In a surprise statement issued on the evening of February 15, China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that ordinary Canadian passport-holders will be able to enter mainland China without a visa for visits of up to 30 days, effective February 17 2026 and running until December 31 2026. The measure, which also covers the United Kingdom, is part of Beijing’s unilateral visa-free pilot first introduced for several EU countries in late 2025. Canadian tourists, business travellers, relatives of Chinese residents and passengers in transit will all be covered, although work permits and journalist visas will still be required for those purposes. (ca.china-embassy.gov.cn)
The policy arrives just one month after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s fence-mending visit to Beijing, during which President Xi Jinping signalled that easier mobility would be “the quickest way to rebuild trust.” For the past decade, Canadians have endured a cumbersome application that required biometric enrolment, detailed itineraries and fees of roughly CAD 140. Industry groups estimate that those hurdles suppressed post-pandemic travel to China to barely 30 % of 2019 levels. (halifax.citynews.ca)
![China grants 30-day visa-free entry to Canadians from February 17 – December 31 2026]()
For Canadians who still require assistance—whether for stays beyond 30 days, multiple-entry permits, or entirely different destinations—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork from start to finish, offering digital applications, status tracking, and expert advice through its Canada portal: https://www.visahq.com/canada/
Canadian corporates stand to benefit immediately. China is Canada’s second-largest bilateral trading partner; the Canadian Chamber of Commerce calculates that eliminating visa fees and processing delays could save frequent-flyer executives more than CAD 2,000 per person per year and shorten deal-closing timelines by several weeks. Airlines are already responding: Air Canada says it will add three weekly frequencies on the Toronto–Shanghai route starting in March, while WestJet is exploring a seasonal Calgary–Beijing service for the summer peak. Travel insurers have reminded clients that entry is still subject to standard health checks and that the waiver does not alter quarantine rules should new disease outbreaks occur.
Practically, travellers must carry a passport valid for at least six months, a return or onward ticket, and proof of accommodation. Stays beyond 30 days—and any remunerated activities—will still require a visa issued by a Chinese consulate in Canada. Officials in Ottawa have welcomed the announcement but caution that the programme is officially a pilot; it could be revoked or amended without notice after December 31. Businesses with long-term projects in China are therefore advised to build contingency plans and avoid scheduling key personnel rotations in the final weeks of the waiver window.
The policy arrives just one month after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s fence-mending visit to Beijing, during which President Xi Jinping signalled that easier mobility would be “the quickest way to rebuild trust.” For the past decade, Canadians have endured a cumbersome application that required biometric enrolment, detailed itineraries and fees of roughly CAD 140. Industry groups estimate that those hurdles suppressed post-pandemic travel to China to barely 30 % of 2019 levels. (halifax.citynews.ca)
For Canadians who still require assistance—whether for stays beyond 30 days, multiple-entry permits, or entirely different destinations—VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork from start to finish, offering digital applications, status tracking, and expert advice through its Canada portal: https://www.visahq.com/canada/
Canadian corporates stand to benefit immediately. China is Canada’s second-largest bilateral trading partner; the Canadian Chamber of Commerce calculates that eliminating visa fees and processing delays could save frequent-flyer executives more than CAD 2,000 per person per year and shorten deal-closing timelines by several weeks. Airlines are already responding: Air Canada says it will add three weekly frequencies on the Toronto–Shanghai route starting in March, while WestJet is exploring a seasonal Calgary–Beijing service for the summer peak. Travel insurers have reminded clients that entry is still subject to standard health checks and that the waiver does not alter quarantine rules should new disease outbreaks occur.
Practically, travellers must carry a passport valid for at least six months, a return or onward ticket, and proof of accommodation. Stays beyond 30 days—and any remunerated activities—will still require a visa issued by a Chinese consulate in Canada. Officials in Ottawa have welcomed the announcement but caution that the programme is officially a pilot; it could be revoked or amended without notice after December 31. Businesses with long-term projects in China are therefore advised to build contingency plans and avoid scheduling key personnel rotations in the final weeks of the waiver window.
