1. Eligible nationality
For 240-hour TWOV: nationals of countries on the NIA list (currently 57 as of the 20 Aug 2026 announcement adding Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam). Always use the live official list — do not rely on outdated blog passport lists.
Policy · verified 2026-10-28
China TWOV policy basics
High-level eligibility, how the older 72- and 144-hour labels relate to today’s 240-hour rule, stay math, connecting tickets, regions you may visit, and common pitfalls. Every policy claim below is tied to a public official (or official-reprint) source.
Disclaimer
Policies change. This page is not official. Confirm nationality, port, stay area, and ticket rules with NIA, your airline, and your embassy/consulate before flying.
Who qualifies (high level)
Eligibility depends on nationality, documents, itinerary, and port. Final decisions are made by immigration officers at the port.
2. Valid travel document
Ordinary passport / valid international travel document. Beijing municipal FAQ: passport validity of at least 3 months, and you must meet the third country’s entry requirements.
3. Confirmed onward ticket
Interline / connecting ticket (or equivalent proof) to a third country or region with a confirmed date and seat, departing within the allowed hours. A simple A→China→A return to your origin generally does not qualify.
Nationality coverage — how we label it
We summarize major patterns (Europe-heavy list, plus US/Canada, several Latin American and Oceanian passports, and selected Asian nationalities including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Qatar, Brunei). For the authoritative country-by-country list, open NIA’s Policy Interpretation page rather than copying a static list into your booking notes.
NIA English — Visa-Free Transit Policies · verified 2026-10-28
72h vs 144h vs 240h — what’s live now?
Travelers still say “72-hour” or “144-hour,” but the operational long-stay transit product for eligible nationals is the 240-hour policy.
Former 72-hour
Earlier city/airport-specific transit stays (typically up to 72 hours). Superseded for eligible nationals when NIA extended stays to 240 hours in December 2024.
Former 144-hour
Longer multi-city transit corridors (often Yangtze Delta and other clusters). Also rolled into the unified 240-hour policy rather than running as a separate shorter product.
Current 240-hour
Up to 10 days in permitted areas of 24 provincial-level regions, via designated ports (65 as of late 2025/2026 NIA figures), for the NIA nationality list. Cross-province travel inside permitted areas is allowed.
Also: universal 24-hour transit
Separate from 240-hour TWOV: all open ports offer a 24-hour visa-free transit for nationals of other countries if you hold onward tickets and generally remain in the port restricted area (temporary entry permit needed to leave that area). Useful for pure airside/port layovers — not a multi-city sightseeing window.
Source: NIA news — policy fully relaxed/optimized (EN); NIA Policy Interpretation. Verified 2026-10-28.
Stay calculation basics
The clock is friendlier than “landing minute + 240 hours,” but you must still exit on time.
When the 240 hours start
After border inspection issues the temporary entry permit, the visa-free stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after entry.
Example pattern: arrive Monday afternoon → clock starts Tuesday 00:00 → you must leave by the end of the 240-hour window (plan with margin).
Where you can go
Stay inside the permitted areas of the 24 regions in the scheme. You may travel across those permitted areas (cross-province), and you may depart from applicable ports under the policy — not from random inland points outside the scheme.
Sources: Beijing.gov FAQ; Shanghai.gov FAQ (border inspection). Verified 2026-10-28.
Connecting tickets & “third country or region”
- Buy and hold a confirmed onward ticket (date + seat) before you ask for TWOV at the border — buying only after arrival is a common refusal risk.
- Your journey should be Country/Region A → China → Country/Region C, where C is a third place, not a bounce back to A.
- Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are widely treated in traveler/airline practice as separate regions for this purpose — but confirm your exact routing with the airline and NIA 12367. We do not invent edge cases.
- Airlines sometimes refuse boarding if their staff are unsure of TWOV — print/save NIA pages and confirm with the carrier before departure day.
Sources: NIA Policy Interpretation; Beijing.gov requirements FAQ. Verified 2026-10-28.
Regions & ports (summary)
Full tables live on official pages. Below is a planning summary for major hubs used in our itineraries. Some provinces allow the whole province; others limit you to named cities.
| Region (hub focus) | Example entry ports | Permitted stay area (summary) |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Capital (PEK), Daxing (PKX) | Beijing municipality |
| Shanghai | Pudong (PVG), Hongqiao (SHA), Shanghai seaport | Shanghai municipality (cross-province travel into other permitted regions allowed under the national rule) |
| Sichuan (Chengdu) | Chengdu Shuangliu, Chengdu Tianfu | 11 cities including Chengdu, Leshan, Yibin, Ya’an, Meishan, and others — not all of Sichuan |
| Shaanxi (Xi’an) | Xi’an Xianyang International Airport | Shaanxi province (entire province per NIA expansion notes) |
| Other limited examples | Various | Shanxi: Taiyuan & Datong only · Jiangxi: Nanchang & Jingdezhen · Heilongjiang: Harbin only · Guangxi / Yunnan: named city lists |
Port count: 65 designated ports in 24 provincial-level regions (NIA English Policy Interpretation, page date 2026-08-20). Detailed port lists: NIA Chinese policy page; English reprints such as Hainan.gov English. Verified 2026-10-28. Uncertainty: NIA HTML sometimes truncates the ports table in automated fetches — always open the live NIA page.
Allowed activities & registration
Usually OK under TWOV
- Tourism / sightseeing
- Business visits / meetings
- Visits and family reunions
Still need a proper visa
- Work / employment
- Study
- News reporting / journalism
- Other activities needing prior approval
Register your accommodation within 24 hours (hotels usually file this; private stays require local police registration). Arrival Card information can be submitted online in advance (rolled out Nov 2025) or completed on arrival.
Sources: NIA Policy Interpretation; NIA press Q&A; Beijing.gov immigration measures news. Verified 2026-10-28.
Common pitfalls
- Wrong ticket shape — round-trip back to origin instead of onward to a third country/region.
- Unconfirmed seat — open holds or “plan to buy later” often fail at the desk.
- Leaving permitted areas — e.g. treating “Sichuan port” as a license for every county in the province.
- Overstay math errors — forgetting the clock starts at 00:00 the next day but still ends hard at 240 hours.
- Non-TWOV port — arriving at an airport/port not on the designated list.
- Airline boarding refusal — carrier unfamiliar with TWOV; confirm before you fly.
- Confusing TWOV with unilateral visa-free — different programs; this site covers TWOV only.
Official sources (verification date: 2026-10-28)
- NIA (EN) — Visa-Free Transit Policies / Policy Interpretation
- NIA (ZH) — 过境免签政策
- NIA (EN) — Dec 2024 relaxation to 240 hours
- NIA (EN) — Aug 2026 Kyrgyzstan & Vietnam announcement (57 countries)
- Beijing.gov — application requirements & stay clock
- Shanghai.gov — how 240 hours are calculated
- Hainan.gov (EN) — ports & permitted stay areas reprint
- Helpline: 12367 (+86-12367)