China does not have a single entry regime but four running in parallel, and knowing which one you fall under is half the job. (1) THE UNILATERAL EXEMPTION: China decided on its own, without asking for anything in return, to let nationals of a list of countries in without a visa for up to 30 days. It is the route most of our readers use today, and it HAS AN EXPIRY DATE. (2) THE BILATERAL MUTUAL EXEMPTION AGREEMENTS: these are treaties signed between China and another country, they do not expire on a given date, and in Latin America they cover ordinary passports in only two cases. (3) VISA-FREE TRANSIT: 24 hours at any port, or up to 10 days for 57 nationalities through 65 designated ports, if you are heading to a third country. (4) THE VISA: if none of the three above applies to you, you need the tourist visa, category L, which is applied for with an online form at consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA and completed by presenting your passport in person at the embassy or at a Visa Application Center. What the exemption is NOT: it is not a permit to work, study or do journalism. The official FAQ is blunt: «Visa waiver does not apply to those who come to China for work, study, news coverage or purposes alike».
We read the three official lists on 23/09/2026 and this is how the map of our twenty-eight nationalities looks. ENTER VISA-FREE UNDER THE 30-DAY UNILATERAL EXEMPTION (list from the National Immigration Administration, 50 countries, compiled according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and updated to 17 February 2026): Germany, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Peru and Uruguay. Eleven of the twenty-eight. Verbatim quote from the footnote to that list: «Nationals of the above countries holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchange visits, or transit, for stays of up to 30 days. The duration of stay is calculated from 00:00 on the day following the date of entry». ENTER VISA-FREE UNDER A BILATERAL AGREEMENT, WITH AN ORDINARY PASSPORT AND NO EXPIRY DATE: ECUADOR (ordinary passports, in force since 18/08/2016, 30 days) and SURINAME (diplomatic, service, public affairs AND ORDINARY passports, in force since 01/05/2021, 30 days). NEED A VISA: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Fifteen of the twenty-eight. And here is the trap that leaves people stranded at the counter: Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela DO appear in the official table of mutual exemption agreements, but ONLY for diplomatic, service, official, public affairs or consular passports. With an ordinary passport, those twelve countries need a visa. Seeing your country's name in that table means nothing if your passport is the blue or red one everyone else queues with. THE CANADA CASE, which we flag as a discrepancy: it appears on the NIA list (Americas, 6 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Peru and Uruguay) but does NOT appear on the 47-country list in the FAQ published by the Visa Application Center, updated 24/08/2026. If your passport is Canadian, confirm it with the Chinese mission before you fly.
