Guangdong 240-Hour Ports: Chaoshan & Pearl River Ferries

Port facts at a glance: Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, Nansha Port (Passenger), Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Zhongshan Port (Passenger) (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).

Guangdong has ten designated 240-hour ports; the whole province is in the stay area and you may leave through any open Guangdong port. Guangzhou, Shenzhen (including Shekou), Hengqin, the HZMB port and West Kowloon have their own guides; this page covers Jieyang Chaoshan Airport and the Nansha, Pazhou and Zhongshan ferry terminals. Each port below has a stable section you can link to.

240-hour ports in Guangdong

⚠️ 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).

Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport

Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (揭阳潮汕国际机场, SWA) is a designated 240-hour port serving Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang. Entering here gives you the whole of Guangdong, and you may leave through any open Guangdong port.

⚠️ Unverified or uncertain at Jieyang Chaoshan Airport

• No official transport information verified.

Getting from Jieyang Chaoshan Airport to the city

⚠️ We found no official airport transport page we could read. Taxis and ride-hailing are available; ask at arrivals about buses to Shantou and Chaozhou.

Check a trip through this port: 240-hour checker with Jieyang Chaoshan Airport pre-selected.

Nansha Port (Passenger)

⚠️ Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking.

If you fly into Hong Kong International Airport and take the SkyPier ferry straight to Nansha without passing Hong Kong immigration, it is not officially stated whether you count as arriving from Hong Kong or from the country your flight left. This decides which onward destinations count as a "third" country or region. We do not guess the answer.

⚠️ Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking.

It is not officially stated whether the NIA's "Nansha Port (Passenger)" also covers the Nansha International Cruise Terminal (南沙国际邮轮母港), or only the Nansha passenger ferry port described below. If you arrive by cruise ship, confirm before relying on 240-hour transit.

Nansha Port (Passenger) (南沙港口岸（客运）) in Guangzhou is a designated 240-hour port. Ferries run from Nansha to Hong Kong, including the SkyPier at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

⚠️ Unverified or uncertain at Nansha Port (Passenger)

• The NIA name "Nansha Port (Passenger)" may also cover the Nansha international cruise terminal; not confirmed.
• Hong Kong as a "third region" not confirmed by the NIA.
• Whether a HKIA SkyPier ferry passenger counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from the flight's origin is unconfirmed.

Getting from Nansha Port (Passenger) to the city

Source: Nansha Passenger Port, contact page (fetched 2026-11-03).

• Address: No. 2 Shangmao Dadao South 2nd Road, Haibin New City, Nansha District. Ticket hotlines: 020-8468 8963 (city routes), 020-8468 8716 (airport route).
• A free shuttle bus runs between Metro Line 4 Jiaomen station (蕉门) and the port.
• The port also lists ticket offices at China Hong Kong City (Tsim Sha Tsui), the Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal (Sheung Wan) and HKIA's transfer area E2.

FAQ: Nansha Port (Passenger)

Does the Nansha cruise terminal count as the 240-hour port?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline (or cruise line) before booking. The NIA lists "Nansha Port (Passenger)" without naming terminals.

I fly to Hong Kong airport and take the SkyPier ferry to Nansha. Where am I arriving from?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking. No official source we found says whether this counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from your flight's origin, and whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region is itself unconfirmed.

Check a trip through this port: 240-hour checker with Nansha Port (Passenger) pre-selected.

Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal

⚠️ Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking.

If you fly into Hong Kong International Airport and take the SkyPier ferry straight to Pazhou without passing Hong Kong immigration, it is not officially stated whether you count as arriving from Hong Kong or from the country your flight left. This decides which onward destinations count as a "third" country or region. We do not guess the answer.

Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal (广州港口岸琶洲港澳客运码头) is a designated 240-hour port in Guangzhou's Haizhu District. It has ferries to the SkyPier at Hong Kong International Airport, which is for air-transfer passengers only (HKIA).

⚠️ Unverified or uncertain at Pazhou Ferry Terminal

• Metro directions from a government page we could not open (search copy only).
• Hong Kong as a "third region" not confirmed by the NIA.
• Whether a HKIA SkyPier ferry passenger counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from the flight's origin is unconfirmed.

Getting from Pazhou Ferry Terminal to the city

• Metro Lines 8 and 11, Pazhou station (琶洲站), exit E, then about 10 minutes' walk; or the tram to Convention Centre East (会展东) (Guangdong government page via search, undated).
• HKIA lists Pazhou among the ports with upstream check-in for participating airlines (same HKIA page).

FAQ: Pazhou Ferry Terminal

I fly to Hong Kong airport and take the SkyPier ferry to Pazhou. Where am I arriving from?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking. No official source we found says whether this counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from your flight's origin, and whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region is itself unconfirmed.

Check a trip through this port: 240-hour checker with Pazhou Ferry Terminal pre-selected.

Zhongshan Port (Passenger)

⚠️ Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking.

If you fly into Hong Kong International Airport and take the SkyPier ferry straight to Zhongshan without passing Hong Kong immigration, it is not officially stated whether you count as arriving from Hong Kong or from the country your flight left. This decides which onward destinations count as a "third" country or region. We do not guess the answer.

Zhongshan Port passenger terminal (中山港口岸中山港区客运码头) is a designated 240-hour port. Ferries run to Hong Kong, including the SkyPier at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

⚠️ Unverified or uncertain at Zhongshan Port (Passenger)

• Terminal-to-city transport not verified.
• Hong Kong as a "third region" not confirmed by the NIA.
• Whether a HKIA SkyPier ferry passenger counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from the flight's origin is unconfirmed.

Getting from Zhongshan Port (Passenger) to the city

⚠️ We found no official page with transport from the terminal to Zhongshan city. Taxis and ride-hailing are available. Ferry schedules: the operator CKS (cksp.com.hk), as listed by HKIA.

FAQ: Zhongshan Port (Passenger)

I fly to Hong Kong airport and take the SkyPier ferry to Zhongshan. Where am I arriving from?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking. No official source we found says whether this counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from your flight's origin, and whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region is itself unconfirmed.

Check a trip through this port: 240-hour checker with Zhongshan Port (Passenger) pre-selected.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

You can enter at any of these ports 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 any 240-hour port in Guangdong puts you in the Guangdong Province (exit allowed via all open ports in Guangdong) stay area: Entire administrative area of Guangdong. You may also EXIT through any open port in Guangdong, not only the designated entry ports. Cross-province travel is allowed within the permitted areas of all 24 provinces.

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
• Sichuan: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang 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.

All 240-hour ports in this stay area (you may leave through any designated port nationwide; in Guangdong also any open port): Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, Nansha Port (Passenger), Shekou Port (Passenger), Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Zhongshan Port (Passenger), Hengqin Port, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, West Kowloon Station Port of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

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))

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.

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 Guangdong:

• 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.

FAQ

When does my 240 hours start if I land at a port in Guangdong?

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 the port I arrived at?

No. You may leave through any of the designated ports, and in Guangdong through any open port, 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.

Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan: does a SkyPier ferry from Hong Kong airport count as arriving from Hong Kong?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking. If you fly into Hong Kong International Airport and take the SkyPier ferry to Nansha, Pazhou or Zhongshan without passing Hong Kong immigration, no official source we found says whether you count as arriving from Hong Kong or from your flight's origin country. Whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region is itself not stated explicitly by the NIA.

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).

Nansha Port (Passenger) (transport and port sources):

• Nansha Passenger Port: contact and directions: undated; fetched 2026-11-03
• Hong Kong International Airport: SkyPier ferry transfer: fetched 2026-11-03

Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal (transport and port sources):

• Hong Kong International Airport: SkyPier ferry transfer: fetched 2026-11-03
• Guangdong government: Pazhou ferry to HKIA guide (Chinese): search copy 2026-11-03

Zhongshan Port (Passenger) (transport and port sources):

• Hong Kong International Airport: SkyPier ferry transfer: fetched 2026-11-03

Information is for reference only; official sources prevail. See our terms and disclaimer.