Entry
The 30-day list is a list, not a mood
A lot of English pages say China is visa-free now. That sentence is only true for specific passports, for specific reasons, for a limited stay. This page records the list we actually read.
What we checked
On 12 October 2026 we read the visa-free FAQ published by the Chinese Visa Application Service Center. It says ordinary-passport holders of 50 countries may enter without a visa for business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange, or transit, and stay no more than 30 days. It also says the waiver does not cover work, study, or journalism.
The United States is not on that list. People with a US passport still need to check a separate route, which may be a visa or a transit facility with its own ports and regions. Do not buy a ticket that only works if a blog was right.
The 50 places named on that FAQ
- Australia
- Austria
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Republic of Korea
- Romania
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay
Transit is a different rule
There is a separate transit-without-visa facility for some other passports. The hours, the airports, and the provinces you may stay in are set by the immigration authorities and they change. Read the current notice on a Chinese embassy site or the National Immigration Administration. This page will not restate that second policy from memory.
- Visa-free FAQChinese Visa Application Service Center
Questions
Does visa-free mean I can work remotely for a month?
The FAQ we read limits the reasons to business, tourism, visits, exchange, and transit. Work and study are named as outside the waiver. If the trip is actually work, get the correct visa.
Is 30 days renewable by hopping to Hong Kong?
Do not plan on a trick. Ask an official source if your passport and your reason allow another entry.