01The four schemes
Which passports, exactly.
84 passports in the dropdown, four schemes in parallel, and the lists do not overlap neatly. Each block below is the list itself — not a summary of it.
02Mutual visa exemption
20 passports on ordinary-passport terms.
Bilateral agreements. These are not affected by the 2026 deadline that governs the unilateral scheme — they are the passports that can plan 2027 today.
- Stay
- Per agreement, 30 or 90 days. The 90-day ones usually carry a 90 days in any 180 cap.
- Purposes
- Short-term visits. Work, study and news coverage still need a visa.
- Ends
- No end date. Tied to the agreement, not to an annual policy window.
| Passport | Stay allowed | In force since |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | 90 days within every 180-day period | 2023-03-18 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 30 days; cumulative maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2024-05-11 |
| Armenia | 90 days within every 180-day period | 2020-01-19 |
| Barbados | 30 days | 2017-06-01 |
| Belarus | 30 days; no more than 90 days per year | 2018-08-10 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 90 days within every 180-day period | 2018-05-29 |
| Dominica | 30 days | 2022-09-19 |
| Ecuador | 30 days | 2016-08-18 |
| Georgia | 30 days; cumulative maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2024-05-28 |
| Kazakhstan | 30 days; maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2023-11-10 |
| Maldives | 30 days | 2022-05-20 |
| Qatar | 30 days | 2018-12-21 |
| Samoa | 30 days; cumulative maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2025-04-02 |
| Serbia | 30 days | 2017-01-15 |
| Singapore | 30 days | 2024-02-09 |
| Solomon Islands | 30 days; cumulative maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2024-12-28 |
| Suriname | 30 days | 2021-05-01 |
| Thailand | 30 days; maximum 90 days within every 180-day period | 2024-03-01 |
| Tonga | 30 days | 2016-08-19 |
| United Arab Emirates | 30 days | 2018-01-16 |
03Unilateral visa-free
50 passports, 30 days.
China opened this unilaterally, so it can close it unilaterally. Most entries run to 31 December 2026; two are different, and both are marked below.
- Stay
- 30 days per entry.
- Purposes
- Business, tourism, family visits, exchange visits, transit.
- Ends
- 31 Dec 2026 for most. Russia ended 14 Sep 2026; Brunei has no stated end date.
Europe35
Andorrauntil 31 Dec 2026Austriauntil 31 Dec 2026Belgiumuntil 31 Dec 2026Bulgariauntil 31 Dec 2026Croatiauntil 31 Dec 2026Cyprusuntil 31 Dec 2026Denmarkuntil 31 Dec 2026Estoniauntil 31 Dec 2026Finlanduntil 31 Dec 2026Franceuntil 31 Dec 2026Germanyuntil 31 Dec 2026Greeceuntil 31 Dec 2026Hungaryuntil 31 Dec 2026Icelanduntil 31 Dec 2026Irelanduntil 31 Dec 2026Italyuntil 31 Dec 2026Latviauntil 31 Dec 2026Liechtensteinuntil 31 Dec 2026Luxembourguntil 31 Dec 2026Maltauntil 31 Dec 2026Monacountil 31 Dec 2026Montenegrountil 31 Dec 2026Netherlandsuntil 31 Dec 2026North Macedoniauntil 31 Dec 2026Norwayuntil 31 Dec 2026Polanduntil 31 Dec 2026Portugaluntil 31 Dec 2026Romaniauntil 31 Dec 2026Russian Federationuntil 2026-09-14Slovakiauntil 31 Dec 2026Sloveniauntil 31 Dec 2026Spainuntil 31 Dec 2026Swedenuntil 31 Dec 2026Switzerlanduntil 31 Dec 2026United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelanduntil 31 Dec 2026
Oceania2
Australiauntil 31 Dec 2026New Zealanduntil 31 Dec 2026
Asia7
Bahrainuntil 31 Dec 2026Brunei Darussalamno expiry dateJapanuntil 31 Dec 2026Kuwaituntil 31 Dec 2026Omanuntil 31 Dec 2026Republic of Koreauntil 31 Dec 2026Saudi Arabiauntil 31 Dec 2026
Americas6
Argentinauntil 31 Dec 2026Braziluntil 31 Dec 2026Canadauntil 31 Dec 2026Chileuntil 31 Dec 2026Peruuntil 31 Dec 2026Uruguayuntil 31 Dec 2026
04Hainan 30-day
61 passports, Hainan only.
The trap in this one is the word "only": land in Sanya and stay on the island and you are fine; continue to Guangzhou and the basis for your entry disappears.
- Stay
- 30 days, within Hainan Province.
- Purposes
- Tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, conferences and exhibitions.
- Ends
- No single deadline; the scheme is renewed by notice.
AlbaniaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBrazilBruneiBulgariaCanadaChileCroatiaCyprusCzechiaDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIndonesiaIrelandItalyJapanKazakhstanKyrgyzstanLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMalaysiaMaltaMexicoMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNew ZealandNorth MacedoniaNorwayPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of KoreaRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandThailandUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesVietnam
05240-hour transit
57 passports, 10 days, 65 ports.
The one most people misread: you must be travelling to a third country or region, and you must enter through one of the named ports.
- Stay
- 240 hours (10 days), inside the designated area of the port you enter through.
- Needs
- A confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region — not back to where you came from.
- Ports
- 65 ports in 24 provincial regions. Arriving anywhere else voids the scheme.
Europe40
AlbaniaAustriaBelarusBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIcelandIrelandItalyLatviaLithuaniaLuxembourgMaltaMonacoMontenegroNetherlandsNorth MacedoniaNorwayPolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaSerbiaSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUkraineUnited Kingdom
North America2
CanadaUnited States
South America4
ArgentinaBrazilChileMexico
Oceania2
AustraliaNew Zealand
Asia9
BruneiIndonesiaJapanKyrgyzstanQatarSingaporeSouth KoreaUnited Arab EmiratesVietnam
Ports are listed on the plan page as an arrival-region selector; the scheme only applies if the port you land at is one of the 65.
06Sources
One register, four lists.
- 84 passports, four entry schemes checked 2026-10-28 National Immigration Administration of the People’s Republic of China · source page