How to Travel to China Without a Visa - Three Ways to Make Your China Trip Easier

Obtaining a Chinese visa for 140 USD and via a tedious process isn’t worth it for people who just want to have a quick visit to China and whose time is limited. In recent years, the Chinese government issued a series of measures allowing you to travel to China without a visa. There are three common ways to enjoy this policy.

One-Day Trip, 24-Hour Direct Transit

The 24-hour direct transit policy is applicable to passengers whose international flight, ship, or train is transiting directly through China for another country. It’s available for most nationalities and ports of entry.

What Are the Specific Conditions for This?

You should have an international flight/train/ship ticket to a third country or region.
You only have 24 hours from disembarking your flight/train/ship to board the next flight/train/ship.
During the 24 hours, you should stay within the transit area. If not, you have to apply for a visa.
Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months.

What Does "Another Country" Entail?

As an example, it is acceptable to travel from America to France and transit in China. However, it is not possible to travel from one city in America, transit in China, and travel to another city in America.

How Can You Make the 24 Hours Count?

For a foreigner who's worried about the language barrier and doesn't know how to spend one day in China, our half-day mini tours (available in Beijing and Xi'an) may be suitable for you:

Three-Day Trip, 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit

A little different from the 24-hour direct transit policy, the 72-hour visa-free transit policy is applicable for particular Chinese cities and nationalities.

53 Countries or Regions Can Enjoy This Policy

Four Continents	Countries
America	Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States
Europe	Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom
Oceania	Australia and New Zealand
Asia	Brunei, Qatar, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates

18 Cities in China Can Enjoy This Policy

There are 18 cities in China that benefit from this policy: Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Dalian, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Harbin, Shenyang, Nanning, Qingdao, and Changsha.

How to Plan a 72-Hour Trip in China?

Leaving aside 72 hours to explore a city's highlights is doable although China is a vast country. The three most popular cities in mainland China are Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai.

Beijing: Hiking the Great Wall and visiting the Forbidden City are must-do activities. Check our popular Beijing 1-day mini tour
Xi'an: Visiting the famous Terracotta Army should be listed on your itinerary. Check our popular Xi'an 1-day mini tour
Shanghai: Discovering this modern city in China is an interesting experience and you can discover a different aspect of China. Check our popular Shanghai 1-day mini tour

Six-Day Trip, 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit

After the 72-hour visa-free transit policy was published in 18 cities, the 144-hour visa-free transit policy began in 2016. Many eastern cities in China can now enjoy this policy.

Areas That Enjoy This Policy

Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province were the first areas to practice the 144-hour visa-free transit in 2016.
Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province enjoyed this policy at the end of 2017.
In 2018, Liaoning Province also began to enjoy this policy.

In the future, more cities in China will be open to visitors using this policy.

How to Enjoy a 6-Day Trip in China?

Six days for a visitor is a good chance to experience a city in depth. Compared with having a hurried glance of China, you can slow your pace and enjoy your trip with experiences that range from famous attractions to Chinese food and from Chinese art to nighttime streets. You can explore and enjoy a city as much as you want.

How to Spend These Days? Book with Trippest and enjoy each wonderful day of your trip.

Don’t miss the capital of China (Beijing) if you are visiting China for the first time. This is our popular mini tour of Beijing for 2 days.
Discover the long 3,000-year history of China in Xi'an. This is our popular tour in Xi'an for 2 days.