# China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How to Enter via Beijing > A plain-English guide to China's 10-day transit visa-free policy, the unilateral 30-day visa-free list, and how foreign travellers enter through Beijing. _Category: first-time · Reading time: 5 min read_ One of the biggest myths about visiting China is that you always need a visa in advance. In 2026 that is no longer true for most travellers. China now offers a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy and, separately, unilateral 30-day visa-free entry for a long list of countries. This guide explains, in plain English, which one might apply to you and how to actually walk through border control in Beijing. ## Who is eligible There are two different policies, and they are easy to confuse: - **240-hour transit visa-free** — Covers roughly 57 countries. You must be transiting to a third country or region (not returning home directly) with a confirmed onward ticket, and you may stay up to 10 days. - **Unilateral 30-day visa-free** — Covers about 48 countries for ordinary passport holders visiting China for tourism, business, visiting friends/family, or transit — no onward ticket required, up to 30 days. - **Always verify the current list** — Both country lists have been expanded repeatedly in 2025–2026. Check the National Immigration Administration (NIA) website for the live list before you book flights. ## How the 240-hour transit rule works If you are using the transit policy, a few rules matter at the border: - **Confirmed onward travel** — You need a ticket with a fixed date and seat to a third country or region within 240 hours. A return ticket home usually does not qualify as 'transit'. - **Passport validity** — Your passport should be valid for at least 3 months beyond entry. - **Where you can move** — You may travel freely within designated areas across 24 provincial-level regions and enter through about 65 open ports — not just the arrival city. - **The clock starts the next day** — The 240 hours are counted from 00:00 on the day after you arrive, not from the hour you land. - **What you cannot do** — Work, study, and news reporting still require a proper visa obtained in advance. ## Arriving in Beijing Both Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) are among the open ports for the transit and visa-free policies. At immigration, have these ready: your passport, your onward ticket confirmation, and (for transit) any documents showing your third-country itinerary. Officers issue a temporary entry permit that you then use for hotel check-in and accommodation registration. Hotels used to foreign guests handle this registration at check-in, so you do not need to visit the police station yourself. ## Mistakes that get travellers turned away - **No confirmed onward ticket** — A vague plan is not enough — you need a booked seat to a third country/region. - **Treating transit as a round trip** — Flying in from country A and straight back to A generally does not count as transit; you usually need to continue to a different country or region. - **Assuming your country is covered** — Lists change. Verify yours is on the current list before you fly. - **Overstaying the clock** — Count from the day after arrival and leave before the limit — overstays create real problems. ## If you still need a tourist visa If neither policy covers you, or you plan to stay longer than 30 days, you will need a regular tourist (L) visa from a Chinese embassy or consulate before you travel. Apply well ahead of your dates, and carry your hotel booking and itinerary. Our first-time-in-Beijing guide covers what to prepare once your entry is sorted. ## Related Beijing guides If you found this useful, these cover the next question most visitors ask: - **First Time** — /guides/booking-beijing-attractions/ - **Payments** — /guides/china-tax-refund-duty-free-guide/ ## Your first two hours on the ground: payments, SIMs and onward tickets Get three things sorted before you leave the airport. First, payments: Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign cards, so download one app and link your Visa or Mastercard at the airport before your data plan kicks in — cash is still accepted but many taxi queues now assume扫码. Second, connectivity: China Mobile and China Unicom sell tourist SIMs at arrivals counters (roughly ¥100–200 depending on data; check prices on the day), but eSIMs bought before departure are often cheaper and work on arrival. Third, onward travel: if you used the 240-hour transit policy, you must leave for a third country, so have your departing flight or train confirmed and saved offline — hotel staff and the border check at your exit point may ask. The Airport Express from Terminal 3 runs from early morning to around 23:00 and costs ¥25; trains from Daxing are cheaper and reach the city in under 20 minutes. ## Making the transit policy work for your itinerary - **Count nights, not days** — The 240 hours start the moment your entry stamp is issued, not midnight. Land at 15:00 and you must exit by roughly 15:00 on day ten — plan Beijing days around that clock, not the calendar. - **Beijing is the only stop** — The policy permits travel within the province (or approved regions) of entry. Entering via Beijing means your time should be spent around Beijing and Hebei; hopping on a Shanghai-bound flight inside China can void your exit eligibility. - **Book the exit ticket before you fly** — Airlines and Chinese border officers check that you have a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region. A return ticket to your origin, or an unconfirmed booking, is the most common reason travellers are refused boarding at check-in. - **Tell the airline, not just the officer** — Check-in staff at your departure city decide whether to let you board, and many have not handled 240-hour transits. Bring a printed itinerary showing origin, Beijing stopover and third-country exit, and allow extra time at the desk. - **Keep your entry stamp visible** — Hotels and attractions will register your passport details against the entry stamp. Photograph the stamp on arrival so you can show it if a hotel's registration system flags a short-stay traveller. ## Where to stay **KOULING Ruiyue Hotel** — 5m from Guogongzhuang Metro Station · 9.6/10 · US$26 View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/ruiyue/ KOULING Ruiyue sits 5 metres from Guogongzhuang Metro (Line 9 / Fangshan Line) — one direct change to the city centre. As a hotel used to overseas guests, it handles foreign passport registration at check-in and accepts VISA, Mastercard and PayPal, so the entry and payment steps above are never a hurdle. ## Where to stay **KOULING Hotel Beijing Donggaodi** — 7 min walk to Wufutang Metro Station (Line 8) · 9.4/10 · US$19 View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/donggaodi/ KOULING Donggaodi is a 7-minute walk from Wufutang Station on Line 8, our best-value stay from US$19 and rated 9.4/10. Free laundry and parking, two-bedroom family rooms, and a front desk that regularly checks in foreign guests — practical for a longer stay while you sort out entry paperwork. --- Source: https://12001.net/guides/china-visa-transit/ © KOULING Hotels