Guangdong: 240-hour visa-free transit
Guangdong is one of the 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China's 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit scheme. Citizens of 57 countries can enter through any of its 10 eligible ports with an ordinary passport and a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region.
Where you can stay
Permitted stay area (NIA): Guangdong Province (exit available at all open ports across the province).
The official table covers the whole of Guangdong Province, so after entering you may move freely within it.
Guangdong is the only entry in the NIA table that adds an exit rule: you may leave China through any open port in the province, not only through the 10 listed entry ports.
You may also continue into the permitted areas of the other 23 provinces in the scheme, as long as your total stay in China stays within 240 hours.
Eligible ports in Guangdong
Airport (3)
- Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
- Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
- Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
Seaport / ferry (passenger) (4)
- Nansha Port (Passenger)
- Shekou Port (Passenger)
- Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal
- Zhongshan Port (Passenger)
Land / bridge port (2)
Rail port (1)
Before you rely on transit
- Stay is counted from 00:00 on the day after you arrive.
- Your onward ticket must be to a third country or region. A round trip back to where you came from does not count.
- If your nationality has the 30-day unilateral visa exemption, that is usually simpler: no onward-ticket rule and no stay-area limit. For most countries it is valid until 2026-12-31.
- Work, study and news reporting need the right visa.
Check your passport and port in the eligibility checker →
Sources: NIA – Eligible Ports and Permitted Stay Areas table (image) (checked 2026-10-17) · NIA – Visa-Free Transit Policies (updated 2026-08-20) (checked 2026-10-17) · Chinese Embassy in Switzerland – FAQs on Visa-free Entry (2026-08-19) (checked 2026-10-17)