China Visa-Free 2027: Will It Be Extended?
Citizens of 48 countries – from the UK, Canada and Australia to most of Europe, Japan and South Korea – can enter China for up to 30 days without a visa. That rule runs until 31 Dec 2026, and as of 24 Oct 2026 it has not been extended. This page shows which passports are affected, what it means for a trip over New Year, and what to do if no extension comes. We update it on the day of an announcement.
Status as of 24 Oct 2026
Not extended yet – valid until 31 Dec 2026
As of 24 Oct 2026 there is no announcement for 2027. Last year’s extension came on 3 Nov 2025.
Visa-free or visa? Check your trip
Pick your passport and enter your dates. The check starts with the case people ask about most: entering on 26 Dec 2026, leaving on 10 Jan 2027.
15 days counted (the entry day itself doesn’t count)
All possible results
Covered by the current rule
Your whole trip ends on or before 31 Dec 2026, the date the published rule runs to. No visa needed.
Your trip crosses the deadline – not officially answered
You enter before 31 Dec 2026 but leave after it. No embassy or ministry text we have found says whether a stay that started before the deadline may run past it. Until there is an announcement: leave by 31 Dec 2026, get a visa, or ask the embassy in writing.
Depends on the extension – not announced yet
You enter after 31 Dec 2026. Right now no published rule covers that date. If China extends the policy (it has every year so far, most recently in November), you will be fine; if not, you need a visa. Book refundable, or apply for a visa if your trip can’t wait.
Not covered by any published rule
Your entry date is after 31 Dec 2026, the last day of the visa-free rule for this passport. Unless a new announcement says otherwise, you need a visa.
Longer than 30 days – visa needed
Visa-free entry allows at most 30 days per trip, regardless of the deadline. For a longer stay, apply for a visa before you travel.
Only the 240-hour transit rule applies
This passport is not on the 30-day visa-free list. You can only stay up to 10 days without a visa when passing through to a third country with an onward ticket. The 2026 deadline doesn’t change that.
Check your passport separately
This page covers the countries on China’s visa-free lists. Look up any other passport in the visa checker (/en/visa-check/).
Which passports are affected
Ends 31 Dec 2026: 48 countries
Up to 30 days visa-free until 31 Dec 2026. These are the passports waiting for the 2027 decision. Countries marked * have no 240-hour transit fallback (see below).
- Andorra *
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain *
- Belgium
- Brazil
- 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
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia *
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Uruguay *
Already extended
- Russia: until 31 Dec 2027
Not affected: no end date
Brunei’s unilateral exemption has no end date; the others are mutual agreements between two governments.
Not on the 30-day list: transit only
These passports never had 30-day visa-free entry, so nothing changes on 31 Dec 2026. They can use the 240-hour transit rule or need a visa: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mexico, Qatar, Serbia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States. Anyone else: visa checker.
When will China decide?
There is no fixed date. China has extended the policy every year before it ran out. Last year’s extension came on 3 Nov 2025, just under two months before the deadline. That is a pattern, not a promise: an extension is only certain once it is announced.
| Announced | What | Valid until |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Nov 2023 | Launch: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia – 15 days, from 1 Dec 2023 | 30 Nov 2024 |
| 7 Mar 2024 | Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg added from 14 Mar 2024 | 30 Nov 2024 |
| 7 May 2024 | Extension for 12 countries (incl. Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to 31 Dec 2025207 days before the old end date, 30 Nov 2024 | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 22 Nov 2024 | Stay raised from 15 to 30 days (from 30 Nov 2024), more countries added | 31 Dec 2025 |
| 3 Nov 2025 | Extension for all countries to 31 Dec 2026, Sweden added from 10 Nov 202558 days before the old end date, 31 Dec 2025 | 31 Dec 2026 |
| 15 Feb 2026 | United Kingdom and Canada added from 17 Feb 2026, also until 31 Dec 2026 | 31 Dec 2026 |
| 20 May 2026 | Russia only: extended to 31 Dec 2027117 days before the old end date, 14 Sept 2026 | 31 Dec 2027 |
Trips over New Year: in December, out in January
This is the question we see most, and the honest answer is: there is no official rule. The notices and embassy FAQs say the policy applies until 31 Dec 2026 and that the 30 days count from the day after entry. None of the texts we have found says whether a stay that began before the deadline may run past it. Answers on forums and travel blogs are guesses.
Until there is an announcement, three options are safe:
- Leave mainland China by 31 Dec 2026. Hong Kong and Macau count as leaving.
- Get a visa (see below). Then the deadline doesn’t matter.
- Ask the Chinese embassy in your country in writing and carry the reply.
If the policy is extended, the question goes away and we will update this section.
If it isn’t extended: apply for a visa
For a holiday you would need a tourist visa (L visa), applied for at the Chinese embassy, a consulate or a Chinese visa application centre in your country. Processing times and fees differ by country. As one example, the centre in Berlin quotes 4 working days for complete applications and recommends applying about a month ahead, no earlier than three months.
If you travel in early 2027 and the news comes late, many people will apply at the same time. Having your documents ready now costs nothing.
The 240-hour transit fallback
40 of the 48 countries are also on China’s 240-hour transit list (57 countries in total). With it you can stay up to 10 days without a visa, but only when travelling on to a third country with a ticket, for example London – Shanghai – Tokyo. A return trip to where you came from doesn’t qualify; Hong Kong and Macau count as a separate destination. It replaces a stopover, not a round trip.
Not on the transit list: Andorra, Bahrain, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Oman, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay. Without an extension, these passports would need a visa for any visit.
FAQ
When does China's visa-free policy end?
For 48 countries on 31 Dec 2026 at midnight Beijing time, unless it is extended. Russia: 31 Dec 2027. Brunei and the mutual agreements (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and others) have no end date.
Has China extended visa-free entry to 2027?
Not yet, as of 24 Oct 2026. For 48 countries the rule runs until 31 Dec 2026 (midnight Beijing time). Only Russia has been extended separately, to 31 Dec 2027. China has renewed the policy every year so far; last year’s extension was announced on 3 Nov 2025.
I enter China in late December and leave in January 2027. Is that covered?
Nobody has said so officially. Embassy notices and FAQs only say the rule applies until 31 Dec 2026; none we have found says whether a stay that started before that date may continue after it. If the policy is extended, the question disappears. Until then the only safe options are leaving by 31 Dec 2026 or travelling with a visa.
UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea: does the 31 Dec 2026 deadline apply?
Yes. The United Kingdom and Canada joined the list on 17 Feb 2026 with the same end date, 31 Dec 2026, as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most of Europe. All 48 countries share that date, and last year a single announcement extended every country then on the list.
Does this affect US citizens?
No. The United States is not on the 30-day visa-free list, so nothing changes on 31 Dec 2026. US citizens can use the 240-hour transit rule (up to 10 days, onward ticket to a third country required) or need a visa.
Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia – do these end too?
No. These are mutual visa-exemption agreements between two governments with no end date, not part of the unilateral list. The deadline does not apply to them.
How long does a Chinese visa take if the policy is not extended?
It depends on the country. The visa centre in Berlin, as one example, quotes 4 working days for complete applications and recommends applying about a month before travel, no earlier than three months. Check your local Chinese embassy or visa application centre.
Sources
- Chinese Consulate General – FAQ on unilateral visa-free entry (end dates by country, how days are counted)
- Chinese Embassy in Germany – extension to 31 Dec 2026 (3 Nov 2025)
- National Immigration Administration – 240-hour transit, 57 countries (20 Aug 2026)
- Chinese Visa Application Service Center Berlin – processing time and when to apply
Each past extension is linked to its source in the table above.
Related:Visa checker for 68 countries → ·Fill in the arrival card → ·Pre-trip checklist →