One year after China lengthened its visa-free transit window from 144 to 240 hours, the Ministry of Public Security has confirmed that 40.6 million foreign nationals entered the mainland using the waiver in 2025—a 27 % rise on the previous year. The programme now covers 55 countries and 65 ports spanning air, rail and sea, giving airlines and multinational mobility teams new flexibility to route travellers through Chinese hubs without the lead-time and cost of a consular visa.
Shanghai and Beijing remain the busiest gateways, but second-tier cities are benefitting most. Guangzhou’s Baiyun airport recorded a 62 % jump in transit arrivals after local authorities bundled the exemption with duty-free shopping vouchers and business-registration assistance in adjoining free-trade zones. Shenzhen’s Qianhai pilot goes further, allowing eligible visitors to incorporate a company within the 10-day window—a process that used to demand multiple trips and extensive paperwork.
Adding to the toolkit, VisaHQ’s global visa concierge service can verify passenger eligibility for the 240-hour waiver, flag port-specific requirements, and arrange consular visas in cases where the exemption does not suffice. Its China resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/china/) keeps mobility teams up to date with real-time rule changes and offers live support to smooth last-minute itineraries.
![China’s 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Sees 40.6 Million Arrivals in First Year]()
Corporate travel managers say the extended stay makes it realistic to sandwich factory inspections, client meetings and an onward Asia-Pacific stop-over into a single itinerary. Shorter visa lead-times also reduce compliance risk: employees who decide on last-minute travel can clear immigration with a confirmed ticket to a third country instead of scrambling for an invitation letter.
Nevertheless, the scheme has limits. Travellers cannot undertake remunerated work or over-stay—even by a few hours—without incurring fines and jeopardising future entries. Mobility teams are integrating flight-monitoring alerts and arrival/departure verification into traveller-tracking tools to stay on the right side of the rules.
Officials are already floating additional tweaks, including a 72-hour business-visit exemption for trips that return to the point of origin. For now, the 240-hour policy is reshaping Asia-Pacific flight schedules and reinforcing Beijing’s narrative that China is fully open for business.
Shanghai and Beijing remain the busiest gateways, but second-tier cities are benefitting most. Guangzhou’s Baiyun airport recorded a 62 % jump in transit arrivals after local authorities bundled the exemption with duty-free shopping vouchers and business-registration assistance in adjoining free-trade zones. Shenzhen’s Qianhai pilot goes further, allowing eligible visitors to incorporate a company within the 10-day window—a process that used to demand multiple trips and extensive paperwork.
Adding to the toolkit, VisaHQ’s global visa concierge service can verify passenger eligibility for the 240-hour waiver, flag port-specific requirements, and arrange consular visas in cases where the exemption does not suffice. Its China resource hub (https://www.visahq.com/china/) keeps mobility teams up to date with real-time rule changes and offers live support to smooth last-minute itineraries.
Corporate travel managers say the extended stay makes it realistic to sandwich factory inspections, client meetings and an onward Asia-Pacific stop-over into a single itinerary. Shorter visa lead-times also reduce compliance risk: employees who decide on last-minute travel can clear immigration with a confirmed ticket to a third country instead of scrambling for an invitation letter.
Nevertheless, the scheme has limits. Travellers cannot undertake remunerated work or over-stay—even by a few hours—without incurring fines and jeopardising future entries. Mobility teams are integrating flight-monitoring alerts and arrival/departure verification into traveller-tracking tools to stay on the right side of the rules.
Officials are already floating additional tweaks, including a 72-hour business-visit exemption for trips that return to the point of origin. For now, the 240-hour policy is reshaping Asia-Pacific flight schedules and reinforcing Beijing’s narrative that China is fully open for business.
