Compare

240-hour transit vs 30-day visa-free entry

These are different entry paths. The 240-hour transit route is built around a third-country or third-region onward trip and permitted stay areas. Ordinary 30-day visa-free entry is broader for eligible passports, but the eligible country list is not the same.

RuleRoute requirementWhere you may goStay timeBest fit
240-hour visa-free transitRequires onward travel to a third country or region, not a simple round trip back to where you came from.Limited to the permitted transit area linked to the entry port and policy.Up to 240 hours under the transit policy.A to China to B itineraries where the route, port, passport, and stay area all qualify.
Ordinary 30-day visa-free entryRound trips can be possible if your ordinary passport and visit purpose qualify under the current visa-free arrangement.Generally nationwide mainland travel, subject to normal local restrictions and separate special-zone rules.Usually up to 30 days for covered ordinary passport holders.Short visits by travelers whose passport country is covered by the current ordinary visa-free entry policy.

1. Which one should you use?

Use 240-hour transit when the itinerary is genuinely a transit: you arrive from one country or region, enter China through an eligible port, stay inside the permitted area, and leave to a different country or region within the allowed time.

Use ordinary 30-day visa-free entry when your passport is covered by that policy and your trip is a normal short visit, including many simple round trips. Do not assume your country is covered by the 30-day rule just because it appears in the 240-hour transit list.

  • Choose 240h transit for qualifying A-China-B routes.
  • Choose 30-day visa-free entry for qualifying passport holders on normal short visits.
  • If either list or route condition is uncertain, use the checker instead of guessing.

2. Common mistakes

The biggest mistake is mixing the two policies. A traveler may qualify for one and not the other, because passport coverage, route requirements, region limits, and stay clocks are different.

Another common mistake is buying a domestic rail or flight segment that leaves the permitted 240-hour transit area. Transport availability does not prove immigration permission.

  • A same-country round trip is usually not a 240-hour transit route.
  • A 240-hour eligible passport does not automatically mean 30-day visa-free entry.
  • A 30-day visa-free eligible passport does not remove normal airline, hotel, registration, or entry-document checks.
  • A train ticket outside the permitted 240h area can break the transit plan.

3. How to confirm eligibility

Start with the eligibility checker for passport, route, port, stay time, and purpose. Then use the third-country validator when the route is not obviously A-China-B.

For 30-day visa-free entry, verify the latest official country coverage rather than relying on old blog lists. The country list changes more often than most static travel pages can safely track.

  • Checker: passport, route, port, region, and time.
  • Third-country validator: whether the inbound and onward points count as different countries or regions.
  • Official source review: current 30-day visa-free country coverage before booking.

4. Snapshot date

Policy snapshot: 2026-06-09. China has continued to adjust visa-free entry and transit facilitation measures, including 240-hour transit port coverage and unilateral visa-free arrangements.

This page explains rule differences and planning logic. It intentionally does not publish a full 30-day country list because that list is different from the 240-hour transit list and can change.

  • Use official sources and the checker before travel.
  • Treat airline boarding and border inspection decisions as final.
  • Re-check after any passport, route, port, destination, or timing change.

Eligibility checker

Open page

240h by passport

Open page

Third-country validator

Open page