Many foreign nationals visiting China, including those from the United States or United Kingdom are still required to obtain a visa prior to arrival in Mainland China. However, since 2023 China has been gradually relaxing its visa policy with nationals from a growing list of countries now granted visa free access for 15 or 30 days. At present, this includes but is not limited to a large portion of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Gulf countries and Brazil. If a visa is required, this is typically handled by the Chinese embassy or consulate assigned to your region of residence. In some cases, this process is now handled by the official appointed agents Visa for China. The cost of and time taken in obtaining the visa is each traveler’s responsibility. Visitors from most countries do not require a visa for short visits to Macau or Hong Kong. For Taiwan, visa free access is granted to many nationalities, but currently excludes Brazil and Mexico. Please check with your travel agent, embassy websites or a visa service for up-to-date information. (Do not rely on general websites.)

Recently, China has also implemented a 10-day Visa-Free transit for visitors from 53 countries. According to this, travelers can spend up to 10 days in China provided they have confirmed onward travel to a third international destination (including Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan) within ten days of arrival.