Do I need a visa for China?

On the 10-day transit? Check where you can go

Transit visitors can travel between 24 provinces and cities, and move between them freely. Some provinces allow only certain cities, which catches people out. Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Huangshan are all inside the zone, so the usual side trips from Shanghai work. With 30-day visa-free entry there is no zone to worry about.

Popular places the transit does not cover:

• ✓Suzhou: inside the zoneJiangsu, inside the zone
• ✓Hangzhou: inside the zoneZhejiang, inside the zone
• ✓Nanjing: inside the zoneJiangsu, inside the zone
• ✓Wuzhen and Xitang water towns: inside the zoneZhejiang, inside the zone
• ✓Huangshan (Yellow Mountain): inside the zoneAnhui, inside the zone
• ✓Beijing and the Great Wall: inside the zoneBeijing, inside the zone
• ✓Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors: inside the zoneShaanxi, inside the zone
• ✓Chengdu and the pandas: inside the zoneSichuan, inside the zone
• ✓Leshan Giant Buddha and Mount Emei: inside the zoneSichuan, inside the zone
• ✕Jiuzhaigou: outside the zoneSichuan. Aba Prefecture is not one of Sichuan's 11 permitted cities
• ✓Chongqing: inside the zoneChongqing, inside the zone
• ✓Guilin and Yangshuo: inside the zoneGuangxi, inside the zone
• ✓Zhangjiajie: inside the zoneHunan, inside the zone
• ✓Fenghuang Ancient Town: inside the zoneHunan, inside the zone
• ✓Guangzhou: inside the zoneGuangdong, inside the zone
• ✓Shenzhen: inside the zoneGuangdong, inside the zone
• ✓Xiamen and Gulangyu: inside the zoneFujian, inside the zone
• ✓Wuyishan: inside the zoneFujian, inside the zone
• ✓Kunming: inside the zoneYunnan, inside the zone
• ✓Dali: inside the zoneYunnan, inside the zone
• ✓Lijiang: inside the zoneYunnan, inside the zone
• ✓Xishuangbanna: inside the zoneYunnan, inside the zone
• ✓Yuanyang rice terraces: inside the zoneYunnan, inside the zone
• ✕Shangri-La: outside the zoneYunnan. Diqing Prefecture is outside Yunnan's permitted area
• ✓Guiyang and Huangguoshu Falls: inside the zoneGuizhou, inside the zone
• ✓Harbin: inside the zoneHeilongjiang, inside the zone
• ✓Qingdao: inside the zoneShandong, inside the zone
• ✓Mount Tai and Qufu: inside the zoneShandong, inside the zone
• ✓Luoyang and Shaolin Temple: inside the zoneHenan, inside the zone
• ✓Wuhan: inside the zoneHubei, inside the zone
• ✓Datong and the Yungang Grottoes: inside the zoneShanxi, inside the zone
• ✕Pingyao Ancient City: outside the zoneShanxi. Only Taiyuan and Datong are permitted in Shanxi
• ✕Wutai Mountain: outside the zoneShanxi. Only Taiyuan and Datong are permitted in Shanxi
• ✓Jingdezhen: inside the zoneJiangxi, inside the zone
• ✕Wuyuan and Lushan: outside the zoneJiangxi. Only Nanchang and Jingdezhen are permitted in Jiangxi
• ✓Dalian: inside the zoneLiaoning, inside the zone
• ✓Sanya and Haikou: inside the zoneHainan, inside the zone
• ✓Chengde Mountain Resort: inside the zoneHebei, inside the zone
• ✕Dunhuang and Zhangye: outside the zoneGansu. Gansu is not part of the transit zone
• ✕Lhasa and Tibet: outside the zoneTibet. Tibet is not part of the transit zone
• ✕Urumqi and Kashgar: outside the zoneXinjiang. Xinjiang is not part of the transit zone
• ✕Qinghai Lake: outside the zoneQinghai. Qinghai is not part of the transit zone
• ✕Inner Mongolia grasslands: outside the zoneInner Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is not part of the transit zone
• ✕Changbai Mountain: outside the zoneJilin. Jilin is not part of the transit zone

Before you land

• Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with your foreign card before you fly. Most small shops, taxis and food stalls expect mobile payment. See our guide: How to pay in Shanghai as a foreign visitor: Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards and cash.
• Sort out mobile data before you land: roaming, an international eSIM, or a Chinese SIM bought at the airport with your passport. See our guide: Phone and internet in Shanghai: eSIM, local SIM or roaming, and what fails without a Chinese number.
• Fill in the arrival card online before you fly, on the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app or a WeChat or Alipay mini program. You can also do it at the border on arrival.
• Staying with friends or in a rental? Register your address within 24 hours of arriving. Hotels do this for you. Otherwise use the NIA 12367 app or its WeChat or Alipay mini program, which has worked nationwide since 21 September 2026.
• The full rules, with the country lists and the small print: Visa-free entry to Shanghai: the 30-day policy and the 240-hour transit, explained.

Common questions