China Visa-Free Entry for UK Citizens: 30 Days from February 17, 2026
Yes. UK ordinary passport holders enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 days, effective from 00:00 on February 17, 2026 to 23:59 on December 31, 2026. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the addition on February 16, 2026, and the National Immigration Administration confirmed in a March 2 briefing that the scheme runs to year-end rather than expiring March 31. The policy covers tourism, business, family visits, cultural exchange, and transit. You need a valid UK passport with at least 6 months remaining and an onward or return ticket within the 30-day window. Fingerprinting on arrival is standard, and you must register with the local police station, or your hotel registers you, within 24 hours of arrival. Stays beyond 30 days, or trips for work, study, or journalism, still require a regular visa from the embassy in London. Diplomatic and service passports follow separate rules. The 144-hour transit option remains available if you fly through a third country, but for direct UK-China-UK trips the 30-day visa-free policy is now the simpler choice. The scheme is unilateral and may be extended again — check the Chinese embassy in London before you book non-refundable flights.
- UK passports get 30 days visa-free entry to mainland China from Feb 17, 2026 through Dec 31, 2026.
- Carry an onward or return ticket within 30 days; fingerprinting on arrival is standard.
- Hotel registration with local police is required within 24 hours — your hotel handles it for you.
- Stays over 30 days, or work, study, or journalism trips, still need a full visa from the London embassy.
- The 144-hour transit option still exists if you connect through a third country.
How this works
Confirm your passport has 6 months and 2 blank pages
Check the expiry date on your UK passport — it must remain valid at least 6 months past your planned exit from China. Flip through and confirm two facing blank visa pages for the entry stamp. Renew before booking if either fails.
Book a return or onward flight within 30 days
Reserve a flight that leaves mainland China within 30 days of your arrival date. Immigration officers ask to see it. The ticket can connect through Hong Kong, Singapore, or anywhere outside mainland China, but it must be a confirmed booking, not a screenshot of a search.
Save your first hotel address in Chinese
Open your booking confirmation, copy the Chinese name and street, and save it as a note on your phone. The immigration officer often asks where you are staying, and showing a screenshot resolves the question in seconds.
Clear immigration on arrival
At the airport, follow signs to Foreigners. Hand the officer your passport, place all four fingers and a thumb on the scanner when prompted, and answer any questions on your hotel and onward flight. Allow 15 to 30 minutes during peak hours.
Confirm your hotel registers you within 24 hours
When you check in, hand the front desk your passport so they can scan it into the police system. If you stay in a private home or rental, walk to the nearest 派出所 (police station) within 24 hours with your passport and host's ID.
Why this is different for foreign visitors
Unlike most countries' visa-free agreements, China's UK policy is unilateral — Chinese passport holders still need a visa for the UK. Beijing announced the scheme as a tourism and trade gesture, and it runs in trial windows the Foreign Ministry can extend or end. For foreign visitors that means the rule may change with two weeks' notice. Hotel registration with the local 派出所 (paichusuo, neighborhood police station) is a standard requirement for every foreign guest in China, not a UK-specific check. Hotels do this digitally at check-in; if you stay with friends, you must walk to the station yourself within 24 hours.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the policy covers stays over 30 days; it does not. Plan to leave on day 29 at the latest, or hold a regular L visa for longer trips.
- Booking a one-way ticket and arguing at immigration. Officers refuse entry if you cannot show a confirmed flight out within 30 days.
- Skipping hotel registration when staying with friends — the 24-hour police-station rule still applies and a missed registration fines you ¥500 per day.
- Trusting old 2024 forum posts that say a visa is required; the policy changed on Feb 17, 2026 and is now active for UK ordinary passports.
- Confusing visa-free entry with the 144-hour transit policy and listing a third country you are not actually flying to.
Frequently asked
No, not for trips up to 30 days through December 31, 2026. Your passport plus an onward ticket gets you through immigration. You only need an L visa if you plan to stay longer than 30 days, or if you travel for work, study, journalism, or any non-tourism purpose covered by another visa category.
Yes, expect a 10 to 20 minute queue. Hand over your passport at the foreign-passenger desk, give fingerprints on the small scanner, and answer brief questions about your hotel and onward flight. The officer stamps a visa-free entry into your passport. Save your hotel address in Chinese on your phone for the question.
No, not under the visa-free scheme. To stay longer you have to leave mainland China before day 30 and re-enter, or apply for a stay permit at a local exit-entry bureau. The bureau usually refuses extensions of visa-free entries, so plan a flight out and a fresh entry if you need more time.
No, Hong Kong and Macau have separate immigration systems. UK passports already get 180 days visa-free in Hong Kong and 30 days in Macau under their long-standing rules. The February 2026 mainland policy is independent and does not change those numbers either way.
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