Last verified: 2026-07-17, against the National Immigration Administration (NIA). Visa policy changes; where a number could move, we link the official source so you can re-check it yourself.
China’s transit visa-free rules were rewritten at the end of 2024, and most English-language pages still have the details wrong — wrong hours, wrong number of ports, and, most commonly, one policy’s expiry date pinned onto a completely different policy. This page is the clean version: what the 240-hour transit actually is, who it is for, the two other visa-free schemes it keeps getting confused with, and how travellers use it to add Zhangjiajie and the Avatar mountains to a China stopover.
The 240-hour transit visa-free policy, in one paragraph
Since 17 December 2024, China’s transit visa-free stay was extended from 72/144 hours to 240 hours — a full 10 days. It is open to ordinary passport holders from 55 countries, entering and leaving through any of 65 designated ports across 24 provinces and regions. The 10-day clock starts at 00:00 on the day after you arrive. Crucially, this is a permanent, standing policy — it has no announced end date. (Seen a claim that China’s visa-free entry “expires” on a fixed date? That refers to a different scheme — the 30-day unilateral trial covered below — not to this transit policy.)
The three visa-free schemes — and why they are not the same thing
Almost every mistake travellers make comes from treating these three as one. They have different eligibility, different rules, and different lengths of stay. Find your country in the right row before you plan anything.
On mobile, swipe the table sideways to see all columns.
| Scheme | Who it is for | Stay | Key condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 240-hour transit visa-free | Ordinary passports of 55 nationalities (includes the United States, Canada, UK, most of the EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and more) | Up to 10 days | You must be transiting to a third country or region and hold an onward ticket with a confirmed date and seat. Enter and exit through designated ports; stay within the permitted areas. |
| 30-day unilateral visa-free | Ordinary passports of 50 countries China has opened one-way (includes France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and more). Not the United States. | Up to 30 days | No onward third-country ticket required, no fixed route. The simplest option — if your country is on the list. Trial scheme currently authorised through 31 December 2026 (Russia through 2027; Brunei with no end date). |
| Mutual visa-exemption agreements | Countries with a bilateral deal — e.g. Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the UAE, Qatar, Georgia and others | Typically 30 days (varies by treaty) | Set by each treaty. This is why, for example, Malaysians do not use the 240-hour transit — they enter under the China-Malaysia mutual exemption. |
The practical takeaway for the seven biggest source markets: travellers from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada normally use the 30-day unilateral scheme — no onward ticket, no route restriction. Singapore and Malaysia use mutual exemption. Of the major English-speaking markets, only the United States has no 30-day unilateral option, so Americans are the ones who actually rely on the 240-hour transit. If you are American and want to see China visa-free, the 240-hour transit is your route — and the rest of this page is written with you in mind.
Which nationalities qualify for the 240-hour transit?
The 55 eligible nationalities span Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the Gulf. Rather than reproduce a list that could drift out of date, here is the current official roster, which the NIA updates in place:
- Official list of 55 eligible nationalities and 65 ports (NIA): en.nia.gov.cn (English) and nia.gov.cn (the authoritative Chinese original).
- The roster grew to 55 when Indonesia was added on 12 June 2025. No country has been removed since the December 2024 expansion.
The 65 ports — and the ones that matter for Zhangjiajie
You may enter and exit through any of the 65 designated ports, in any combination, across 24 provinces and regions (the November 2025 update added ports including Guangzhou Pazhou, Hengqin, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail at West Kowloon). For a Hunan and Zhangjiajie trip, these are the ports to know:
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| Port | City / Province | Best used as |
|---|---|---|
| Changsha Huanghua Int’l Airport (CSX) | Changsha, Hunan | Your Hunan gateway — the region’s main international airport, ~1.5h by high-speed rail from Zhangjiajie. |
| Zhangjiajie Hehua Int’l Airport (DYG) | Zhangjiajie, Hunan | A designated port right at the mountains. International flight options are limited, so most travellers pair it with a larger gateway for the onward third-country leg. |
| Shanghai (PVG/SHA), Beijing (PEK/PKX), Guangzhou (CAN), Chengdu (CTU), and more | Nationwide | High-connectivity international gateways for entering or leaving on your third-country ticket. |
Two facts people get wrong, both worth stating plainly: Zhangjiajie’s own airport is on the official port list (NIA’s 17 December 2024 announcement, unchanged since), and you are not locked to your entry city — Hunan is inside the permitted stay area, so you can enter at one port, travel to Zhangjiajie by high-speed rail, and depart from another.
Can you actually add Zhangjiajie on a transit? Yes — here is the honest routing
The clean, low-risk way to build a Zhangjiajie stopover into a 240-hour transit:
- Enter at a well-connected gateway — Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, or Changsha itself.
- Reach Zhangjiajie inside China. Changsha to Zhangjiajie is roughly 1.5 hours by high-speed rail; direct flights also serve Zhangjiajie Hehua. Hunan is fully inside the permitted stay zone.
- Depart to a third country from any designated port on your confirmed onward ticket. Because Zhangjiajie Hehua’s international schedule is thin, most travellers fly the international leg out of Changsha, Guangzhou or Shanghai.
A worked example and a day-by-day plan live in our companion guides: how to see Zhangjiajie on the 240-hour transit, and a ready-made 10-day visa-free Hunan itinerary through Zhangjiajie and Changsha.
The rules you must not get wrong
These are the conditions that get people turned around at the border. All three must be true:
- 10 days is the ceiling. 240 hours is exactly 10 days. If you are planning a 15-day China trip, the 240-hour transit will not cover it — you need a tourist visa or a 30-day scheme you qualify for.
- You must be going to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket. A genuine A-China-C journey. A round-trip that returns to your origin country does not qualify, and the ticket must show a fixed date and seat.
- Stay within the permitted areas. For this trip that means Hunan (and any other permitted regions on your route). Zhangjiajie is comfortably inside the zone.
The 30-day unilateral scheme, kept separate on purpose
If your passport is one of the 50 countries in China’s unilateral visa-free trial, it is usually the easier choice: up to 30 days, no onward third-country ticket, no route restriction. It currently covers most of the EU, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and others — but not the United States.
This scheme is a trial with a published end date: it is authorised through 31 December 2026 (Russia through 2027; Brunei open-ended), and it may be extended. That 31 December 2026 date applies to this 30-day scheme only. It has nothing to do with the 240-hour transit, which is a permanent policy with no expiry. Any page that tells you China’s transit visa-free “expires at the end of 2026” has mixed up the two — now you can tell them apart.
Official sources
- National Immigration Administration — English: en.nia.gov.cn
- National Immigration Administration — Chinese (authoritative original, incl. the 17 December 2024 announcement listing Zhangjiajie Hehua among the ports): nia.gov.cn
- China Visa Application Service Center: visaforchina.cn
Frequently asked questions
Is the 240-hour transit visa-free policy permanent, or does it expire in 2026?
It is a standing policy with no announced end date. Any fixed end-of-trial date you may have seen belongs to the separate 30-day unilateral visa-free scheme (covered above), not to the transit policy.
How many nationalities and ports does the 240-hour transit cover?
As of the latest NIA update, 55 nationalities entering and exiting through 65 designated ports across 24 provinces and regions. Always confirm your nationality against the current official list before booking.
I am American — can I see Zhangjiajie without a visa?
Yes, via the 240-hour transit. The United States is on the 55-nationality transit list but not on the 30-day unilateral list, so the transit route is the one Americans use. You will need an onward ticket to a third country and a 10-day-or-shorter stay.
Is Zhangjiajie’s airport really a visa-free transit port?
Yes. Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport is on the NIA’s designated-port list. In practice its international flight options are limited, so many travellers enter or exit their third-country leg through Changsha, Guangzhou or Shanghai and reach Zhangjiajie by high-speed rail.
Does a round-trip ticket work for the 240-hour transit?
No. The policy requires transit to a third country or region. A ticket that returns to your country of origin does not meet the condition; you need a genuine onward journey with a confirmed date and seat.
Can I enter in Shanghai and still get to Zhangjiajie on transit?
Yes. You are not locked to your entry city — Hunan is within the permitted stay area, so you can enter at one port, travel to Zhangjiajie, and depart from another, all inside your 10 days.
Thinking of adding Zhangjiajie to a China stopover? Tell us your nationality, entry and exit cities, and dates, and we will map a visa-free-compliant route and an itemised quote — usually within 2 hours (8:00-20:00 Beijing time). Start with our private Zhangjiajie tours, or send your dates through the form below.