Chengdu Shuangliu Airport (CTU): 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide
Last verified
Port facts at a glance: Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (permitted stay area, documents, conditions).
Last verified: 2026-11-03 (240-hour rules, port list and stay area, against the National Immigration Administration). Transport information last checked: 2026-11-03 (official airport/metro pages, dated below). Rules can change at short notice; the NIA and the border officer at the port have the final say. Hotline 12367 (from abroad +86 12367).
🎟️ Local tip (Henian): most Chengdu attractions require real-name reservation. Reserve first with your passport details, and bring the original passport to get in. How to book with Alipay/WeChat: Chengdu attraction tickets guide. Each attraction's own booking page has the final say.
Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (成都双流国际机场, CTU) was one of the original 39 240-hour transit ports. It sits on the south-west edge of the city and is much closer to the centre than Tianfu. After Tianfu opened, most international flights moved there. Since 30 July 2026, some Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan passenger flights have moved back to Shuangliu Terminal 1, and both airports now handle such flights (CAAC News, 2026-07-15).
That matters for 240-hour transit. If you arrive at Shuangliu from Hong Kong, Macao or Taipei, the place you came from is a region, and whether a region counts as the "third country or region" is not confirmed by a government source (see the warning box). Entering at Shuangliu gives you the same 11-city Sichuan area as Chengdu Tianfu (TFU).
At a glance
| Official port name | Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (成都双流国际机场口岸) |
| IATA code | CTU |
| City / province | Chengdu, Sichuan |
| Port type | air |
| NIA list number | No. 61 of 65 |
| Designated for 240-hour transit since | before 2024-12-17 (one of the original 39 ports) |
| Stay area if you enter here | only 11 listed cities of Sichuan |
| Maximum stay | 240 hours, counted from 00:00 the day after entry |
| Eligible passports | Ordinary passports of 57 countries |
⚠️ Unverified or uncertain items on this page
- Whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as the 'third country or region' (for example Tokyo → here → Hong Kong) is stated explicitly only in an airline FAQ (China Southern, 2024-12-30), not on a government page. NIA texts say 'third country (region)'. Treat as unverified and confirm with 12367 before booking.
- Refusal ground not confirmed for 240-hour transit: Serious violation of accommodation-registration rules within the past 2 years (listed in NIA's 24-hour transit temporary-entry rules; applicability to 240h not explicitly restated).
- If you arrive from Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan: whether that place counts as your "from" country/region under the A → China → B rule is confirmed only by an airline FAQ, not by a government source. Ask 12367 before relying on it.
- The airport's English metro page conflicts with the newer Chinese page (terminus and times). We used the Chinese page dated 2026-08-03.
Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here
You can enter at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport without a visa for up to 240 hours only if all of these are true (source: NIA (EN) Policy Interpretation: Visa-Free Transit Policies (2026-08-20); conditions from NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2025, Annex 1 (2025-11-03)):
- Must be a national of one of the 57 eligible countries.
- Must hold an ordinary passport (NIA policy page and 2026 announcement say 'ordinary passports'; the Nov 2025 conditions say 'valid international travel document').
- Passport/travel document valid for at least 3 months, and the traveller must meet the entry requirements of the onward third country/region.
- Must hold an interline/onward ticket (air, ship or train) to a third country/region with confirmed date and seat/itinerary, departing within 240 hours, or other proof documents. It must be bought BEFORE entry.
- The country/region you arrive from and the one you depart to must be different (A -> China -> B). Same-country round trips (e.g. Seoul -> Shanghai -> Seoul) do not qualify.
- Fill in the Arrival Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners and accept inspection/questioning by border inspection. Arrival cards can be filled online before travel (since 2025-11-20).
- Enter through one of the 65 designated ports; exit through any designated port (in Guangdong, also any open port of Guangdong).
- Stay only within the permitted areas of the 24 provinces; cross-province travel within those areas is allowed.
- Tourism, business, visits, family visits allowed; work, study, news reporting require a proper visa.
- Hotels register guests; if staying elsewhere, register with local police within 24 hours (online channels nationwide since 2026-09-21).
- If force majeure requires staying longer or outside the area, apply in advance to the local public security exit-entry authority for a stay permit; unauthorised overstay is treated as illegal stay.
- If you are covered by a mutual visa-exemption agreement or China's unilateral visa-free policy, those provisions prevail (often 30 days).
The 57 eligible countries: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam.
You will be refused the 240-hour exemption if any of these apply:
- Passport/travel document valid for less than 3 months.
- Passport bears a Chinese visa-refusal stamp.
- Illegal entry/exit, illegal stay or illegal employment in China within the past 5 years.
- Serious violation of accommodation-registration rules within the past 2 years (listed in NIA's 24-hour transit temporary-entry rules; applicability to 240h not explicitly restated). ⚠️ unverified for 240h
- Any other circumstance where entry is not permitted under Chinese law.
- No confirmed onward ticket at entry (cannot buy after arrival).
- Round trip to/from the same country or region.
Want a 30-day stay instead? Many of these nationalities can also use China's unilateral 30-day visa-free entry: see 30-day visa-free countries.
Where you may go: the permitted stay area
Entering at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport puts you in the Sichuan: 11 cities stay area. Only these 11 cities are covered; the rest of Sichuan is outside the area:
| City (prefecture-level) | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Chengdu | 成都 |
| Zigong | 自贡 |
| Luzhou | 泸州 |
| Deyang | 德阳 |
| Suining | 遂宁 |
| Neijiang | 内江 |
| Leshan | 乐山 |
| Yibin | 宜宾 |
| Ya'an | 雅安 |
| Meishan | 眉山 |
| Ziyang | 资阳 |
Popular places: inside or outside?
| Place | Administrative area | Inside? |
|---|---|---|
| Chengdu city, panda base, Dujiangyan, Mount Qingcheng | Chengdu | ✅ Yes |
| Leshan Giant Buddha, Mount Emei | Leshan | ✅ Yes |
| Bifengxia panda base | Ya'an | ✅ Yes |
| Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Mount Siguniang | Ngawa (Aba) Prefecture | ❌ No |
| Kangding, Daocheng Yading | Garzê (Ganzi) Prefecture | ❌ No |
| Chongqing | Chongqing Municipality | ✅ Yes (cross-province) |
Day trips from Chengdu: Leshan, Emeishan, Jiuzhaigou
What the official list says: NIA's table of permitted stay areas gives Sichuan as "A total of 11 cities: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, and Ziyang" (NIA policy page, port and stay-area table, 2026-08-20; same table in NIA Announcement No. 4 [2025], Annex 2). Ngawa (Aba) Prefecture is not on the list.
| Destination | Administrative area | 240-hour transit? |
|---|---|---|
| Leshan (Leshan Giant Buddha) | Leshan city | ✅ Allowed. Leshan is one of the 11 listed cities |
| Emeishan (Mount Emei) | Emeishan is a county-level city administered by Leshan (Leshan government) | ✅ Allowed, as part of Leshan |
| Jiuzhaigou | Jiuzhaigou County, Ngawa (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture | ❌ Not allowed. 240-hour visa-free transit travellers may NOT go to Jiuzhaigou. You need a visa, or 30-day visa-free entry if your nationality qualifies (30-day list). |
- Local tip (Henian): Leshan and Emeishan are realistic day trips from Chengdu. Jiuzhaigou typically needs 1–2 nights; it is not a same-day round trip from Chengdu, and on 240-hour transit you cannot go there at all.
- Train times and fares: we have not found an official, dated timetable to quote, so none are given here. Check China Railway 12306 for current trains to Leshan and Emei, and see our high-speed rail guide. Official visitor information: Leshan Giant Buddha scenic area management committee and the Emeishan city government.
Local tip (Henian): photography and access. Like other large cities, Chengdu has military facilities and research institutions. Passing by is fine. Do not photograph or film them, and follow any "no photography" (禁止拍照) signs. China's Military Facilities Protection Law prohibits photographing or filming military restricted zones without approval (Art. 17) and requires approval before photographing military management zones (Art. 22). Ignoring a guard's instruction to stop can lead to penalties under the Public Security Administration Punishments Law (Art. 60(4)) (中华人民共和国军事设施保护法, NPC, revised 2021-06-10, in force 2021-08-01).
Local tip (Henian): Some areas near Chengdu restrict access for foreign visitors; confirm with the scenic area before you go.
You may also travel on to the permitted areas of the other 23 provinces (cross-province travel has been allowed since 17 Dec 2024, gov.cn (2024-12-17)). Areas limited to listed cities:
- Shanxi: Taiyuan, Datong only
- Heilongjiang: Harbin only
- Jiangxi: Nanchang, Jingdezhen only
- Guangxi: Nanning, Liuzhou, Guilin, Wuzhou, Beihai, Fangchenggang, Qinzhou, Guigang, Yulin, Hezhou, Hechi, Laibin only
- Yunnan: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Lijiang only
- All other permitted provinces/municipalities are covered in full: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Shaanxi.
Other 240-hour ports in the same stay area (you may leave through any designated port nationwide): Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.
How the 240 hours are counted (worked example)
The 240 hours are counted from 00:00 on the day after entry. Example: enter 1 Jan, clock starts 2 Jan 00:00, leave by 11 Jan 24:00. (sources: NIA, 2025-11-03 (2025-11-03); Yunnan government Q&A (undated page; references policy status as of 2026-08-20))
| You arrive at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport | Clock starts | Latest departure (onward transport must leave by) |
|---|---|---|
| 5 May, 08:00 | 6 May, 00:00 | 15 May, 24:00 (midnight at the end of 15 May) |
| 5 May, 23:50 | 6 May, 00:00 | 15 May, 24:00 |
| 6 May, 00:20 (flight landed just after midnight) | 7 May, 00:00 | 16 May, 24:00 |
The date that counts is the date you pass the border check, not the date your flight was scheduled. Your onward ticket must show a confirmed departure inside this window and must be bought before you arrive.
Getting from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport to the city (official transport information)
Source for this section: Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, "Metro" page (Chinese), dated 2026-08-03. The airport says the metro operator's same-day notices prevail.
| Line | Where to board at CTU | Direction (first / last train at the airport) | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Line 10 | T1: outside Exit 04 on the Arrivals level (1F), in the T1 car park. T2: B2, passages L2/L3/L4 (car park entrances B/C) | To Wuhou Shrine (city): T2 06:00 / 23:12; T1 06:03 / 23:15 | Jinhua → Huaxing → Cujin → Taipingyuan (change for Lines 3 and 7) → Hongpailou → Gaoshengqiao → Wuhou Shrine |
| To Xinping (south): T1 06:11 / 23:24; T2 06:14 / 23:28 | Shuangliu West → Xinjin → Xinping | ||
| Metro Line 19 | T2: B2, passage L3 (car park entrances C/D). Station name: Shuangliu Airport T2 East | To Tianfu Airport North: 06:00 / 23:30 | Tianfu Commercial District → Tianfu Station → Tianfu Airport T1&T2 |
| To Jinxing (Wenjiang): 06:23 / 00:16 | Jiujiang North → Wenjiang → Jinxing | ||
| Metro Line 30 | T2: B2, passage L3 (car park entrances A/B/C/D) | To Longquanyi Railway Station South: 06:10 / 23:10 | Crosses south and east Chengdu |
- Line 10 is the most direct way into the city. The airport's English metro page still shows the older terminus "Taipingyuan" and earlier times; the Chinese page (2026-08-03) is newer and is used here.
- Fares are not shown on the airport page, so we do not state them. Check the "Chengdu Metro" app or chengdurail.com. Metro hotline: 028-61638000.
- Airport service enquiries: 028-85205555 (from the same airport page).
Terminal notes (2026)
- Terminal 1 international hall reopened for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan flights from 30 July 2026, 06:00. At that time Air China, Sichuan Airlines and other carriers moved some routes over from Tianfu T1 (CAAC News, 2026-07-15; Air China notice, 2026-07-15: CA417/418 Chengdu–Taipei from 30 July and CA427/428 Chengdu–Hong Kong from 31 July).
- Check-in cut-off times for these flights at both Chengdu airports: Air China, Sichuan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines 45 min; China Eastern 50 min; Tibet Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Air Macau, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific and EVA Air 60 min before departure (CAAC News, 2026-07-15).
- Whether Shuangliu also handles flights to or from foreign countries in Nov 2026 was not confirmed from an official page. Always check the airport on your ticket.
One-stop trip check: what to sort out besides the visa question
Getting the visa question right is only half of it. Before you fly into Chengdu Shuangliu Airport:
- Arrival card: fill it in online before you travel (available since 20 Nov 2025 via NIA online arrival card, the NIA 12367 app or WeChat/Alipay mini programs), or on paper/by QR code at the port (NIA, 2025-11-03).
- Payments: set up Alipay and/or WeChat Pay with a foreign card, and carry a backup card and some cash. See How to pay in China.
- Must-have apps: install them before you land (maps, translation, ride-hailing, train booking). See Must-have China travel apps.
- Phone number and data: decide between a travel eSIM and a local SIM; some services need a phone number that can receive SMS. See eSIM and internet in China.
- High-speed rail (HSR): if you plan day trips inside the stay area, compare 12306 (official) and Trip.com, and remember your passport is your ticket. See China high-speed rail: 12306, tickets and refunds.
- Where you sleep: hotels register you; if you stay in a private home you must register with police within 24 hours, which can now be done online nationwide (NIA Announcement No. 7 of 2026, 2026-09-21).
- Onward ticket: printed or on screen, showing a confirmed seat/date inside the 240-hour window to a different country or region than the one you arrived from.
Local first-hand experience (by Henian)
🧳 Local tips from Henian (Chengdu resident). These are personal experience, not official information.
Local tip (Henian): paying in Chengdu. "Street shops and small vendors are easiest with Alipay or WeChat Pay; hotels and large restaurants accept cards; attraction tickets can mostly be bought through WeChat/Alipay mini-programs." See How to pay in China and Chengdu attraction tickets with Alipay/WeChat.
FAQ
When does my 240 hours start if I land at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport?
At 00:00 on the day after you pass the border check. See the worked example above.
Can I fly in from my home country and fly back home from here?
No. The country or region you arrive from and the one you leave to must be different (A → China → B). Yunnan government Q&A (undated page; references policy status as of 2026-08-20).
Do I have to leave from Chengdu Shuangliu Airport?
No. You may leave through any of the designated ports, as long as you stayed inside the permitted areas and leave within the time.
Can I use Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan as my onward destination?
Probably yes, but ⚠️ this is unverified: only an airline FAQ says so explicitly. Arriving from and returning to the same place (e.g. Hong Kong → here → Hong Kong) does not qualify. Confirm with 12367.
What if my flight is cancelled and I overstay?
Before the 240 hours run out, apply to the local public security exit-entry office for a stay permit. Unauthorised overstay is illegal stay.
Shuangliu or Tianfu: which one am I landing at?
It is printed on your ticket as CTU (Shuangliu) or TFU (Tianfu). Both are designated 240-hour ports with the same stay area. Some Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan flights moved to Shuangliu T1 from 30 July 2026.
Can I fly Hong Kong → Chengdu Shuangliu → Hong Kong on 240-hour transit?
No. That is a round trip to the same region, so it does not qualify.
Can I go from Shuangliu to Leshan or Mount Emei?
Yes. Leshan (including Emeishan) is inside the 11-city area. For trains, see our high-speed rail guide and 12306.
How do I get to Tianfu Airport for an onward flight?
Metro Line 19 from Shuangliu Airport T2 East to Tianfu Airport T1&T2 (first 06:00, last 23:30 from Shuangliu).
Check your own trip
Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Chengdu Shuangliu Airport pre-selected to test your passport, departure country and onward destination.
Sources
- NIA (EN) Policy Interpretation: Visa-Free Transit Policies (2026-08-20)
- 国家移民管理局 关于实施支持扩大开放服务高质量发展10项创新举措的公告（附件：适用条件、适用口岸和停留活动区域表） (2025-11-03)
- NIA Announcement No. 4 [2025]: 10 New Measures (5 Guangdong ports added, 60->65; Conditions appendix) (2025-11-03)
- 云南省人民政府：240小时过境免签政策问答 (origin vs destination rule; time calculation example; onward ticket must be bought before entry) (undated page; references policy status as of 2026-08-20)
- NIA Announcement No. 7 of 2026: nationwide online accommodation registration (2026-09-21)
- NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026 (Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam added; 57 countries) (2026-08-20)
- Port and area data: this site's dataset, last verified 2026-11-03 (generated from the NIA tables).
Transport and terminal sources (port-specific):
- 中华人民共和国军事设施保护法 (Military Facilities Protection Law), NPC: revised 2021-06-10, in force 2021-08-01 (Arts. 17, 22, 60)
- 成都双流国际机场：地铁 (Lines 10/19/30): page dated 2026-08-03; fetched 2026-11-03
- Chengdu Shuangliu Airport: Metro (English, older times): undated; fetched 2026-11-03
- CAAC News (中国民航网): HK/Macao/Taiwan flights move to Shuangliu T1 from 2026-07-30: 2026-07-15 (state aviation media, quoting Sichuan Provincial Airport Group)
- Air China service notice: Chengdu regional routes move to Shuangliu T1: 2026-07-15 (airline, not government)
Information is for reference only; official sources prevail. See our disclaimer.