Is China visa-free for UK citizens?
The United Kingdom is one of the 50 countries with 30-day visa-free entry to China. For a normal holiday, that means no visa application, no appointment, no embassy visit.
There are still a few things the policy does not cover — and one date you should know about.
What British passport holders get
- Up to 30 days per entry, anywhere in China.
- No route requirement — a simple London → Beijing → London trip qualifies.
- Business travel, tourism, family visits, exchange visits and transit are all covered.
- The policy currently runs until 31 December 2026.
What is not covered
- Work, study and journalism — these need a visa in advance.
- Stays longer than 30 days.
- Travel on anything other than an ordinary passport (emergency or temporary documents).
- Guaranteed entry: the border officer still decides, based on your documents and purpose.
What to have ready at the border
- A passport valid for your stay, ideally with six months left — airlines often insist on it.
- A return or onward ticket.
- The address of your first hotel.
- For business travel, a letter from your company or the Chinese host if you have one.
If you are staying longer than 30 days
The usual routes are a tourist (L) visa for longer stays, or a business (M) visa for commercial activity. Apply through the Chinese visa application service centre in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and allow a couple of weeks.
A common workaround — leaving to Hong Kong or Bangkok and re-entering — resets the entry, but each entry is assessed separately and should look like a genuine visit.
Frequently asked
Do British citizens need a visa for China in 2026?+
No, for stays of up to 30 days. The UK is on the 30-day visa-free list, currently valid until 31 December 2026.
Can UK citizens stay longer than 30 days without a visa?+
Not on a single entry. You would need a visa, or to leave and re-enter — and re-entry is assessed on its own merits, not granted automatically.
Does the 30-day visa-free entry cover Hong Kong?+
Hong Kong has its own immigration rules and is visa-free for British passport holders for up to 180 days, separate from mainland China. Travelling between the mainland and Hong Kong counts as leaving and re-entering China.
Check your own passport
The guides explain the rules. The checker applies them to your nationality and shows the exact date your policy runs to.
Visa rules by nationality
The 30-day visa-free policy covers 18+ of these nationalities. Pick yours:
Read next
Do you need a visa for China?
Short answer: most travellers from Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea and Brazil do not need a visa for a trip of up to 30 days in 2026. Here is how to check in under a minute.
The 30-day visa-free policy runs to 31 December 2026
48 of the 50 visa-free countries are covered until 31 December 2026. Here is what that date actually means, what happens next, and how to plan a 2027 trip.
Can you leave China and re-enter visa-free?
Visa-free entry has no published cap on how many times you use it — but each entry is assessed separately, and patterns that look like residence get refused.
This guide is compiled from publications by China’s National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese visa application centres. Entry decisions rest with the border inspection authority. Confirm your own case with your airline and the nearest Chinese embassy before booking.