2/20/2026 at 3:15:52 AM
The old policy was visa-free travel for 10 days (they called it a transit visa, but you didn't need to be transiting and didn't need to do paperwork in advance or pay).Now it's 30 days.
Great, but it really doesn't seem like as big a change as politicians are pretending it is.
by londons_explore
2/20/2026 at 3:26:41 AM
The new policy is not an updated version of China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy which is limited to a handful of ports.https://www.china-briefing.com/news/china-visa-free-travel-p...
by 1659447091
2/20/2026 at 11:33:33 AM
my prefered travel inside another country is to get a vehicle and drive around mostly lost all the time exploring places more or less ramdomly, between widely spaced set points that might change, so I would need to apply for visa, which, since they mention it as a regular thing might be approved China is big , so a loop around the country would take months even with significant road time on a daily average basis.by metalman
2/20/2026 at 6:39:50 PM
You would likely also need to get a Chinese driver's license.by schrectacular
2/20/2026 at 4:28:12 AM
Its pretty great imho, you can just fly to China and walk through the border. Not hotel reservations needed, no return flight needed, no bank statements, oh yeah and its free. On the other hand China is continuing to restrict work-residence permits, raising the required income and experience requirements.by thenthenthen
2/20/2026 at 11:32:35 AM
Proof of onward journey is almost certainly required, even if they don't always ask for it. Your airline might require it.by rjh29
2/20/2026 at 1:18:34 PM
Not needed.by thenthenthen
2/20/2026 at 11:31:37 AM
The 10 day transit visa explicitly required proof of onward journey and it couldn't be the same place you came from. That's the kicker. The current policy allows round trip visits anywhere for 30 days.by rjh29