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Entry & Planning • 5 min read

China Visa-Free & 240-Hour Transit Checklist for First-Time Visitors

What to check before boarding a flight to China under the 30-day visa-free or 240-hour transit policy: passport rules, hotel bookings, arrival cards, and mobile data.

Last updated: 2026-11-14

China has significantly expanded visa-free entry options, allowing eligible passport holders from dozens of countries to visit for up to 30 days without a visa, alongside an expanded 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy across designated ports.

Because entry rules depend on your exact nationality, routing, and passport validity, use this checklist as your pre-flight roadmap—and always confirm official terms with your nearest Chinese embassy or the National Immigration Administration (NIA) before flying.

1. Two Weeks Before Departure

  • Verify visa-free vs. transit eligibility:
    • If using 30-day visa-free entry, check that your passport country is currently covered for tourism/business and that your stay stays within 30 days.
    • If using 240-hour visa-free transit, make sure your flight itinerary goes Country A → China → Country C (a genuine third country or region—round-trip back to the same origin country does not qualify as transit).
  • Check passport validity: Make sure your passport has at least 6 months of remaining validity beyond your travel dates and blank pages for stamps.
  • Book refundable or confirmed hotels: Print or save offline PDF confirmations for your first night’s hotel and outbound flight ticket, as immigration officers may ask to see them.

2. Three Days Before Departure

  • Set up Alipay & WeChat Pay: Link your Visa or Mastercard and complete passport verification while you can easily receive home SMS codes.
  • Download essential apps: Install Amap (Gaode Maps) or Apple Maps (which uses rich local data once inside China), Didi (for rides), Trip.com (for high-speed rail & attraction tickets), and an offline translation pack in Google Translate or DeepL.
  • Install your China travel eSIM: Purchase and install your eSIM profile on stable home Wi-Fi, then leave that eSIM line turned off until landing.

3. On Arrival at the Airport

  1. Complete the Arrival Card: Grab a paper arrival card near immigration (or fill in a digital self-service kiosk if available at your port). Keep your hotel address in both English and Chinese handy.
  2. Switch on your eSIM line: Once you clear customs or taxi to the gate, turn ON your travel eSIM line and enable Data Roaming for that line only (keep your home SIM’s Data Roaming OFF).
  3. Hotel registration: Licensed hotels automatically register your passport with local police during check-in. If staying at a private residence or friend’s home, you must register at the local police station within 24 hours.

4. Multi-Country Asia Trips?

If your itinerary combines China with Japan, South Korea, Thailand, or Singapore, compare a single regional Asialink eSIM against buying individual country plans—keeping one regional eSIM active across borders saves setup time between flights.