Tools · Border rules · 60 seconds

Will I need a visa
for China?

Rules verified August 2026 Runs entirely in your browser Nothing uploaded, nothing stored
30-day visa-free entry for most European passports is valid through 31 December 2026. Renewal has not been announced — we reconfirm the rules for your nationality before you book. Details

For most European passports the answer in 2026 is simply no — 30 days visa-free. Answer four questions and get a straight answer for your passport, your purpose and your dates, with the documents to prepare. Your answers never leave this page.

No data about you leaves this page. Refresh the page and your answers are gone — that is the whole design.

How to read your result

Visa-free means no paperwork before you fly — but the boring bits still matter: complete the online arrival card, carry a printed first-hotel and onward-ticket confirmation, and remember that hotels register you automatically while a stay with friends means registering yourself within 24 hours (72 hours in rural areas).

If your passport sits outside the covered list, the standard tourist (L) visa is a routine application, and the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme covers more nationalities when China is combined with an onward third country. Either way, we plan around it — visa questions are part of every first conversation with us.

Ask us with your dates The full country-by-country guide

Questions people also ask

Does this tool upload or store my answers?
No. Every check runs in your own browser — no server call, no cookies, no record of your nationality, dates or purpose anywhere. Refresh and it is gone.
How current is the rule set inside the checker?
The nationality table is taken from public announcements and re-verified by our team; the page carries a verification date. The unilateral visa-free arrangement for covered European passports is announced as running through 31 December 2026, and we reconfirm rules individually before any booking.
My country is not on the visa-free list. Is China off the table?
Not necessarily. A standard tourist (L) visa is a routine application through the visa centre in your country, and the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme covers more nationalities when you combine China with an onward third country. We plan around either route.