TravelChinaGuide updated its authoritative visa-policy portal on 27 February 2026, confirming that China’s unilateral 30-day visa-free scheme now covers 77 countries—up from 50 at the start of 2025—and will remain in force until at least 31 December 2026. The latest additions include the United Kingdom and Canada, whose citizens became eligible on 17 February, joining earlier beneficiaries such as Australia, France and Malaysia. Under the policy, ordinary-passport holders may enter mainland China visa-free for business, tourism, family visits or transit, provided each stay does not exceed 30 days and no paid employment is undertaken. Multiple entries are permitted with no minimum “cooling-off” period, although a handful of countries—including Belarus and Kazakhstan—face annual-day caps. For corporate travel programmes, the expansion removes a significant administrative barrier. Companies should update booking tools, traveller profiles and pre-trip approval workflows to reflect visa-free eligibility. The change also simplifies last-minute project support: a Canadian engineer can now fly to Shanghai for a two-week factory acceptance test without consular paperwork. Immigration lawyers warn that visa-free entry does not override China’s strict rules on remote work; visitors engaging in paid activity or overstaying risk fines up to 10,000 yuan and possible re-entry bans. Travellers must carry onward or return tickets and, in practice, should have hotel confirmations or invitation letters ready for inspection. The extended waiver is part of a broader campaign to revive inbound tourism and foreign investment. National Immigration Administration data show 23 million visa-free entries in the first half of 2025, a figure policymakers hope to lift by a further 30 percent in 2026 as airlines restore long-haul capacity.
