In brief
Until 31 December 2026, ordinary passport holders from 50 countries (official list, May 2026), including France, Germany, the UK, Canada, Australia and Japan, can enter China without a visa for business trips of up to 30 days. No extension beyond that date had been announced as of 3 November 2026. US citizens are not on the list: they need an M (business) visa, or can use the 240-hour visa-free transit when they fly on to a third country. Working in China requires a work permit and a work-type residence permit, normally obtained through a Z visa.
Which countries can enter China visa-free for business in 2026?
China's unilateral visa-free policy covers ordinary passport holders from 50 countries, according to the official FAQ updated on 25 May 2026: Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Russia, Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom. Canada and the UK joined on 17 February 2026.
- Purposes covered: business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchanges and transit.
- Length of stay: up to 30 days per entry, counted from the day after arrival.
- Entries: no limit on the number of trips or total days for now, provided each visit matches an authorised purpose.
- Travel document: an ordinary passport valid for the whole stay. Emergency and service passports do not qualify.
The US is not on this list; some other nationalities have separate bilateral exemptions.
When does China's visa-free policy end?
For 48 of the 50 countries, the exemption runs until 24:00 Beijing time on 31 December 2026. Brunei has no end date and Russia's exemption runs to 31 December 2027. The scheme started on 1 December 2023 and has been extended several times. The last general extension, covering France and most other listed countries, was announced by the Chinese foreign ministry on 3 November 2025 (Russia's was extended separately on 20 May 2026).
As of 3 November 2026, no extension to 2027 has been published: the foreign ministry briefings of 30 October, 2 November and 3 November 2026 do not mention one, and neither do the visa notices of the Chinese embassy in France. If your trip falls in January 2027 or later, for example the spring session of the Canton Fair (see our Canton Fair guide), plan a fallback:
- Apply for an M visa before departure, allowing at least 6 working days of processing at the visa centre.
- Use the 240-hour visa-free transit if your itinerary continues to a third country or region.
Two temporary measures for applicants in France end on the same day: the reduced 45 euro visa fee for Schengen passports and the fingerprint exemption for short-stay visas. Whether a visa-free entry in late December 2026 still allows 30 days into January 2027 has not been clarified officially: confirm with the embassy or the 12367 immigration hotline before booking.
What can you do in China without a visa?
The exemption covers business purposes, and the official FAQ names trade fairs and exhibitions explicitly. Meeting suppliers, negotiating a contract, visiting the factory that produces for you or walking a trade show all count as business travel. Border officers check the purpose, so carry an invitation letter from your Chinese contact, your return ticket and your hotel booking.
The exemption does not cover work, study or journalism. Chinese law treats work without a work permit and a work-type residence permit as illegal employment (Exit and Entry Administration Law, articles 41 and 43). On-site technical tasks, such as installing equipment or delivering paid services to a Chinese client, sit in a grey area: confirm the right status with the embassy before you travel.
China 240-hour visa-free transit: the option for US travellers
The 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit applies to 57 countries, including the United States, the UK, Canada and France, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) in August 2026. Travellers enter through one of 65 designated ports in 24 provinces and stay within permitted areas.
- Hold an ordinary passport valid for at least 3 months.
- Hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region, departing within 240 hours. Departure and destination must differ: a New York, Guangzhou, New York round trip does not qualify.
- The 240 hours start at 00:00 on the day after arrival.
- Business activities, visits and tourism are allowed; work, study and reporting are not.
In Guangdong, eligible entry points include Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao'an and Jieyang Chaoshan airports and the Nansha and Shekou passenger ports. Five more were added on 5 November 2025: a port in Guangzhou, Hengqin in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link. The whole province is a permitted area, and you can leave through any open port in Guangdong.
China M visa: requirements, processing time and fees
The M visa is the business visa, issued for commercial and trade activities. You need one if your country is not on the visa-free list, if a single stay will exceed 30 days, or if the exemption is not renewed after 2026. Applications go through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) that serves your place of residence.
- A passport with at least 6 months of validity and two blank pages (15 months of validity for a one-year multiple-entry visa at the Paris centre).
- The online application form, printed and signed, and a recent photo.
- An invitation from a trade partner in China or a trade fair invitation, stating your name, gender and date of birth, the purpose and dates of the trip, the places visited, your relationship with the inviter and who pays, plus the inviter's name, address, phone number, official seal and the legal representative's signature.
For the Canton Fair, overseas buyers generate the invitation in the fair's Buyer Service System. A copy or printout is accepted, but the consulate can ask for the original.
The consulate decides the validity, length of stay and number of entries. France's foreign ministry notes that a multiple-entry M visa valid 6 months to 1 year is possible in principle when the applicant has travelled to China more than twice in the previous two years. As a cost benchmark, until 31 December 2026 the Paris centre charges a Schengen passport holder 111 euros in total for the regular service (usually 6 working days), service fee and the reduced 45 euro visa fee included, and from 156 euros for express (usually 3 working days). Fees for other nationalities and other centres differ.
When do you need a Z visa and a work permit?
As soon as the trip becomes a job: a local employment contract, a secondment to a Chinese entity, or running your own company on site. The employer in China first obtains a Notice of Work Permit; you then apply for a Z visa, and after arrival you have 30 days to apply for a residence permit. Even work of 90 days or less needs that notice and a Z visa applied for before the start date it shows.
The risk is real: illegal work is fined between RMB 5,000 and RMB 20,000, with 5 to 15 days of detention in serious cases, and the employer is fined RMB 10,000 per person. Our guide to the China work permit, Z visa and residence permit details each step, and our article on setting up a company in China covers the structure that can employ you.
What is the China K visa?
Created on 1 October 2025, the K visa targets young foreign science and technology talent: graduates with at least a bachelor's degree in a STEM field from a well-known university or research institution, or people teaching or doing research there. It requires no employer or inviting entity in China and allows exchanges, entrepreneurship and business activities. Each Chinese embassy publishes the detailed conditions.
Registering your address within 24 hours
In a hotel, the hotel registers you with the police. If you stay with a friend, a partner or in a rented flat, you or your host must register with the local police station within 24 hours of arrival (Exit and Entry Administration Law, article 39). Failing to do so can bring a warning and a fine of up to RMB 2,000. Since 21 September 2026, this registration can be done online anywhere in China, Guangdong included (NIA website, NIA 12367 app, WeChat or Alipay mini programs); the police station remains an option.
Since 20 November 2025, you can also fill in the arrival card online before landing (NIA website, NIA 12367 app, WeChat or Alipay).
Which entry status fits your trip?
- Supplier meetings, negotiations or a trade fair, with a passport from a listed country (France, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and others)
- Entry statusVisa-free entry, until 31 December 2026
- Maximum stay30 days per entry
- Key documentsOrdinary passport valid for the stay; invitation letter, return ticket and hotel booking recommended
- US citizen on a business stopover, flying on to a third country or region
- Entry status240-hour visa-free transit
- Maximum stay10 days, permitted areas only
- Key documentsPassport valid 3 months or more; confirmed onward ticket departing within 240 hours
- US citizen on a round trip, any stay over 30 days, or travel after 2026 without an extension
- Entry statusM visa
- Maximum staySet by the consulate
- Key documentsInvitation from a Chinese partner or trade fair, online form, passport valid 6 months
- Job, secondment or paid assignment in China, even a short one
- Entry statusZ visa, work permit and residence permit
- Maximum staySet by the permits
- Key documentsNotice of Work Permit from the employer; residence permit within 30 days of arrival
- Young STEM graduate, teacher or researcher (exchanges, start-up)
- Entry statusK visa
- Maximum staySet by the consulate
- Key documentsSTEM bachelor's degree or higher, or a teaching or research post
Vyrion is based in Guangzhou. If your trip turns into a project in China (a company, a work permit), see our business setup and visa service, or contact us to discuss it.