The 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Expansion, One Week In: Ports, Data and Practical Guidance

2026-08-30 Visa-Free Transit / 过境免签

  • The 240-hour visa-free transit expansion took effect on 20 August 2026, adding Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam and bringing the eligible-country list to 57; the first week of operations saw new flights, dedicated border-control lanes and bilingual guidance at entry ports.
    240 小时过境免签扩容于 2026 年 8 月 20 日生效，新增吉尔吉斯斯坦与越南，适用国家增至 57 国；落地首周，各口岸出现新增航班、专用查验通道与中英双语提示。
  • On the first day, a flight from Hanoi touched down at Nanning Wuxu International Airport — the first arrival under the expanded policy — and border-control units opened dedicated areas and windows, handing out bilingual stay-area guidance cards.
    生效首日，河内飞南宁的航班降落南宁吴圩国际机场——成为扩容政策下首架入境航班——南宁边检开设专用区域与专人窗口，并配发中英双语停留区域提示单。
  • Two days later, on the first weekend, a 240-traveller Vietnamese weekend tour group entered through the Dongxing port (second bridge) in Guangxi, and 306 passengers landed at Qingdao Jiaodong airport on flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
    两天后的首个周末，240 名越南游客组成的周末跨境游首发团经广西东兴口岸（二桥）入境，另有 306 名旅客乘胡志明市、河内飞来航班降落青岛胶东国际机场。
  • Border traffic data shows the momentum: in the first seven months of 2026, Vietnamese travellers entering through Guangxi ports exceeded 4.11 million, up 10.1% year on year.
    口岸客流数据印证动能：2026 年前 7 个月，经广西口岸出入境的越南籍旅客达 411.6 万余人次，同比增长 10.1%。
  • The policy still has hard limits: visa-free stays cover tourism, business, visits and family visits; work, study and news reporting require a visa obtained before arrival, and travellers must hold confirmed interline tickets and enter through the designated ports.
    政策仍有硬约束：免签停留限旅游、商贸、访问、探亲等短期活动；工作、学习、新闻采访须事先办妥签证；旅客须持确定日期与行程的联程客票并经指定口岸入境。
  • For foreign companies, the practical takeaway is to route short business trips through the 65 open ports where the transit policy applies, keep itineraries within the 240-hour (10-day) limit and the designated stay area, and obtain a visa for any assignment that involves work.
    对外资企业的实操启示：把短期商务行程安排在 65 个适用口岸、240 小时（10 天）时长与规定停留区域内；凡涉及工作的任务一律事先办妥相应签证。

The 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Expansion, One Week In: Ports, Data and Practical Guidance | 240 小时过境免签扩容首周：口岸、数据与实操指南

What changed on 20 August 2026

On 20 August 2026, China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to its eligible-country list, raising the total to 57 countries, and simultaneously extended Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry to 61 countries. Nationals of the two countries holding ordinary passports and confirmed interline tickets with fixed dates and itineraries can now enter visa-free through any of 65 open ports — including Beijing and Shanghai — when transiting to a third country or region, and stay up to 240 hours (10 days) within the designated areas. The same travellers can enter Hainan through its open ports and stay up to 30 days within the province. The stays cover tourism, business, visits and family visits; work, study and news reporting still require a visa obtained before arrival.

The first week on the ground

The rollout was immediate and well-organised at the border. On the afternoon of 20 August — the very first day — flight GX8972 from Hanoi touched down at Nanning Wuxu International Airport, the first arrival under the expanded policy. The Nanning border-control station had set up dedicated areas and counters, coordinated with airlines on flight schedules, distributed bilingual (Chinese-English) guidance cards on the stay areas for the 240-hour transit policy, and deployed additional multilingual officers to manage the expected surge. Two days later, on the first weekend, the effects were visible across the region: a 240-traveller Vietnamese weekend tour group cleared entry through the Dongxing port’s second bridge in Guangxi, heading for Nanning and Chongzuo, while 306 passengers on two flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi landed at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport in Shandong. Kunming Changshui Airport, which operates more than 570 international (regional) flights a week with an average of about 11,000 inbound-outbound passenger trips a day, has long counted Vietnamese travellers among its top five sources of inbound foreigners — a base that the expansion builds on.

What the traffic data shows

The numbers behind the headlines show why the expansion matters commercially. In the first seven months of 2026, Vietnamese travellers entering and exiting through Guangxi ports exceeded 4.11 million person-trips, up 10.1% year on year — and that was before the visa-free expansion. Guangxi alone has four ports applying the 240-hour transit policy: the three international airports of Nanning Wuxu, Guilin Liangjiang and Beihai Fucheng, plus the Beihai sea port (passenger). As a frontier for China-ASEAN cooperation, Guangxi is building “weekend cross-border travel” itineraries around fast clearance and diversified experiences. The pattern — a new country added, first flights within days, weekend tour groups within a week — has repeated across previous expansions and gives foreign businesses a reliable read on how quickly the policy translates into traveller flows.

The rules that still bind

The expansion does not loosen the core constraints, and travellers and their hosts should keep four rules in mind. First, the interline ticket requirement: travellers must hold ordinary passports and confirmed interline tickets for onward travel to a third country or region — a return ticket alone may not satisfy the transit logic. Second, the port and area limits: entry must be through one of the 65 designated open ports, and the stay is confined to the designated area (for most ports, the administrative regions specified by the policy), so itineraries should stay inside that footprint. Third, the activity limits: visa-free stays are for tourism, business, visits and family visits; work, study and news reporting require prior visas — an employer that brings in a visa-free visitor and puts them to work creates compliance exposure for both sides. Fourth, Hainan is separate: the 30-day island-wide entry is a distinct policy with its own port and area rules.

Practical guidance for foreign companies

For foreign companies moving people between their home market and China, the expansion widens the cost-free options for short, non-working visits. The practical playbook: (1) route business trips through the 65 open ports and keep the stay within 240 hours and the designated area, which covers most major business cities; (2) treat visa-free entry as valid only for meetings, site visits, negotiations and similar activities — any work assignment requires a work permit and work visa before arrival; (3) check the eligibility list (now 57 countries) when planning for employees of other nationalities; (4) for Hainan-bound business, note the separate 30-day policy with its own entry rules; and (5) keep documentation ready at the port — confirmed onward tickets, hotel and meeting invitations can smooth the process. The first week’s operations show the ports are staffed and signposted for the expanded flows, so the main planning work is on the traveller’s itinerary, not the paperwork.

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240 小时过境免签扩容首周：口岸、数据与实操指南

8 月 20 日发生了什么

2026 年 8 月 20 日，中国 240 小时过境免签政策新增吉尔吉斯斯坦与越南，适用国家增至 57 国，同时海南 30 天入境免签适用国家增至 61 国。持普通护照、有确定日期及行程联程客票的两国公民，从中国过境前往第三国或地区时，可从北京、上海等 65 个对外开放口岸免签入境，在规定区域内免签停留不超过 240 小时（10 天）；经海南对外开放口岸入境，可在省内免签停留不超过 30 天。免签停留可从事旅游、商贸、访问、探亲等短期活动；工作、学习、新闻采访仍需在来华前办妥签证。

首周落地情况

扩容落地立即且有序。生效当日下午——8 月 20 日——河内飞南宁的 GX8972 航班降落南宁吴圩国际机场，成为扩容政策下首架入境航班。南宁边检站提前与航空公司对接航班动态、划分专用区域和开设专人窗口、配发中英双语《240 小时过境免签政策停留区域提示单》，并增配多语种警力应对预期客流。两天后的首个周末，政策效果在多地显现：240 名越南游客组成的周末跨境游首发团经广西东兴口岸（二桥）入境，前往南宁与崇左；另有 306 名旅客乘胡志明市、河内飞来航班降落山东青岛胶东国际机场。昆明长水机场每周运营国际（地区）航班 570 余架次、日均出入境客流量约 1.1 万人次，越南籍旅客长期位列入境来源地前 5——扩容正是在这样的基础上展开。

数据说明了什么

数据解释了扩容的商业分量。2026 年前 7 个月，经广西口岸出入境的越南籍旅客达 411.6 万余人次，同比增长 10.1%——这还是在免签扩容之前。仅广西就有 4 个口岸适用 240 小时过境免签：南宁吴圩、桂林两江、北海福成 3 个国际机场口岸，以及北海海港口岸（客运）。作为中国—东盟合作的门户，广西正围绕快速通关与多元体验打造”周末跨境游”线路。此前的历次扩容都呈现同样节奏——新国家加入、数日内首架航班落地、一周内成团出游——这给外资企业一个可靠的信号：政策转化为客流的速度很快。

仍需遵守的规则

扩容并未放松核心约束，旅客与接待方应牢记四条。其一，联程客票要求：须持普通护照和确定日期及行程的联程客票前往第三国或地区——仅返程票可能不符合过境逻辑。其二，口岸与区域限制：须经 65 个指定口岸之一入境，停留限于规定区域（多数口岸为政策指定的行政区域），行程应留在该范围内。其三，活动限制：免签停留限于旅游、商贸、访问、探亲；工作、学习、新闻采访须事先办妥签证——把免签入境者直接安排上岗，会给双方带来合规风险。其四，海南单列：30 天全岛免签是独立政策，口岸与区域规则自成一体。

给外资企业的实操建议

对外资企业而言，扩容扩大了人员往返中国时”零成本”的短期非工作访问选项。实操要点：（1）把短期商务行程安排在 65 个适用口岸，停留控制在 240 小时与规定区域内——这覆盖了大多数主要商务城市；（2）把免签入境严格理解为会议、考察、洽谈等活动——任何工作安排都需在入境前办妥工作许可与工作签证；（3）安排其他国籍员工差旅时核对适用国家清单（现为 57 国）；（4）赴海南商务注意独立的 30 天政策与入境规则；（5）口岸备齐材料——联程客票、酒店与会议邀请函可让通关更顺畅。首周运行显示口岸已为扩容客流配足人手与指引，主要规划工作在于旅客的行程本身，而非文书。

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