China’s state-run broadcaster CGTN has published an in-depth explainer aimed at the wave of leisure and business travellers expected to descend on the mainland during the eight-day Labour-Day ‘golden week’. The guide walks readers through the country’s fast-expanding network of unilateral visa-waiver schemes—now covering 50 nations—as well as the 144-hour transit-without-visa program that applies in 23 gateway cities, from Shanghai and Beijing to Chengdu and Xi’an. Officials remind visitors that they must carry proof of onward travel and hotel confirmations even when no visa is required, because immigration officers continue to perform random spot checks introduced this spring. The article stresses new digital conveniences. Foreigners can pre-register arrival cards on a multilingual portal, use e-channels at 16 international airports and, in many pilot zones, pay taxi fares or metro rides with overseas bank cards linked to China’s ubiquitous QR wallets. Mobile phone providers are offering short-term e-SIM packages that activate on arrival, allowing travellers to receive SMS verification codes needed to bind foreign credit cards to Alipay or WeChat Pay.
![China shares insider playbook for visa-free visits and 144-hour transit stays ahead of May rush]()
For travelers who still require a traditional visa—or who simply want an extra layer of certainty—specialized services such as VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. The company’s China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) keeps real-time tabs on rule changes, prepares invitation letters where needed, and submits applications to the appropriate consulates, saving both tourists and corporate mobility managers hours of form-filling and queueing.
CGTN also highlights regional trends useful for corporate mobility planners. Data from Ctrip show that half of inbound bookings for May come from Russia, Malaysia, South Korea, the United States and Thailand; meanwhile, business-class seat demand on routes such as Paris-Guangzhou and Toronto-Beijing has spiked after additional frequencies were approved to accommodate visa-exempt passengers. Companies with short-notice assignments are advised to book refundable fares because popular city pairs are already 25-30 percent more expensive than in 2025. Finally, the guide details compliance pitfalls. Even under visa-free entry, paid work is prohibited. Foreign HR teams placing staff in China for training during the holiday must still secure a Z-class work permit and residence permit—a process that takes four to six weeks in tier-one cities. Overstays of more than 24 hours can trigger fines of 500 yuan per day and, in serious cases, five-year re-entry bans. Travellers are urged to keep boarding passes and screenshots of their Health Declaration QR for at least 90 days in case of retrospective checks.
For travelers who still require a traditional visa—or who simply want an extra layer of certainty—specialized services such as VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork. The company’s China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) keeps real-time tabs on rule changes, prepares invitation letters where needed, and submits applications to the appropriate consulates, saving both tourists and corporate mobility managers hours of form-filling and queueing.
CGTN also highlights regional trends useful for corporate mobility planners. Data from Ctrip show that half of inbound bookings for May come from Russia, Malaysia, South Korea, the United States and Thailand; meanwhile, business-class seat demand on routes such as Paris-Guangzhou and Toronto-Beijing has spiked after additional frequencies were approved to accommodate visa-exempt passengers. Companies with short-notice assignments are advised to book refundable fares because popular city pairs are already 25-30 percent more expensive than in 2025. Finally, the guide details compliance pitfalls. Even under visa-free entry, paid work is prohibited. Foreign HR teams placing staff in China for training during the holiday must still secure a Z-class work permit and residence permit—a process that takes four to six weeks in tier-one cities. Overstays of more than 24 hours can trigger fines of 500 yuan per day and, in serious cases, five-year re-entry bans. Travellers are urged to keep boarding passes and screenshots of their Health Declaration QR for at least 90 days in case of retrospective checks.
