Visa Information

You NEED to apply for a visa UNLESS YOU MEET the following visa exemption requirements:

1. Bilateral Visa Exemption Policies

According to bilateral agreements, citizens of some countries (List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries) holding appropriate passports may enter China without a visa.

2. Unilateral Visa Exemption Policy 

From November 10, 2025 to December 31, 2026, citizens of the following 50 countries holding ordinary passports visiting China for business and trade, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchange and transit purposes are exempted from Chinese visa and may stay up to 30 days:

Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Republic of Korea, Brunei, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan, Sweden,United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain

(Brunei: permanent visa exemption; Russia: valid until September 14, 2026; others: valid until December 31, 2026.)

Please refer to the official websites of the State Council, the People's Repubilc of China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China and National Immigration administration.

3. 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy

• Nationals from 55 countries may enter China visa-free through any of 60 open ports of entry in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) while traveling to a third country or region, and may stay within the designated area for up to 240 hours.

• Foreign nationals from these countries with valid travel documents and confirmed onward tickets may apply for visa-free transit at border inspection authorities.

• The duration of stay starts from 00:00 on the day following entry.For details on eligible countries, ports and allowed areas, please check the official Visa-Free Transit Policies.

For more details about entitled countries, name of port, and allowed destinations for staying, please check (Visa-Free Transit Policies).

For those participants who do not qualify for visa exemption：
Visit: https://www.visaforchina.cn/globle/ , choose the country and cities where you will apply visa to China.

Take Sydney, Australia for example. Please select the corresponding visa type based on your main purpose of going to China and click to view the list of materials.

Please follow the online instructions and steps to obtain visa to China.

Notes:

1. Please make your application well in advance of the planned travel date. You are advised to apply ONE month in advance but no earlier than THREE months.
2. Visa processing time varies with location. Please refer to the Visa Center for details. Be aware that actual processing time may be longer than that posted on the web site in certain circumstances. If there is such a delay, you will be notified by the Visa Centre staff.
3. Passport with at least six months of remaining validity and blank visa pages and a recently taken color passport photo (bare-head, full face) against a light background shall be prepared before you start the application.
4. According to the requirements of Chinese Embassy and Consulate General, you must come to the Visa Centre in person to submit your application and have your fingerprints collected.
5. Should you need an invitation letter, please require it upon your online registration. The invitation letter will be sent to you by e-mail after your payment is done.