China entry, visas & your first night

01

Start with your passport, then choose the route

Before making non-refundable arrangements, check with the Chinese embassy or consulate serving your residence. Nationality, passport type, purpose, stay length and the countries immediately before and after mainland China all matter.

Unilateral waivers, mutual agreements and transit arrangements have different conditions. Check every traveller, including children, against the current official rules.

Official & provider information: [1] NIA: unilateral visa-exemption country list ↗ [2] NIA: visa-free transit policies ↗ [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗

02

Give your documents a careful second look

Check expiry, condition and blank pages early. Visa applications commonly require at least six months of remaining passport validity, but do not treat that as one universal rule for every visa-free arrangement. Follow the requirement for your specific entry route and any airline document checks.

Distinguish a visa’s last date for entry from its permitted stay. Check available entries if leaving mainland China and returning. After a passport renewal, ask providers how to update bookings.

• Use consistent passport names and numbers for flights, trains, hotels and reservations.
• Save document copies securely, while keeping the original available for official checks.
• Check onward-destination entry requirements separately.

Official & provider information: [3] Visa Centre: tourist-visa checklist example (Montreal jurisdiction) ↗ [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗

03

Test a 240-hour transit plan before booking it

This is a transit arrangement, not a general ten-day tourist waiver. The NIA policy reviewed on 29 October 2026 requires eligible ordinary-passport holders to continue to a third country or region with an onward ticket showing a confirmed date and seat. A simple Country A → mainland China → Country A return does not satisfy that onward-third-country condition.

Check the official eligible nationality and port lists, every place you want to visit, and the permitted stay areas. Do not assume that permission covers all of China. Present the complete route at check-in and immigration; follow the deadline and conditions granted by border inspection.

• Compare the country or region immediately before mainland China with the one immediately after.
• Have the onward confirmation ready, rather than relying on a plan to buy it after arrival.
• Recheck eligibility if a flight, port or onward destination changes.

Official & provider information: [2] NIA: visa-free transit policies ↗

04

If a visa is needed, use your own consular checklist

Tourism normally falls under the L category. Your visa office sets submission, appointment and biometric requirements. Fees and processing times vary; allow time for additional-document requests.

1. Find the correct office

   Use the Chinese embassy, consulate or authorised Visa Centre for your lawful place of residence. Read its current tourism checklist.

2. Prepare a consistent application

   Check the passport, application and photo requirements, then provide itinerary, accommodation or invitation evidence as instructed by that office.

3. Check the issued document

   Review names, entry validity, entry count and permitted stay before finalising the trip.

Official & provider information: [3] Visa Centre: tourist-visa checklist example (Montreal jurisdiction) ↗ [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗

05

Prepare your arrival information through the free official service

The NIA’s online arrival-card service is free. Use the official link below or another NIA official channel; do not pay an imitation website to submit the card.

If you cannot complete it beforehand, the NIA says port devices and paper cards remain available. Exemptions apply to some travellers. Use your passport and confirmed arrival details when filling it in, and keep the first-night accommodation name, address and contact number handy. An arrival card is not a visa or advance permission to enter.

Official & provider information: [5] NIA: free arrival-card service and fraud warning ↗ [6] NIA: official online arrival-card form ↗ [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗

06

Leave the first day room to breathe

Plan the first afternoon around arrival rather than a timed attraction. Allow for immigration, baggage collection, customs and finding your driver. A flight arrival time is not the time you will reach your hotel.

1. Before landing

   Keep your passport, entry document, onward reservation and hotel address accessible, with essential contacts saved offline.

2. At the arrival hall

   Follow official instructions. For a pickup, use the agreed meeting point and contact number if you cannot find the driver.

3. At the hotel

   Present your passport, confirm room availability, and prioritise an easy meal and rest.

Official & provider information: [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗ [7] NIA: accommodation-registration guidance ↗

07

Complete accommodation registration, including private stays

Hotels register foreign guests and submit the accommodation information to the local public security authorities. For a stay in a private home or another non-hotel address, you or your host must complete the required registration within 24 hours of arrival at that accommodation.

Ask your host about the local procedure beforehand. An online home booking does not complete registration. Organise each night’s confirmation and cooperate with each property’s check-in.

Official & provider information: [7] NIA: accommodation-registration guidance ↗

08

If plans change, deal with the entry deadline first

A cancelled flight or an extra hotel night does not automatically extend permission to stay. Contact the local exit-entry administration before the allowed period expires if an emergency affects departure. Any extension or stay document is subject to the authorities’ assessment.

For a lost passport, contact local police and your embassy or consulate, then ask exit-entry officials about departure with a replacement. SACTOUR can organise itinerary details; the authorities decide visas and admission.

Official & provider information: [8] NIA: stay and residence services ↗ [4] MFA consular service: Exit and Entry Administration Law ↗