Which Chinese Airports Allow Visa-Free Transit?

If you've landed on this page, we'll assume you've already confirmed that your nationality is covered by the 240-hour transit policy list of 55 eligible countries. Now you want to know which airports let you enter, and whether the places you plan to visit are covered. That's what this page is for.

Below are the eligible airports, grouped by region, with how much of each region is open to you once you're in. There's also an eligibility checker where you can type the airport or city you're flying into and see straight away whether it qualifies. Entry is also possible through some sea, land, and rail ports, but most travelers fly, so this guide focuses on airports.

If you're entering China another way, this isn't the page for you. If you're using the 24-hour transit, 30-day visa-free entry, a mutual exemption, or a regular visa, you're not tied to these airports, so you can skip all of this. Check your country on our China visa-free countries hub to see which rules apply to you.

You're Not Limited to the City Where You Land

This is the part most old guides get wrong. You can travel far beyond the airport you land at. Once you're through immigration, you're free to move across the permitted areas in all 24 regions — fly into Shanghai and take the high-speed train to Beijing, or land in Guangzhou and continue to Xi'an or Chengdu, all on the same visa-free entry. In China's own words, travelers "can make cross-province travels within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers in these 24 provinces."

One thing matters here: a few regions allow only certain cities, not the whole province. Shanxi covers only Taiyuan and Datong, Heilongjiang covers only Harbin City, and Jiangxi covers only Nanchang and Jingdezhen. These are immigration conditions, not suggestions, so before you book, check that every place on your route sits inside a permitted area. The checker below lists every region, city, and port, so you can confirm each stop on your trip.

The Eligible Airports

The table below lists eligible airports only. It does not include every eligible ferry, cruise, land, rail, or seaport, so check the official list if you plan to enter another way. Airports are grouped by region, and the last column shows how much of each region is open, since most are fully open but a few allow only certain cities.

Beyond airports, several regions also accept eligible seaports and cruise terminals (for example in Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangdong, Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian) and a few land and rail crossings, most notably the West Kowloon Station rail link from Hong Kong into Guangdong, added in November 2025. Because the official list may be revised or expanded, confirm your exact port against the official government website before you book.

What the 240-Hour Transit Policy Covers

The 240-hour visa-free transit lets ordinary-passport holders from 55 eligible countries enter China without a visa while traveling on to a third country or region, and stay up to 10 days. It runs through 65 designated ports across 24 provincial-level regions, and you can move across the permitted areas in those regions during your stay.

For the full rules — who qualifies, the onward-ticket requirement, and how your 10 days are counted — see our complete 240-hour visa-free transit guide.

You Can Enter and Exit Through Different Airports

You don't have to leave the same way you came in. You can fly into Shanghai Pudong and out of Beijing Capital — as long as both are designated ports and your onward ticket leaves China for a third country or region within your 240-hour window.

That flexibility is what makes the policy so useful for a real trip: enter at one city, travel across the permitted areas, and fly out from wherever your itinerary ends.

Planning the Trip Itself

Once your airport is sorted, the rest is just getting ready before you land. You'll want a China eSIM so you have internet the moment you step off the plane, a VPN set up before you go so you can still use apps like Google and WhatsApp, and WeChat and Alipay on your phone so you can pay the way locals do. Our first-China-trip guide shows you how to set all of it up.

Want everything in one place? We've put it into a single downloadable guide. It walks you through every step with screenshots, from downloading the apps to registering on Alipay, and gathers the most useful tips from across the whole site into one place. It also includes our own picks for restaurants, coffee shops, and spots worth your time in a number of cities, the kind of places that are hard to find online. These are places we and the team behind this site have actually been to and checked ourselves, not recommendations copied off social media.

FAQ

Does every Chinese airport accept the visa-free transit?
No. Only designated ports accept it. Most big international airports are on the list, but smaller regional airports may not be, and the list changes as ports are added. Always confirm your specific entry airport before booking.

What if my arrival airport isn't on the list?
Then you can't use the 240-hour transit there — you'd need a regular visa, or you'd reroute through a designated port. This is exactly why it's worth checking your exact airport before you book.

Once I'm in, can I travel to other provinces?
Yes. Since the December 2024 reform, you can make cross-province trips across the permitted areas in all 24 regions during your stay — you're not limited to the city or province you landed in. Fly into Shanghai and you can continue to Beijing, Xi'an, or Chengdu by train or domestic flight. The one catch: some regions only allow certain cities, not the whole province, so check that your destination sits inside a permitted area.

Can I enter through one airport and leave through another?
Yes. You can enter at one eligible port and exit from a different one — even in another city or region — as long as both are designated ports and your onward ticket leaves China for a third country or region within 240 hours. Shanghai Pudong in, Beijing Capital out works fine.

Can I take a high-speed train from Hong Kong into mainland China on this policy?
Yes. In November 2025, West Kowloon Station on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link became an eligible port. This means qualifying travelers can enter mainland China from Hong Kong by high-speed train, or use the station to leave mainland China for Hong Kong, provided their overall itinerary meets the 240-hour transit requirements.

Does flying to Hong Kong count as leaving for a third region?
Yes. Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are treated as separate regions from mainland China for this policy. So a route like US → Shanghai → Hong Kong qualifies, as long as the other transit conditions are met.

What if my cruise stops at a Chinese port?
China has a separate visa-free policy for cruise tour groups. See our guide to China's cruise-ship visa-free policy for how that one works.

Where do I book tours and activities in China?
The two platforms most travelers use are Trip.com and Klook. Both list English-language day trips, fast-track tickets, and airport transfers across the mainland cities you'll be visiting.

Sources

• National Immigration Administration — Visa-Free Transit Fully Relaxed and Optimized (cross-province travel)
• National Immigration Administration — Visa-Free Transit Policies
• National Immigration Administration — 10 New Immigration Measures (5 new Guangdong ports, Nov 2025)
• National Immigration Administration — 240-hour Transit Extended to 55 Countries (Indonesia added)
• State Council — China Widens Visa-Free Access (Nov 2025)

Bottom Line

The 240-hour visa-free transit runs through 65 designated ports across 24 provincial-level regions. The airport's job is to get you in — once you're through, you can travel across the permitted areas in all 24 regions, so you can land in Shanghai and still see Beijing, Xi'an, or Chengdu on the same entry. Most major international airports qualify, but the list is updated periodically and smaller airports may not be on it, so confirm your exact entry and exit ports against the current official list before booking, and check that the cities you want to visit fall inside a permitted area — a few regions only allow certain cities. Final approval is always made by immigration inspection authorities at the port. For route-specific questions before booking, contact the China Immigration Service Hotline 12367.