VisaChina transit and Hainan waivers give Vietnamese and Kyrgyz visitors different routes
A current follow-up explains the August expansion, third-country tickets, permitted areas and why Hainan access does not authorize unrestricted mainland travel.
Official source date: 2026-08-20
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The August expansion created two distinct options
Vietnamese and Kyrgyz ordinary passport holders planning China journeys can use two different visa-free arrangements added on 20 August 2026: eligible 240-hour transit and a 30-day Hainan visit. The National Immigration Administration announcement increased the respective nationality totals to 57 and 61. This October follow-up explains how to use that existing expansion, rather than presenting the August announcement as new today.
The announcement allows short activities including tourism, business, visits and family visits, while work, study and news reporting still require the appropriate visa beforehand. The route must match the journey geography and purpose. Use the August announcement to verify the newly covered passports and choose between transit through permitted areas and a visit confined to Hainan; neither arrangement is an unrestricted residence permission.
Transit requires a genuine onward itinerary
For the 240-hour route, the August announcement requires ordinary passports and confirmed interline tickets with dates and itineraries to a third country or region. Eligible travellers can enter through one of 65 designated ports and remain within the permitted areas. A simple return to the same country of departure should not be assumed to satisfy a rule expressly based on onward travel to a third destination.
For illustration, a Vietnamese traveller proposing a China stop between two different countries should check the confirmed onward segment and immigration eligibility at the final destination. Someone planning only a China return trip should examine another permission rather than label the journey transit. This example does not establish eligibility for a particular flight combination; present the full itinerary when seeking confirmation from the carrier or immigration service.
Check the port, clock and travel area together
The NIA detailed transit conditions require a travel document with at least three months validity, onward arrangements within 240 hours and temporary-entry arrival formalities. The transit period is calculated from midnight following the day of entry. Use the permitted-port and stay-area annex in that resource to check both where admission is possible and where the itinerary can continue after the border.
The same resource records the November 2025 addition of five ports, including Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hengqin, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Zhongshan passenger port and West Kowloon railway port, bringing the total to 65. That earlier document still lists 55 nationalities, so it must be read with the August 2026 addition rather than treated as the latest nationality count. Geographic permission is not established simply because a city is reachable by domestic transport.
Hainan and the wider 30-day waiver are different schemes
The August notice permits Vietnamese and Kyrgyz ordinary passport holders to enter through Hainan open ports and stay within Hainan administrative territory for up to 30 days. A traveller using that permission should not assume it authorizes an onward domestic holiday elsewhere in China. Resolve a proposed change of region through the appropriate immigration route before moving beyond the approved scope.
The Foreign Ministry separate visa-free FAQ describes a nationwide 30-day waiver for another list of 50 ordinary-passport nationalities. It lists different policy end dates: no expiry for Brunei, 31 December 2027 for Russia and 31 December 2026 for the other 48 countries. Use that FAQ to identify a separate nationality entitlement rather than merge all China waivers into one rule. The published end dates also matter when booking a journey beginning after the year end.
Admission preparation continues after selecting the waiver
The Foreign Ministry FAQ recommends carrying supporting evidence such as invitations, tickets and accommodation reservations and says those planning more than 30 days should obtain the relevant visa in advance. No universal visa-application fee is asserted here for these visa-free routes. If the passport, purpose or itinerary falls outside a waiver, establish the correct paid-visa process before departure instead of expecting the border to create a new entitlement.
UK government China guidance also identifies residence-address registration within 24 hours, normally completed by a hotel at check-in. Travellers staying privately should establish how to complete it. Keep the admitted stay deadline, geographic restrictions and registration evidence together: these are separate obligations. The immediate next action is to confirm the passport route, port and onward booking, then organize accommodation and departure within the actual permission granted.
