Do Canadians need a visa for China? The 30-day exemption, explained

If you hold a Canadian passport, you no longer need a visa to travel to China: since 17 February 2026 (and extended until 23:59 on 31 December 2026) you can enter visa-free for tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit, as long as your stay doesn’t exceed 30 days. The exemption also covers around 50 countries in total, including most of the EU, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. In this article I’ll explain how the exemption works, who still needs a visa (stays over 30 days, work, study, or non-exempt nationalities such as the USA) and how the application works today, because that has changed for the better too.

1. The visa exemption: who can enter China without a visa

For years, getting a Chinese visa was a slow, expensive hassle (in fact, earlier versions of this article walked through the whole process step by step, with its 10-section form and its CAD 162.15 in fees). That changed for Canadian travellers on 17 February 2026, when China added Canada (along with the UK) to its unilateral visa-free policy — a scheme it first launched in late 2023 to revive tourism and has been widening and extending ever since. The latest extension keeps it in force until 23:59 on 31 December 2026.

The conditions are simple. You can enter China without a visa if you meet all of the following:

• You hold an ordinary passport from one of the countries covered by the exemption (the list is below).
• The purpose of your trip is tourism, business, visiting family or friends, exchanges or transit.
• Your stay doesn’t exceed 30 days. This limit is enforced strictly: overstaying the 30 days can mean fines (RMB 500 per day), problems on future entries, or even being held by the police.

The list of exempt countries is now around 50. Among them: Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Nordic and Baltic states, plus Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. In the Americas, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Uruguay are also included. One important exception for North American travellers: the United States is NOT on the list — US citizens still need a visa (or the 240-hour transit, which I explain below).

Two practical details worth knowing:

• The exemption applies at any point of entry, not just airports. If you’re doing the Trans-Mongolian or Trans-Manchurian and you enter China by train from Mongolia or Russia, you can use it too.
• The exemption does not cover working or studying in China, nor stays longer than 30 days. For those you still need a visa.

One honest warning: this is a unilateral, temporary policy. So far China has kept extending it year after year (and it looks set to continue, because it’s working — more than 70% of foreign arrivals now happen visa-free), but if your trip is after 31 December 2026, check first that the exemption is still in force on the Chinese Embassy in Canada website or in the Government of Canada travel advice.

2. The 240-hour visa-free transit (if your country isn’t exempt)

If your nationality isn’t on the exemption list but you’re passing through China on the way to a third country, China also runs a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit policy for citizens of 55 countries — including the United States. Requirements: a valid travel document and an onward ticket with a date and destination to a third country or region (Hong Kong and Macao count as such). You can enter through 65 border crossings across 24 provinces and move around within the designated area during those 10 days.

And a special case: the island of Hainan has its own visa-free scheme for citizens of 59 countries (including the US, Canada and the UK), with stays of up to 30 days, entering and leaving through the island’s own ports. The catch: you can’t cross from Hainan to the mainland without a proper visa.

Remember too that Hong Kong and Macao are separate: with a Canadian passport you can visit them visa-free (up to 90 days in Hong Kong, 30 days in Macao). That said, if you then cross into mainland China, that counts as a new entry (with the 30-day exemption that’s no problem: a fresh 30-day period opens).

3. Who still needs a visa and how the application works now

You need a Chinese visa if you fall into any of these cases: your stay will exceed 30 days, you’re going to work or study in China, or your nationality isn’t among the exempt ones (for example US citizens, who apply at the Chinese consulate in their country).

In Canada, the application is still handled through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) in Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Ottawa (each covering its own consular district), but it’s far more manageable than it was a few years ago:

• Online form and documents: you can now fill in the application and upload your documents online at visaforchina.cn (selecting Canada and your centre), then attend only to hand in your passport.
• No fingerprints: the Chinese Embassy in Canada exempts short-stay visa applicants (stays under 180 days) from fingerprint collection until 31 December 2026. This even makes it possible to apply by post without travelling to a centre.
• Reduced fees: there’s a temporary reduction in the visa fee, also extended to 31 December 2026. Check the current rates on the CVASC website before you go.
• Turnaround: with the correct paperwork, the visa is usually ready in about 4 working days (faster with the express or rush service, for an extra fee).

The basic paperwork is still the same: a passport valid for at least 6 months with two blank pages, a recent photo, return tickets and hotel bookings with free cancellation (so you can change them later if your plans shift). If a friend resident in China is inviting you, you’ll need their invitation letter with their details and yours.

This is what the visa they put in your passport looks like, with its validity period, the length of stay and the number of entries (single, double or multiple). Canadians, by the way, are still eligible for the 10-year multiple-entry tourist and business visa if they travel to China often:

4. Arriving in China: arrival card and police registration

Whether you enter with or without a visa, on arrival you’ll need to fill in the arrival card for immigration control: surname, given names, nationality, passport number, address in China (your hotel), purpose of the trip and flight or train number. It’s a two-minute formality, and at some airports it can already be done digitally before you land.

And this one is important, because it’s the obligation most often missed by people travelling without a visa: police registration. If you stay in a hotel, you don’t have to do anything (the hotel registers you at check-in). But if you stay in a private home (a friend’s place, a rented flat), you must register at the nearest police station within 24 hours of entry (72 hours in rural areas), and register again each time you change address. Failing to register can lead to fines and problems on future visits.

Frequently asked questions about the China visa