Zhejiang has become the first Chinese province to offer 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit through every one of its six international ports—Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Ningbo Lishe, Wenzhou Longwan, Zhoushan Putuoshan, Yiwu Airport and the cruise terminal at Zhoushan. The provincial government confirmed the upgrade on 6 May as part of a broader package to boost inbound business travel and tourism. Under the new arrangement, passport holders from 55 countries may fly into, or sail through, any Zhejiang port and remain within the province (and neighbouring Shanghai or Jiangsu) for up to ten days before exiting China.
![Zhejiang opens all six ports to 240-hour transit visa-waiver and rolls out expat-friendly services]()
For travellers who want extra certainty or anticipate extending their stay, VisaHQ can step in as a one-stop concierge. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets you check eligibility, book onward tickets, or convert a transit exemption into a full business visa—all with live status alerts and human support in multiple languages.
Previously, only Hangzhou and Ningbo enjoyed the policy. The move aligns Zhejiang with the Yangtze River Delta’s push to create a seamless “visa-free economic corridor”. To convert footfall into spending, Zhejiang has authorised 25 county-level immigration service points—more than any other province—so foreign residents and short-term visitors can renew visas, register accommodation or obtain work-permit guidance locally. International Service Centres at Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou airports now bundle SIM-card activation, UnionPay/Mobile-Pay set-up, tax-refund processing and multi-language tourism advice into a single desk. Hotels across the province have installed passport readers that feed data directly to police systems, slashing check-in times, while the “Zheliban” super-app lets verified foreigners buy insurance, pay taxes, register vehicles and even open pension accounts without a Chinese ID card. Business travellers can also file group-visa applications online, a first outside Beijing and Shanghai. For mobility managers the expansion is significant: executives arriving visa-free via Guangzhou or Shenzhen can now take a high-speed train straight to Yiwu’s wholesale markets or Wenzhou’s manufacturing hubs without breaching their permitted stay. Companies should, however, monitor itineraries carefully—leaving the designated regions voids the transit waiver and may trigger penalties.
For travellers who want extra certainty or anticipate extending their stay, VisaHQ can step in as a one-stop concierge. The company’s portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets you check eligibility, book onward tickets, or convert a transit exemption into a full business visa—all with live status alerts and human support in multiple languages.
Previously, only Hangzhou and Ningbo enjoyed the policy. The move aligns Zhejiang with the Yangtze River Delta’s push to create a seamless “visa-free economic corridor”. To convert footfall into spending, Zhejiang has authorised 25 county-level immigration service points—more than any other province—so foreign residents and short-term visitors can renew visas, register accommodation or obtain work-permit guidance locally. International Service Centres at Hangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou airports now bundle SIM-card activation, UnionPay/Mobile-Pay set-up, tax-refund processing and multi-language tourism advice into a single desk. Hotels across the province have installed passport readers that feed data directly to police systems, slashing check-in times, while the “Zheliban” super-app lets verified foreigners buy insurance, pay taxes, register vehicles and even open pension accounts without a Chinese ID card. Business travellers can also file group-visa applications online, a first outside Beijing and Shanghai. For mobility managers the expansion is significant: executives arriving visa-free via Guangzhou or Shenzhen can now take a high-speed train straight to Yiwu’s wholesale markets or Wenzhou’s manufacturing hubs without breaching their permitted stay. Companies should, however, monitor itineraries carefully—leaving the designated regions voids the transit waiver and may trigger penalties.
