China Visa-Free Entry for UK and Canadian Passport Holders (2026)
No, not for short trips. As of 00:00 on 17 February 2026, ordinary UK and Canadian passport holders may enter mainland China visa-free for stays up to 30 days per entry. The policy was announced by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the Starmer-Xi and Carney-Xi summits in late January 2026 and runs through 31 December 2026. Allowed purposes are tourism, business, visiting family or friends, cultural exchange, and transit. Multiple entries are allowed in the year, but each stay must not exceed 30 days. You still need a visa if you plan to work, study for a degree, take up residence, or stay over 30 days on any single entry — and the visa-free entry cannot be extended once you arrive. Practical requirements: passport valid 6 months beyond entry, a return or onward ticket, and the standard health-declaration QR code submitted before boarding. Hong Kong and Macau have separate immigration systems and were not affected by this policy. The 2026 program is unilateral, so China can revise it; verify the current end date on the Chinese embassy site for your country before booking a 2027 trip. Renewals beyond 2026 are not yet announced.
- UK and Canadian passport holders enter mainland China visa-free for 30 days per entry from 17 February through 31 December 2026.
- Allowed purposes are tourism, business, family visits, cultural exchange, and transit; work and study still need a visa.
- The 30-day stay cannot be extended in country; for longer stays, apply for a visa at a Chinese visa center before flying.
- Passport must be valid 6+ months beyond entry; carry a return or onward ticket and submit the health-declaration QR before boarding.
- Hong Kong and Macau have separate immigration systems and are not affected; their existing rules continue to apply.
How this works
Confirm your passport meets the 6-month rule
Open your passport to the data page and check the expiry date. China requires at least six months of validity beyond your planned entry date. If yours expires sooner, renew before booking flights; some airlines refuse boarding for short-validity passports.
Book the flight and an onward ticket
Book the inbound flight, then have a return or onward ticket out of mainland China within 30 days of arrival. Border officers occasionally ask to see proof. A flight to Hong Kong, Bangkok, or your home country counts as onward.
Generate the health declaration QR
Within 24 hours before departure, fill the health declaration on China Customs's online form. Complete passport, flight, and seat number, then save the QR code as a screenshot. Show it at customs after immigration; gates beep through quickly when scanned.
Pre-set up Alipay or Weixin Pay
Bind a foreign Visa, Mastercard, JCB, or Amex card to Alipay and Weixin Pay before departure. China is QR-code first, and your tap card will not work at most metros, taxis, or restaurants. Setup takes about 5 minutes per app.
At immigration, take the visa-free lane
On arrival, follow signs to Foreign Passports. Hand over your passport; the officer scans, photographs, and stamps a visa-free entry valid for 30 days. No paperwork, no fee. Keep the boarding pass stub for hotel check-in records.
Why this is different for foreign visitors
Unlike most major-economy travel relationships where reciprocal visa rules apply, China's 2026 program is unilateral: the UK and Canada still require Chinese citizens to apply for visas, but China is waiving the requirement for British and Canadian visitors. For foreign visitors that means the cost (about £150-£200 in the UK, C$142 in Canada) and the appointment wait at a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre disappear for short trips. By Western standards this is a sharp reversal: through 2025 both countries needed full visas with hotel bookings and itineraries submitted in advance. Treat 2026 as a window — Chinese policy explicitly sets the end date as 31 December 2026, and renewals are decided each year. Verify before you book a 2027 trip.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Reading a 2024 forum post and assuming UK or Canadian visitors still need a visa, then paying £150-£200 unnecessarily. The unilateral policy took effect 17 February 2026 — check the Chinese embassy site for your country.
- Booking a 35-day trip on the visa-free stamp and assuming you can extend at the local police station. The 30-day cap is hard; longer stays require a tourist visa applied for before departure.
- Skipping the health-declaration QR because it sounds optional. Some airlines refuse boarding without it; submit the form within 24 hours of departure.
- Treating Hong Kong and Macau as the same as the mainland for entry. The two SARs run separate immigration systems; entering Macau or Hong Kong does not extend a mainland visa-free clock.
Frequently asked
Yes. From 17 February 2026 ordinary UK passport holders enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days per entry. The policy was announced by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and confirmed by the Chinese embassy in London. Show your passport at immigration; no advance application is needed for stays under 30 days.
No. Hong Kong and Macau run their own immigration systems and are not part of the mainland visa-free program. UK and Canadian passports already get 90-day visa-free stays in Hong Kong and 30-day visa-free in Macau under separate long-standing rules, so day trips between the three remain straightforward.
No, you cannot extend the 30-day visa-free entry. If your trip is longer than 30 days, apply for an L tourist visa at a Chinese Visa Application Service Centre before flying. Workaround: a 30-day visa-free stay, exit to Hong Kong or Bangkok, then re-enter for another 30 days is allowed in 2026.
Yes, three things. A passport valid 6+ months beyond your entry date, a return or onward ticket, and the health-declaration QR code generated through the customs site before departure. Hotel reservations are recommended but not always checked. Some carriers ask to see all three at the gate before letting you board.
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