I Visited China as an American Without a Visa—Here’s How You Can Do It Too

Last month, I visited China as an American—without going through a multi-week visa application process. This is thanks to a recent policy introduced in 2024 that allows certain travelers to visit China for a maximum of 10 days while transiting between one country and another. Though the rule can feel intimidating in theory, it’s relatively straightforward in practice as long as you prepare accordingly.Officially called the “240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy," the program is part of China’s goal to attract more inbound international travelers, according to Mei Zhang, the founder of WildChina and a Condé Nast Traveler travel specialist. “The idea is to make visiting China an easier decision,” Zhang says. “Most people are daunted by the idea of queuing for a visa at the Chinese consulate. Removing that step makes it easier for people to come.”And even though the policy is designed for transiting between countries, 10 days is still enough time for a meaningful visit. “Beyond the quick business visits or short stopovers people may associate with China, ten days gives travelers time to explore several destinations, experience the culture, and develop a deeper appreciation for the country,” says Catherine Heald, CNT specialist and founder of Remote Lands, which specializes in travel to Asia.The Shanghai skyline GettyHowever, because the program is relatively new, not all airline or airport staff are familiar with it—which almost resulted in me being denied boarding. To help you avoid ending up in a similar situation, here’s what travelers should know before booking your flight to China, so you too can see the Forbidden City in Beijing, the futuristic skyline glowing along the Bund in Shanghai, the terracotta warriors in Xi'an, and the mountainous megacity of Chongqing.Included in this article:What is China’s 10-day visa-free transit policy?How to plan a trip that qualifies for the 10-day visa-free transit policyHow to prepare for the airportHow I nearly didn’t make it onto my flight to ShanghaiArriving in China on the 10-day visa-free transit visaAdditional tips for visiting ChinaWhat is China’s 10-day visa-free transit policy?Officially called the “240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy,” this new rule was first introduced by China’s National Immigration Administration in December 2024. It permits a traveler to visit China without obtaining a visa ahead of time as long as the total length of their stay in the country does not exceed 240 hours. “It’s a great policy that has driven the growth of international travelers to China,” says Zhang, “but you do need to read the fine print before using it.”The fine print: First of all, the operative word is transit. You have to enter China from one country, then leave it for another, different country. For example, flying from the US to China, then from China to Japan is allowed. However, going from the US to China, then back to the US, is not. Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan count as separate destinations for this policy, so a trip that goes from Hong Kong to mainland China to Taiwan would qualify for a visa-free transit in China that does not last longer than 10 days.Second: Only holders of passports from 57 countries, including the United States, can take advantage of this policy. See the full list here. And third: You have to enter and exit via designated ports. The full list is here, and it conveniently includes the cities you might visit on a first-time visit to China, like Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. If you want to travel beyond the areas permitted by the transit policy, you’ll have to apply for a Chinese visa.“Remember that you can enter and leave through the same eligible Chinese city or choose different eligible cities,” says Heald of Remote Lands. So you could come to China through Shanghai, spend three days there, then take the high-speed train to Beijing, stay for another three days, then depart for a third destination like nearby South Korea to make the most out of your trip.The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty (1420-1912). zhangshuangHow to plan a trip that qualifies for the 10-day visa-free transit policyTo try the transit policy for myself, I kept my first-ever trip to China simple. I arrived in Shanghai on September 30 and departed on October 5, entering and exiting through the same qualifying port, Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). I stayed in the country for a total of five nights, well under the 240-hour limit. (For what it’s worth, I stayed at the good-looking PuLi Shanghai, the very cool Upper House Shanghai, and the historically rich Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, to explore different parts of the city.)I’m an American citizen, so my US passport made me eligible for the transit policy. As for my routing, I departed from Paris, where I live, on a direct flight to Shanghai; from there I flew onward to Manila. The logic is that this made my visit to China count as a long layover since my final destination was actually the Philippines.How to prepare for the airportAs you prepare your itinerary, check—and double check—that your passport, routing, entry and departure ports in China, and destinations within China all qualify under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy before you make your bookings. The list of qualifying passports and entry-exit ports in China can be found here.Once you have all your confirmation info, it’s a good idea to get organized and put together a folder with all your bookings as proof of your plans to stay no more than 10 days in China. “Carry printed copies of your confirmed onward tickets, hotel reservations, and itinerary,” Heald says. She also recommends calling your airline before departure and confirming your transit eligibility with them. You might even print the official page describing the policy (again, here!) so you can present it to anyone you encounter, like a check-in agent, who might be unfamiliar with the relatively new 10-day rule.Consider this your heads up, says Zhang: “It’s a great policy but sometimes the implementation on the ground can be uneven.” For an added layer of security, consider booking your travel to China with local tour operators or travel specialists like WildChina or Remote Lands. They can design a trip that will definitely qualify for the transit policy, and can help you out in case you run into issues while you’re traveling.The Bund in Shanghai, China GettyHow I nearly didn’t make it onto my flight to ShanghaiWell, I did none of the above. I arrived at Paris-Charles de Gaulle for my flight to Shanghai without any printed confirmations of my onward ticket to Manila, my three hotel stays, or the official policy from the Chinese National Immigration Administration’s official website.The Air France check-in agent asked me to present my Chinese visa, which, of course, I did not have. I tried to explain in French that I could go to China through this new policy, but the agent insisted, “Non, c’est pas possible.” Foolishly, I plugged “10-day visa-free transit China” into Google on my phone and presented the results to him. He sighed, switched to English, and said, “That is not official. That is AI Overview.”I asked if there was anyone at Air France I could talk to, and the agent shook his head. Maybe he softened when he saw the panic creep across my face because he then phoned a colleague, an Air France agent who was Chinese. The other agent explained that I was correct, there is indeed a new 10-day transit policy, and all I had to do was present my onward ticket to the Philippines, which I did have saved as a screenshot on my phone.May my failure to properly prepare be your reminder to print out everything, including your flight and accommodation info, as well as the official visa-free transit policy. If there was ever a time to be a type-A traveler, it’s this.Arriving in China on the 10-day visa-free transit visaOnce in China, the process becomes much smoother. All international travelers are required to fill out a digital arrival form, whether they have a visa or not. The form asks if you have a visa for China and, when you select no, offers a drop-down menu where you can declare that you are visiting through the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Once that’s done, the form gives you a QR code that confirms you’ve completed the form; screenshot this code, just in case. Then go through the immigration line, approach the immigration officer, and present whatever is asked of you, like that QR code or your onward ticket, when prompted. That’s it!For my journey, I got to Pudong Airport in Shanghai, logged onto the airport Wi-Fi, completed the form, and went into the immigration line. They didn’t ask for the QR code but they did ask for my ticket to Manila. Once everything looked good to them, they stamped my passport with a transit visa—a little sticker that declared my date of entry into China and when they expected me to leave. I was cleared to go, and I stepped into the duty-free shopping area, located right before baggage claim, feeling giddy and satisfied that it all worked out.Zhang says working with a travel company could help relieve some of the stress on the arrival side too: “WildChina normally would book a VIP airport pickup if any of our travelers are using the 10-day transit visa. This way, an airport concierge would meet the guests at the gate and walk them through the visa step-by-step. This eases the stress of facing an unfamiliar bureaucratic process.”The Terracotta warriors of Xian China. GettyAdditional tips for visiting ChinaOne of the things that greatly intimidated me about visiting China was how different the tech is. There’s no Uber or Google Maps, which has been very helpful for me on my solo travels in new-to-me countries. The very fine teams at PuLi Shanghai and Upper House Shanghai helped me get set up with the right apps, and I was zipping around the city in no time. (For a map app, Apple Maps worked like a charm, to my surprise.) Here are tips for what Chinese apps to download before traveling.First, set up Alipay, which is a do-it-all app and a total lifeline in China. You can link an international bank card and use it for all payments everywhere you go; call a DiDi car (China’s equivalent of Uber or Lyft), use its translation tool, and more. “Alipay is part of everyday life here,” Zhang says. “At most restaurants, you can scan the QR code on your table with Alipay, choose your dishes—already translated on the interface—and pay through the app.” Be sure to set it up and link your bank account or card before you arrive in China; some verification steps require authorization via your phone number, which you may not have access to while in the country.Second, everyone in China is on WeChat, so you’d do well to download that too; it’s how I communicated with the guest experiences team at Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, who took me on cultural tours in the hotel’s neighborhood. Think of it as Chinese WhatsApp.And to stay connected online, Heald suggests checking if your existing carrier offers roaming in mainland China (helpful for any verification texts you may need to receive). Otherwise, get a compatible travel eSIM that explicitly covers it. A home carrier or a travel eSIM will allow you to connect to sites like Google Workplace and apps like Instagram that you would not be able to normally access through the internet while in China. For my phone, Airalo, a travel eSIM, and Free, my French home carrier, worked perfectly.“If you'll be using a laptop or tablet on Wi-Fi and need access to services such as Google, WhatsApp, or Instagram, install a VPN and arrange any paid subscription before you leave,” Zhang says. “Downloading and setting it up can be much trickier once you're in China.” I, for one, used Astrill VPN to stay connected on my laptop to sites like Gmail and YouTube.And finally, both Zhang and Heald recommend keeping an open mind. “China can feel very different from what you know,” Heald says. “Give yourself the chance to observe, ask questions and learn, rather than expecting everything to feel familiar.” Zhang adds, “That's part of getting to know a place. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or start a conversation, even if you only have a few words in common. You'll often find people are curious about you too, and pleased that you've come to see where they live.”