China Travel Toolsby Pulp & Paw

Hainan 30-Day Visa-Free Entry (61 Countries): 2026 Guide

Last verified

Last verified: 2026-11-03 against the NIA's summary of regional visa-free policies (updated 2026-08-20) and NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026. Rules can change at short notice; the NIA and the border officer have the final say. NIA hotline 12367 (from abroad +86 12367).

Hainan has its own visa-free scheme, separate from 240-hour transit. Ordinary passport holders from 61 countries can enter Hainan without a visa and stay up to 30 days. You must enter through one of Hainan's open ports, and you must stay within Hainan Province. No onward ticket to a third country is mentioned in the NIA rules, unlike 240-hour transit.

At a glance
Who Ordinary passport holders of 61 countries (list below)
Maximum stay 30 days, counted from 00:00 on the day after entry
Purposes allowed Tourism, business/trade, visits, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions, sports events. Not work, study, or (per the 2026 announcement) journalism and other activities needing prior approval
Entry and exit ports All open ports in Hainan Province
Where you may go Hainan Province's administrative area only
Travel agency Not required, according to the NIA's current summary (see below)
Latest change Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan added on 20 Aug 2026 (59 → 61 countries)

Which countries qualify

Per the NIA summary (2026-08-20), these 61 countries:

Europe: Russia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Monaco, Belarus.

Americas: United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile.

Asia–Pacific and Middle East: Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Qatar, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan.

Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan were added from 20 Aug 2026 (NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026). If you also qualify under a mutual visa-exemption agreement or another Chinese visa-free policy, the NIA says that rule can apply instead.

Do you need a travel agency?

No, according to current official texts, but note the history:

⚠️ Unverified: we found no NIA announcement that itself abolishes the travel-agency requirement; the 15 Mar 2023 date comes from a news report quoting the border police. Check with 12367 or your airline before you fly.

Entry ports, and can you leave Hainan?

⚠️ Unverified: whether a visitor already in Hainan on this scheme can switch to another status to go to the mainland (for example by applying to the Hainan exit-entry authorities) is not covered by the NIA texts we used. Ask 12367.

Port guides for the two Hainan airports that are also 240-hour ports: Haikou Meilan (HAK) and Sanya Phoenix (SYX).

How it differs from 240-hour transit and the 30-day list

Hainan 30-day entry 240-hour visa-free transit 30-day visa-free (unilateral list)
Countries 61 57 see the 30-day list
Includes the US? Yes Yes No
Stay 30 days 240 hours (10 days) 30 days
Where Hainan only 24 provinces' permitted areas All of mainland China
Entry ports Hainan's open ports only 65 designated ports All open ports
Onward ticket Not mentioned by the NIA Required, to a third country or region, booked before arrival Not required by the policy (airlines may ask)
Must arrive from and leave to different places? No such rule in the NIA text Yes No

Sources: NIA regional policies, NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026, our 240-hour transit guide and 30-day list.

Other Hainan schemes (NIA): cruise tour groups of 2+ received by a Chinese agency may enter visa-free for up to 15 days (Haikou and Sanya are cruise ports), and tour groups from Hong Kong or Macao of 2+ organised by an agency registered there may enter Hainan for up to 6 days (the 2024 NIA announcement on gov.cn says 144 hours).

Recent changes

⚠️ Unverified: the gov.cn explanation was published in July 2025, before the start date; we did not find a post-launch NIA notice confirming no change for foreign visitors. Check with 12367.

See also the visa policy changelog.

⚠️ Unverified items on this page

  • The date the travel-agency requirement ended (15 Mar 2023) comes from a news report quoting the border police, not from an NIA notice.
  • Whether you can switch status in Hainan to travel to the mainland is not covered by the sources used.
  • No post-launch official notice confirms that the 18 Dec 2025 customs operations left visa-free entry unchanged.
  • The Hainan government's English page timed out when we fetched it; we used a search-engine copy.
  • The Hong Kong/Macao tour-group stay is given as 6 days by the NIA summary and 144 hours by the 2024 announcement (the same length).

FAQ

Can I fly into Sanya on the Hainan scheme and then fly to Beijing?

No. The Hainan scheme only lets you stay in Hainan Province. To visit Beijing you need a visa, the 30-day visa-free list (if your country is on it) or 240-hour transit (with an onward ticket to a third country).

Do I need a return or onward ticket?

The NIA rules for the Hainan scheme do not mention one, unlike 240-hour transit. ⚠️ Airlines and border officers may still ask how you will leave, so carry your booking. Not verified; check with your airline.

Can US citizens use it?

Yes. The United States is on the 61-country list, although it is not on the general 30-day visa-free list.

Can I enter Hainan from Hong Kong on my own?

The 61-country scheme covers entry at any Hainan open port, and nothing in the NIA text excludes a flight from Hong Kong. The separate Hong Kong/Macao scheme is for tour groups only. ⚠️ Confirm with 12367 if your trip starts in Hong Kong.

Can I work or study in Hainan visa-free?

No. Work and study are excluded, and NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2026 says journalism and other activities needing prior approval also need a visa.

Has the Free Trade Port "closure" in December 2025 changed entry for tourists?

According to the central government, no: the customs operations concern goods, and people enter and leave Hainan as before. ⚠️ See the unverified note above.

Sources

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