Official-source query manual
Visa and entry rules for China
Start with your entry route, then check the visa class and the official documents.
Four entry routes, in the order that decides between them
Visa exemption and transit figures retrieved 2026-10-01
- 01 Unilateral visa exemption Ordinary passport holders from listed countries Up to 30 days Purpose limited to business, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, exchange visit, transit
- 02 Visa-free transit Travellers passing through China to a third country 24 / 240 hours Needs a valid visa for the onward country; 240 hours must leave from a covered port
- 03 Port visa Ordinary passport holders who can apply at an open port Valid for one entry Officially a way of obtaining a visa, not a visa class
- 04 A visa applied for abroad Anyone staying long, or whose purpose exceeds the first three As annotated on the visa L/M/F/Z/X1/X2/Q/S/R — the class follows the purpose
National Immigration Administration (nia.gov.cn) Consular Affairs (cs.mfa.gov.cn)
In the handbook
- 01
Entry routes
Which way in? Visa-free, transit, port visa, or a visa you apply for abroad
Every route into mainland China rests on one test: what is your nationality and passport, and why are you coming. Start here before you look at any visa class.
- 02
Visa classes
The visa classes: L, M, F, Z, X, Q, S and R, and which reason puts you in which one
Chinese visas are grouped by what you are coming to do. The class letter follows your purpose, and each class carries its own document requirements.
- 03
After arrival
After you land: the 30-day residence permit, visa extensions, and what a port visa does not do
Landing is the start of an obligation, not the end of the process. Two deadlines exist and they belong to different people: a 30-day residence permit for the long-stay classes, and an extension applied for before your stay expires for short stays.
- 04
Rules and penalties
When a foreigner may not leave China: Article 28
Article 28 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law lists four circumstances in which foreigners shall not be allowed to exit China, and Article 27 sets out the exit examination for foreigners leaving.
- 05
Rules and penalties
Ordered to leave, repatriated or deported from China: what each term means in the Law
Explains how the Exit and Entry Administration Law and its Regulations separate being ordered to exit within a time limit, repatriation and deportation, with the entry ban each provision prints.
- 06
Rules and penalties
Visas obtained by fraud and false invitation letters: Articles 73 and 74
What the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China says about visas obtained by fraud and false written invitations, with the penalties printed in Articles 73 and 74.
- 07
Rules and penalties
When a Chinese visa or permit becomes void or is cancelled
Lists, item by item and with article numbers, when a visa, stay permit or residence permit held in mainland China is declared null and void, or cancelled or confiscated, before its date.
- 08
Rules and penalties
Overstaying in China: what counts as illegal residence and the penalty in the Law
If you stay longer than your visa or permit allows, Article 25 of the Regulations treats you as residing illegally, and Article 78 of the Law allows a fine of RMB 500 per day up to RMB 10,000, or detention of five to 15 days, where circumstances are serious.
- 09
After arrival
Stay permit, residence permit or visa: three different documents
A visa sets how long you may stay after each entry, a residence permit applies where the visa says so, and a stay permit covers the cases in Law, Article 34. Each has its own article.
- 10
After arrival
Working on a tourist, business or study visa: what counts as unlawful employment
Article 41 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law requires a work permit or work-type residence permit before a foreigner works in China, and Article 43 deems working without one unlawful employment.
- 11
After arrival
A baby born in China to foreign parents: the 60-day registration
Foreign parents must complete stay or residence registration for a baby born in China within 60 days after the birth, on the strength of the birth certificates. The Exit and Entry Administration Law sets this time limit, and the stay-permit guide sets the papers and permit period.
- 12
After arrival
Carrying your passport in China: Article 38 and the checks it allows
Article 38 of China's Exit and Entry Administration Law says foreigners aged 16 or over who stay or reside in China shall carry their passport or other international travel document, or their stay or residence permit, and accept inspection by public security organs.
Where the facts come from
- National Immigration Administration — visa exemption, transit, port visas, the exit-entry law.
- Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs — who each visa class is issued to and what it requires.
- Chinese Visa Application Service System — where an application abroad is actually filed.