing for your first China trip walks you through how to set up the apps, payments, eSIM, VPN, and everything else first-time visitors need, step by step.

Or if you'd rather have everything for your China trip in one place — instead of piecing it together across twenty-five different articles — we've put it all into one big PDF guide. Buy it once and it's yours to keep forever. Most of what's inside stays useful for years: even if some visa rules shift, the core of getting around, paying, staying connected, and traveling smoothly in China doesn't change.

FAQ

Do German citizens need a visa for China?
No. Germany is on China's 30-day unilateral visa-free list. German passport holders are among the nationalities eligible for visa-free entry for tourism, business, visiting, or transit for up to 30 days, but you still must meet the passport-validity, accommodation, and border-inspection requirements. Final approval is made by immigration inspection authorities at the port.

Do French citizens need a visa for China?
No. France is on the 30-day visa-free list. French passport holders can enter for up to 30 days without a visa for the same purposes as other eligible countries.

Can I work in China on the 30-day visa-free entry?
No. This policy is for tourism, business visits, family visits, and exchange activities. Employment requires a work visa and residence permit, which you must arrange before you arrive.

Can I extend my 30-day stay?
Extensions are possible but not guaranteed. You have to apply with the local Public Security Bureau Exit-Entry Administration before your 30 days expire, and extensions are granted case by case, usually only for serious reasons.

How many times can I use the 30-day visa-free policy?
There's no officially published annual cap on how many times you can use the policy, but repeated back-to-back visa-free trips can raise questions at the border. Don't treat repeated visa-free entries as a backdoor to live or work in China — that's a quick way to get refused entry. Each entry has to independently meet the eligibility and purpose requirements, and final approval is always at the discretion of immigration officers.

Do I need travel insurance?
It's not an official requirement for visa-free entry, but it's strongly recommended. Medical care in China can be expensive for foreigners, and evacuation or emergency treatment costs add up fast.

What if my EU country isn't on the 30-day list?
If you're from the Czech Republic or Lithuania, you can use the 240-hour visa-free transit policy (up to 10 days, onward ticket to a third country required). If you want a normal China trip without the transit-routing requirement, you'll need to apply for a regular L-visa before you travel.

Can I visit Hong Kong or Macao on the same trip?
Yes, but Hong Kong and Macao are separate regions with their own entry rules. Your 30-day visa-free entry covers mainland China only. If you leave the mainland to visit them and then return, that's a new entry and starts a new 30-day count.

Where do I book tours and activities in China?
The two platforms we recommend, and that most travelers book through, are Trip.com and Klook. Both list English-language tours, day trips, the Great Wall, fast-track tickets, and airport transfers across mainland China.

Sources

• National Immigration Administration — List of Countries Covered by Unilateral Visa Exemption
• National Immigration Administration — Visa-Free Transit Policies
• National Immigration Administration — Announcement on 10 New Immigration Measures, including 240-hour transit expansion
• National Immigration Administration — Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals

Bottom Line

Most EU citizens can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the majority of Western and Central European countries are on China's unilateral visa-free list — just show up with your passport, proof of accommodation, and a return ticket, and you're in. Czech and Lithuanian passport holders aren't on the 30-day list yet, but they can use the 240-hour visa-free transit policy for up to 10 days if China sits between two different countries or regions on their itinerary. Final entry approval is always made by immigration inspection authorities at the port, but if you meet the conditions and your documents are in order, it's one of the simplest ways to visit China.