China Travel Toolsby Pulp & Paw

Hangzhou Xiaoshan (HGH): 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide

Last verified

Port facts at a glance: Hangzhou Xiaoshan 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).

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (杭州萧山国际机场, HGH) is a designated 240-hour port (No. 17). International and regional (Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan) flights use Terminal 4. You clear health quarantine and border inspection on T4 level 3, then collect bags on level 2 and pass customs (Hangzhou airport arrivals guide, PDF; The Paper, government account). Zhejiang has six 240-hour ports in total: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Yiwu airports, and Wenzhou and Zhoushan sea ports.

At a glance
Official port name Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (杭州萧山国际机场口岸)
IATA code HGH
City / province Hangzhou, Zhejiang
Port type air
NIA list number No. 17 of 65
Designated for 240-hour transit since before 2024-12-17 (one of the original 39 ports)
Stay area if you enter here the whole of Zhejiang Province
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).
  • The airport's metro page was read from a search-engine copy (the site did not respond from our server); times may have changed.
  • The airport's transfer page gives a wrong year (2023) for the start of 240-hour transit.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

You can enter at Hangzhou Xiaoshan 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)):

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:

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 Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport puts you in the Zhejiang Province stay area: Entire administrative area of Zhejiang. Cross-province travel is allowed within the permitted areas of all 24 provinces.

Zhejiang-specific notes: all of Zhejiang is inside the area, including West Lake, Wuzhen and Xitang (Jiaxing), Ningbo, Putuoshan (Zhoushan), Shaoxing and Yiwu. Shanghai, Jiangsu (Suzhou) and Anhui (Huangshan) are permitted too. Jiangxi is limited to Nanchang and Jingdezhen, so Wuyuan (Shangrao) and Sanqingshan are not included.

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:

Other 240-hour ports in the same stay area (you may leave through any designated port nationwide): Ningbo Lishe International Airport, Wenzhou Longwan International Airport, Yiwu Airport, Wenzhou Port (Passenger), Zhoushan Port (Passenger).

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 Hangzhou Xiaoshan 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 Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport to the city (official transport information)

Source: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, Metro page (English) and Chinese version (undated; read 2026-11-03 via search-engine copy because the site did not respond to our server).

Xiaoshan International Airport station is served by Lines 1, 7 and 19. The station opens at 05:50 and closes at 00:27, and you may not be able to pass the gates in the 5 minutes before the last train.

Line Direction First train Last train
19 (airport express) to Hangzhou West Railway Station / Tiaoxi 06:03 23:14
19 to Yongsheng Road 06:20 00:09
1 to Xianghu 06:00 22:30
7 to Wushan Square 06:16 22:49
7 to Jiangdong'er Road 06:06 23:14

Terminal notes

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 Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport:

FAQ

When does my 240 hours start if I land at Hangzhou Xiaoshan 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 Hangzhou Xiaoshan 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.

Which terminal do international flights use at Hangzhou?

T4, for both arrivals and departures, including flights to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Metro Line 19 (the airport express) runs directly to both.

Is Wuyuan allowed on a Hangzhou arrival?

No. Wuyuan is in Shangrao, Jiangxi, and only Nanchang and Jingdezhen are permitted in Jiangxi.

Can I visit Wuzhen and Suzhou?

Yes. Wuzhen is in Zhejiang and Suzhou is in Jiangsu, and both provinces are permitted in full.

Check your own trip

Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport pre-selected to test your passport, departure country and onward destination.

Sources

Transport and terminal sources (port-specific):

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