Xishuangbanna & Guilin: ASEAN Visa-Free Travel 2026

If you hold an ordinary passport from one of the ten ASEAN countries covered by this policy, you may be able to visit two beautiful parts of southern China with no visa at all: Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, and Guilin in Guangxi. The trade-off is that this is a tour-group policy. You travel with a group, booked through a travel agency registered in mainland China, and you stay within one specific region. The entry itself is free, with no individual visa application or visa fee.

Here is exactly how both policies work, who qualifies, and what places you can visit.

What this policy is

China runs two regional visa-free policies for ASEAN tour groups, one for Xishuangbanna and one for Guilin. Both work the same way. A tour group of two or more people, all holding ordinary passports from an ASEAN member state, can enter and leave China visa-free, as long as the group is organized and received by a travel agency registered in mainland China.

You do not submit an individual visa application. The mainland China-registered travel agency handles the required group-entry formalities before your arrival, and you are processed as a group when you enter.

Both policies are current and officially listed by China's National Immigration Administration. The Xishuangbanna policy took effect on February 10, 2025. The Guilin policy is also in force and officially confirmed.

Who qualifies

The policy covers ordinary passport holders from these ten ASEAN states:

Brunei
Cambodia
Indonesia
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
the Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Vietnam

Timor-Leste, which joined ASEAN in 2025, is not covered by these policies.

You qualify on nationality if you hold an ordinary passport from one of these ten countries, but you still have to meet the group, travel-agency, entry-port, permitted-area, and stay-length rules below. If you travel on a diplomatic or official passport, different rules apply. Final approval is always made by the immigration inspection officers at the port of entry.

The group-tour requirement

This is the most important part to get right, so here it is clearly:

Your group must have at least two people, all on ordinary passports.
The tour must be organized and received by a travel agency registered in mainland China.
You enter and leave China as a group. This is the "group in, group out" rule. You cannot split off partway through and fly home on your own.

So you cannot fly in solo and use this policy, and you cannot book through a foreign tour operator alone. Only agencies registered in mainland China qualify. If you are arranging your trip through an agency in your home country, ask them directly whether they partner with a mainland China-registered travel agency, because the policy requires it.

Where you can enter

The entry points are fixed, and they are tied to the region you are allowed to visit.

For Xishuangbanna, you can enter and exit through:

Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport
Mohan Railway Port
Mohan Highway Port

For Guilin, you can enter and exit through:

Guilin Liangjiang International Airport

Note the difference: Xishuangbanna has three ports, including road and rail crossings that make overland entry from Laos straightforward. Guilin is by air only. You cannot enter China somewhere else, like Shanghai or Beijing, and then use this policy.

How long you can stay

You can stay for a maximum of six days under either policy.

The count starts at 00:00 on the day after you enter. So if your group arrives in Xishuangbanna on a Tuesday afternoon, the six-day clock starts at midnight going into Wednesday, which gives you a little extra time on arrival day.

Where you can travel inside China

This is where the policy is strict, and where the two regions differ.

If you enter through Xishuangbanna, you can travel only within the administrative region of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. You cannot take a train to Kunming, Dali, or Lijiang. Those are elsewhere in Yunnan and outside the permitted area.

If you enter through Guilin, you can travel within the administrative region of Guilin. Guilin is a large municipality, and it includes some of the most famous scenery in China, such as Yangshuo and the Longsheng rice terraces, because those areas are administered by Guilin. What you cannot do is travel to the rest of Guangxi, like Nanning or Beihai, which are outside the zone.

Stepping outside the permitted area breaks the terms of your visa-free entry. If you want to see more of China, you would need a regular visa or one of the other visa-free policies.

What you can and can't do

You can use this policy for tourism and sightseeing while traveling with your group.

You cannot use it for paid work, study, or anything that needs separate approval from the Chinese authorities. This is a tourism policy built around organized tour groups. If you are coming to work or study, you need a different visa.

How this compares to China's other visa-free options

If you are trying to decide which visa-free route works better for you or fits your trip, here is how the ASEAN tour-group policy compares to China's two big national policies.

30-day visa-free entry. Some ASEAN nationalities can enter China as individuals, with no tour group, for up to 30 days, and travel across most of the country. Among ASEAN states this currently applies to Brunei (through China's unilateral visa-free list) and to Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia (through mutual visa-exemption agreements between those countries and China). If you hold one of those four passports, this is almost always the simpler option. You can read more in our guides to 30-day visa-free entry and mutual visa exemption.

240-hour visa-free transit. This is for travelers passing through China on the way to a third country. You need a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region. In simple terms, the itinerary must be country or region A, then China, then country or region B, with A and B different. It does not need a tour group. Several ASEAN countries qualify, including Indonesia.

ASEAN tour-group policy (this article). You travel as a group of at least two, booked through a mainland China-registered travel agency, for up to six days, inside one region only. No third-country routing is required.

So if you are from Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, or Malaysia and you just want to visit freely, the 30-day route is easier. The tour-group policy is most useful for the other ASEAN nationalities, or for anyone who is already booking a group tour to Xishuangbanna or Guilin and wants the agency to handle everything.

What to carry at the border

Have these ready when your group arrives:

Your valid ordinary passport
Confirmation from the mainland China travel agency handling your tour
Your group booking details, which the agency usually provides
Your hotel booking or accommodation address

The NIA notice does not state a fixed minimum passport-validity period for this policy. Your passport must be valid for the trip, and you should confirm any additional requirements with the travel agency and airline.

Entry goes through normal border inspection. Officers confirm your purpose of stay, and final admission is at their discretion under Chinese law. Having your documents ready and being clear about your plans keeps things smooth.

One practical thing to sort before you travel: many everyday apps, like Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Gmail, often do not work on normal mainland Chinese networks. In our guides, we show you how to set up a VPN and mobile data with an eSIM before your flight.

For entry-policy questions before you travel, China's immigration hotline is 12367 (dial +86-12367 from outside China), with English-language support.

Quick checklist before you travel

Before your tour departs, make sure:

You have booked through a travel agency registered in mainland China
The agency has submitted your passport details to Chinese immigration
You know which region you are visiting, Xishuangbanna or Guilin, and that you must stay inside it
Your group has at least two people, all on ordinary passports
You enter and exit through the designated ports for that region
You are staying six days or less
You will enter and leave China together as a group

Where to book tours and activities

Because this policy requires a mainland China-registered travel agency, your visa-free entry itself is arranged through that agency, not through a booking site. An ordinary booking on a travel platform does not by itself meet the China-registered-agency requirement. For the rest of your trip, Klook offers day tours, attraction tickets, and local activities in Yunnan and Guangxi. For flights into Xishuangbanna or Guilin and for hotels, Trip.com has strong China coverage and easy booking in English.

FAQ

Do I need a visa to visit Xishuangbanna or Guilin if I am from a covered ASEAN country?
Not if you travel as part of an organized tour group handled by a travel agency registered in mainland China. You can enter visa-free for up to six days. If you travel solo or outside a group, you need a visa or another visa-free policy.

Can I travel alone?
No. The policy needs a group of at least two people on ordinary passports. If you are traveling solo, you would need a different visa-free route or a visa.

Can I visit both Xishuangbanna and Guilin on the same visa-free trip?
No. The two policies are separate and region-specific. If you enter through Xishuangbanna, you stay in Xishuangbanna Prefecture. If you enter through Guilin, you stay in the Guilin region. You cannot travel between the two under this policy.

Can I enter through Xishuangbanna and then visit Kunming or Lijiang?
No. Travel is limited to Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, and the rest of Yunnan are outside the permitted area.

Does the Guilin policy include Yangshuo and the Longsheng rice terraces?
Yes. Yangshuo and Longsheng are administered by Guilin, so they are inside the permitted area. Nanning, Beihai, and the rest of Guangxi are not.

What if my country is already on China's 30-day visa-free list?
Then that route is usually simpler. Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia nationals can enter China for up to 30 days as individuals, with no tour group, and travel across most of the country. Check the full list of visa-free countries to see where you stand.

Will my passport be stamped?
Border-processing procedures can vary. Ask your travel agency what to expect, and follow the instructions of the immigration officers at the port.

Sources

Bottom Line

Ordinary-passport holders from the ten covered countries can visit Xishuangbanna in Yunnan or Guilin in Guangxi visa-free for up to six days, as long as they travel as a group of at least two, booked through a travel agency registered in mainland China, and enter and leave together through the designated ports. You stay within one region, either Xishuangbanna Prefecture or the Guilin area, and you cannot travel elsewhere in China under this policy. The Xishuangbanna policy took effect on February 10, 2025, and the Guilin policy is also current. If you are from Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, or Malaysia, China's 30-day visa-free entry is usually the easier choice. Final approval always rests with the immigration officers at the port.

ASEAN Tour Group Visa-Free Travel to Xishuangbanna and Guilin (2026)