China's Visa-Free Entry Is Confirmed Only Until December 31
Your parents want Chinese New Year in Shanghai, and the visa-free rule they were counting on is confirmed only to December 31.
China's visa-free entry is confirmed only until December 31, 2026 (24:00 Beijing time) for 48 of the 50 listed countries, and as of October 30, 2026 no 2027 extension has been announced. That is the date to plan around if your parents want Chinese New Year in Shanghai. Russia is covered to December 31, 2027, Brunei has no end date, and the 30-day entry itself is free.
Checked October 30, 2026 against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Immigration Administration. We update this page the day a 2027 notice is published.
Good to know
- Good for parents, partners and friends holding one of the 50 listed passports, on trips of 30 days or less.
- What you'll pay nothing for the entry itself. The stamp is free, so the flights are the only real cost.
- Watch out for the 24-hour police registration in Shanghai when they stay with you rather than in a hotel.
- Make the most of it by finding their passport in the router below before anyone buys a fare.
Will China's visa-free entry be extended into 2027?
No 2027 extension of China's 30-day visa-free entry has been announced as of October 30, 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs last extended the policy on November 3, 2025, "until 24:00 on December 31, 2026", and its current FAQ applies that end date to 48 of the 50 countries. For a Shanghai visit after New Year's Day, nothing is confirmed for those passports yet.
China has renewed this policy before, and the last two renewals were both announced in November: on November 22, 2024 and on November 3, 2025. That is history, not a promise. Until a new notice appears on the ministry's website, plan as if the December 31 date holds.
One grey zone: the notices do not spell out a stay that starts in December and runs into January. For a Christmas visit that crosses New Year's Day, confirm with the nearest Chinese embassy before anyone flies.
So who is actually covered on Chinese New Year? That comes down to one small booklet.
Which rule covers your Chinese New Year guests?
For a Chinese New Year 2027 visit to Shanghai, which falls on Saturday, February 6, 2027, the passport decides the route. Only Russian and Bruneian passports are confirmed visa-free for that date today; every other passport needs a 2027 extension, the 240-hour transit or a visa. The router below sorts them, dated October 30, 2026.
If your guests can land and leave before the end of 2026, choose the 30-day route; it is confirmed today. If they are set on Chinese New Year and hold a transit-list passport, choose a 240-hour routing that flies on to a third country or region. If they need more than 10 days, or want a plain round trip, choose an L visa and apply early. Skip the transit route for a slow three-week holiday; ten days is the ceiling.
Once the passport question is settled, the rest is logistics, from SIM cards to pacing the jet lag, all covered in bringing your parents to visit Shanghai without the stress.
Which countries can enter China visa-free in 2026?
Fifty countries are on China's unilateral visa-free list as of October 30, 2026, according to the National Immigration Administration. Each gets up to 30 days per entry with no visa; only the end dates differ, as the router above shows. Sweden joined on November 10, 2025, and the UK and Canada on February 17, 2026.
What can family do on a 30-day visa-free visit?
China's 30-day visa-free entry lets family stay with you in Shanghai for up to 30 days, counted from 00:00 on the day after they land, so an arrival on the 1st runs through the 31st. Visiting relatives and friends is one of the written purposes, so a parent in your spare room is exactly what the rules permit.
No invitation letter is required, though the ministry recommends carrying proof of the purpose, such as an invitation, a return ticket or a hotel booking. The passport must stay valid for the whole trip; a booklet that expires mid-visit is a conversation nobody wants at the border.
How is this different from the 240-hour transit?
China's 240-hour visa-free transit is a ten-day layover with benefits, not a holiday visa. Since August 20, 2026 it covers 57 nationalities, US passports included, but every visitor needs a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region and stays inside the permitted regions. The 30-day route has no ticket rule and covers all of mainland China.
For when the transit clock actually starts and which ports count, see the 240-hour visa-free transit rules for Shanghai.
China's 240-hour visa-free transit is a ten-day layover with benefits, not a holiday visa.
What happens at the airport?
At a Shanghai airport, a visa-free visitor shows an ordinary passport, a return or onward ticket and a Shanghai address, then receives the entry stamp. Since November 20, 2025 the arrival card can be filled in online before the flight, on the National Immigration Administration website or the 移民局12367 app and mini-programs, and paper cards are still available at the port.
One step people forget is address registration. A hotel does it at check-in. If your parents stay in your apartment or a rented flat, they or you must register the address with the police within 24 hours of arriving; since September 21, 2026 it works online through the 12367 app or its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs, and the police station still takes walk-ins. Skipping it can bring a warning and a fine of up to ¥2,000 (about USD 300, at about 6.7 RMB to the dollar in October 2026), so do it on day one.
If a passport goes missing mid-trip, follow the lost passport in Shanghai steps in order. Once everyone has slept, a 3-day Shanghai itinerary without the tourist traps shows them the city gently.
Do UK citizens need a visa to visit China?
Not for a short trip in 2026. Since February 17, 2026, British ordinary passport holders can enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business or seeing family and friends. A 2027 trip depends on the extension decision; if none comes, British passports can still use the 240-hour transit with an onward ticket, or apply for an L visa.
Can you extend a 30-day visa-free stay in China?
Only with a justified reason. A visitor who entered visa-free and genuinely needs more time applies for a stay permit before the 30 days run out at the Shanghai Exit-Entry Administration, 1500 Minsheng Road, Pudong (浦东新区民生路1500号); the hall and timing rules are in extending a visa in Shanghai. Overstaying brings a warning and, in serious cases, a fine of ¥500 (about USD 75) a day up to ¥10,000 (about USD 1,500), or detention.
Can you enter China visa-free more than once?
Yes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says eligible visitors can use the visa-free policy for repeat trips, and there is currently no cap on the number of entries or the total days. Each entry starts its own 30-day clock. The one condition is that each trip's activities match the allowed purposes, so a string of visa-free entries is fine for family visits and wrong for a job.
Do children need anything different for visa-free entry to China?
No. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says minors qualify on exactly the same conditions as adults, so a grandchild on a listed passport needs only their own valid ordinary passport. Children's passports often run on shorter validity than adults', so check that date first.
Sources · 资料来源
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 外交部. Notice on Extending the Unilateral Visa-Free Policy · 关于延长单方面免签政策的通知 (November 3, 2025): the end date of 24:00, December 31, 2026. cs.mfa.gov.cn
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs · 外交部. FAQs on the Unilateral Visa-Free Policy · 单方面免签政策常见问题解答 (updated June 2026): end dates by country, repeat entries, minors. china-consulate.gov.cn
- National Immigration Administration · 国家移民管理局. List of Unilateral Visa-Free Countries · 单方面免签国家名单 (as of February 17, 2026). nia.gov.cn
- National Immigration Administration · 国家移民管理局. Announcement No. 4 of 2026 · 2026年第4号公告 (August 20, 2026): 240-hour transit for 57 countries. nia.gov.cn
- National Immigration Administration · 国家移民管理局. Announcement No. 7 of 2026 · 2026年第7号公告 (September 21, 2026): online address registration. nia.gov.cn
- Exit and Entry Administration Law · 中华人民共和国出境入境管理法 (2012), Articles 39, 76 and 78: registration and penalties. fgw.sh.gov.cn
- General guidance from official sources, not legal advice. Lists and end dates change at short notice, so confirm your nationality's rule with the NIA or a Chinese embassy before travel.
Wang Wei wrote 每逢佳节倍思亲, at every festival we miss our family more. Chinese New Year will not wait for a ministry notice, so settle the passport question while there is still time to choose.
Words, maps and research by the Choice Shanghai team. Please credit us and tag our 公众号 if you share.
