A foreign citizen can enter China without a visa under any one of the following circumstances:
1. Transit upon arrival
a) 24 hours direct transit
A foreign citizen who is transiting through China by air or train or ships is exempted from a visa if the traveler will stay only in the port limited area for no more than 24 hours can apply for the transit visa.
A foreign citizen with a valid connecting ticket with confirmed seating on an international flight., can transit two or more than two cities need to apply the transit permit by the Entry and Exit Border Inspection Agency.
b) 72 hours transit
Citizens with valid passport, confirmed interline ticket and valid visa to the third country or region (if required) of the following 53 countries, can apply to stay in the transit cities without visa for 72 hours on direct transit via the following airports: CAN, CTU, CKG, SHE, DLC, XIY, KMG. KWL, XMN, WUH, TSN, HRB, TAO, CSX (For more info, please check the airport's websites).
53 countries are Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Montenegro, Monaco, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
(For more info, please check the airport or border' s websites)
c) 144 hours transit visa
Citizens with valid passport, confirmed interline ticket and valid visa to the third country or region (if required) of the following 53 countries:
1. can apply to stay in Shanghai, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province without visa for 144 hours on direct transit via the following borders: Shanghai airport (SHA & PVG), Shanghai train station, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal or Nanjing airport (NKG), Hangzhou airport (HGH).
2. can apply to stay in Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei province without visa for 144 hours on direct transit via following borders: Beijing Capital airport, Beijing West railway station, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Port or Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport, Qinghuangdao Port.
3 can apply to stay in Liaoning Province without visa for 144 hours on direct transit via the following borders: Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport.
(For more info, please check the airport or border' s websites)
53 countries Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Montenegro, Monaco, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.
Special notes: For travelers apply for 72 / 144 hours free transit permit, it is necessary to inform the airline at check-in, so that they can declare your request to the airport custom before landing. Passengers transiting via Beijing Capital International Airport can apply for this free transit permit after arrival. There is a special counter/lane for the 72-hour free transit, so passengers can go there directly by following the signs.
2. Visiting the Pearl River Delta or Hainan Island
a) A foreign citizen holding an ordinary passport issued by any country with diplomatic relations with China is exempted from a visa if traveler is already in HKSAR or Macao SAR and joins a tourist group organized by a travel agency, which is registered in HKSAR or Macao SAR, for a visit to the Pearl River Delta region (including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and Huizhou) and traveler stay is no more than 6 days.
b) A foreign citizen holding an ordinary passport issued by any of the following countries is exempted from a visa if traveler joins a tourist group (of 5 or more persons) organized by an international travel agency registered in Hainan with the approval of China National Tourism Administration to visit Hainan Province and his/her stay is no more than 15 days: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Ukraine and United States. Citizens of Germany, Republic of Korea and Russia may join an international tourist group (of 2 or more persons) and can stay up to 21 days.
c) Citizen of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines can travel and stay in Guilin (2 people or more) no more than 6 days if the trip organized by the travel agency approved by the Guilin Tourism Department.
3. Citizens of Singapore, Brunei and Japan
A citizen of Singapore, Brunei or Japan with an ordinary passport is exempted from a visa if he/she visits China's mainland for tourism, business, or meeting with friends or relatives, and if he/she enters China through ports open to foreigners and stays for no more than 15 days.
However, a visa is required for citizens of these three countries under any of the following circumstances:
a) An ordinary passport holder visits China for tourism, business, or meeting with friends or relatives, and stays for more than 15 days.
b) An ordinary passport holder visits China for the purpose of study, work, permanent residency, official visits and news coverage.
4. Holders of Valid APEC Business Travel Card
The APEC Business Travel Card is a substitute of a multiple-entry visa valid for 3 years. A card holder who presents a valid passport whose image and biometric data exactly matches that on the APEC Business Travel Card can enter China multiple times during the validity of the card for a stay of no more than 2 months each time.
5. Holders of PRC Foreigner's Permanent Residence Card
6. Holders of Residence Permit for Foreigners issued by PRC Ministry of Public Security
A Foreign citizen entering China on a D, Z, J1, Q1, S1 or X1 visa must apply for a residence permit at local public security authorities within 30 days of entry into China. Once approved, the permit holder is allowed to stay in China or enter/exit China multiple times for the duration of the validity of the permit. No visa renewal is necessary.
7. Bilateral Agreement
Based on bilateral agreements signed or reached between China and foreign countries, foreign citizens of some countries who meet certain requirements may visit China without a visa. Please see the List of Agreements on Visa Exemption between China and foreign countries for more information. http://cs.mfa.gov.cn/zlbg/tyxy_660627