China's Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies: Hainan, Cruise & ASEAN Tours

What are China's regional visa-free entry policies?

Alongside China's 240-hour visa-free transit and full tourist visa routes, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) operates six regional visa-free entry schemes tied to specific provinces, ports and travel formats. Most are aimed at short stays for tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions and sports — with work and study excluded.

All six policies below count your stay from 00:00 on the day after arrival. If you also qualify under a mutual visa-exemption agreement or another China visa-free policy, the more favourable terms apply.

1. Hainan: 30-day visa-free for 61 countries

Nationals of 61 countries holding ordinary passports can enter Hainan province without a visa for up to 30 days, for short-term purposes including tourism, business, visits, family reunions, medical treatment, exhibitions and sports events (work and study are excluded).

• Who qualifies: 61 countries — Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Monaco, Belarus, the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, the UAE, Brunei, Qatar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan.
• Stay: up to 30 days.
• Area: the whole of Hainan province.
• Ports: all open ports of entry in Hainan.

2. Cruise tour groups: 15 days via 13 cities

Foreign tour groups of two or more people arriving by cruise ship and organised by a licensed Chinese travel agency can enter China visa-free through 13 coastal cities, as long as the group stays with the same cruise to its next port and departs on the same voyage.

• Entry ports: Tianjin; Dalian (Liaoning); Shanghai; Lianyungang (Jiangsu); Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang); Xiamen (Fujian); Qingdao (Shandong); Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong); Beihai (Guangxi); Haikou and Sanya (Hainan).
• Stay: up to 15 days.
• Area: 11 coastal province-level regions — Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan — plus Beijing.

3. ASEAN tour groups: Xishuangbanna, Yunnan (6 days)

Tour groups of two or more nationals from ASEAN countries — Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia — organised by a licensed Chinese travel agency can enter and exit visa-free as a group through designated ports in Xishuangbanna.

• Entry/exit ports: Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port and Mohan Highway Port.
• Stay: up to 6 days.
• Area: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan.
• Format: group entry, group exit.

4. ASEAN tour groups: Guilin, Guangxi (6 days)

The same ASEAN nationals, travelling as a group of two or more and organised by a licensed Chinese travel agency, can enter visa-free through Guilin airport and stay within the city of Guilin.

• Entry/exit port: Guilin Airport.
• Stay: up to 6 days.
• Area: Guilin city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
• Format: group entry, group exit.

5. Guangdong: tour groups arriving via Hong Kong or Macao (6 days)

Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with China who travel to Hong Kong or Macao and join a tour group of two or more organised by a travel agency registered in Hong Kong or Macao can enter the Greater Bay Area visa-free, travelling as a group.

• Stay: up to 6 days.
• Area: the nine mainland Greater Bay Area cities — Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan and Jiangmen — plus Shantou.
• Ports: the open ports of entry of the 10 cities above.
• Format: group entry, group exit.

6. Hainan: tour groups arriving via Hong Kong or Macao (6 days)

Citizens of countries with diplomatic relations with China who travel to Hong Kong or Macao and join a tour group of two or more organised by a travel agency registered in Hong Kong or Macao can enter Hainan visa-free for tourism, travelling as a group.

• Stay: up to 6 days.
• Area: Hainan province.
• Ports: all open ports of entry in Hainan.
• Format: group entry, group exit.

Rules that catch people out

• Stays are counted from 00:00 the day after you arrive — a Monday arrival means your permitted days start counting from Tuesday.
• Work and study are not covered by any of these regional schemes; they are for short-term tourism, business and related purposes only.
• Group tours must stay together (group entry, group exit) and travel through a licensed Chinese travel agency or a Hong Kong/Macao-registered agency.
• Ports are specific — each scheme lists exact entry and exit ports, so check your routing before booking.
• If you also qualify under a mutual visa-exemption agreement or a broader visa-free policy, the more favourable terms apply.

Which policy fits your trip?

Planning a beach-and-resort stay in Sanya or Haikou? The Hainan 30-day visa-free scheme is your easiest route if your country is on the 61-country list. Joining a cruise that calls at Chinese ports? The cruise tour-group scheme covers 13 cities. Travelling into Yunnan or Guangxi from Southeast Asia as part of a group? The ASEAN tour-group schemes in Xishuangbanna and Guilin apply. And if you are routing through Hong Kong or Macao, the Guangdong and Hainan group schemes open up the Greater Bay Area and Hainan.

Not sure which one applies to you, or need a licensed guide and a compliant itinerary? MyGuideTrip can map your nationality, ports and itinerary against every current policy — and build a trip that stays comfortably inside the rules. Tell us your dates and nationality and we'll confirm your visa-free options before you book.