Hengqin Port (Macao–Zhuhai): 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide

Port facts at a glance: Hengqin Port (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).

⚠️ Coming from Macao? 240-hour transit needs an onward trip to a different country or region. The NIA says "third country (region)". Whether Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan count as regions is stated by MTR and an airline, but not explicitly by the NIA. A Macao → China → Macao round trip does not qualify in any case. Confirm with 12367 (+86-20-12367 from abroad).

Hengqin Port (横琴口岸) is the land crossing between Macao and Hengqin Island in Zhuhai. It became a designated 240-hour entry port on 5 Nov 2025 (No. 46) (NIA Announcement, 2025-11-03). After entry you may travel the whole of Guangdong and the other permitted provinces, and you may leave through any open port in Guangdong.

At a glance

⚠️ 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).
• Whether Macao counts as a valid "region" is not confirmed by the NIA.
• No official page confirmed the Hengqin Port opening hours or a dedicated 240-hour counter; LRT hours are from the opening-day notice.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

You can enter at Hengqin Port 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 Hengqin Port 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.

Hengqin-specific notes: Hengqin is a Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone with its own customs arrangement. The government page describes a "second line" (二线) between Hengqin and the rest of the mainland. It is a customs supervision boundary, and its channels include the Hengqin Bridge, the Hengqin Tunnel and the intercity railway stations Hengqin North, Hengqin and Zhuhai Chimelong (Hengqin government, "Port clearance", fetched 2026-11-03). Zhuhai city and the rest of Guangdong lie beyond it, inside the permitted area.

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.

Other 240-hour ports in the same 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), 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.

Getting from Hengqin Port to the city (official transport information)

Joint inspection: one queue

• Hengqin Port uses "joint inspection, one-time release" (合作查验、一次放行) in its passenger halls. You queue once to clear both Macao and mainland border checks (Hengqin government page above).
• Address: 150 m west of the junction of Qinhai East Road and Shunjing Road, Hengqin.

Macao LRT Hengqin line (Macao side)

Source: Hengqin Administrative Affairs Bureau, 2024-12-02 (fetched 2026-11-03).

• Opened 2 Dec 2024. It runs from Lotus station (莲花站), where you change to the Taipa line, under the Shizimen channel to Hengqin station beneath the Macao port area. The trip takes about 2 minutes, with a train about every 6 minutes.
• Macao → mainland: leave Hengqin station by Exit A and go up to U3 (Macao departures hall) to clear.
• Fare: MOP 6 for 0–3 stations. Pay at a staffed window (MOP cash, WeChat or Alipay), at a ticket machine (MOP cash only), or with Macau Pass or LRT pass.
• Hours (at opening): Mon–Thu 06:30–23:15; Fri–Sun and public holidays until 23:59.
• If you stay in the LRT station for more than 1 hour, you must pay an overtime fee of MOP 6 per half hour to exit.

Onward in Guangdong

• The Guangzhou–Zhuhai intercity railway has a Hengqin station (named on the same Hengqin government page as a second-line channel). Book on 12306.

Zhuhai ports for 240-hour travellers

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 Hengqin Port:

• 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 Hengqin Port?

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 Hengqin Port?

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.

Can I enter mainland China via Gongbei on 240-hour transit?

No. Gongbei is not on the NIA's list of designated entry ports. Use Hengqin or the HZMB port instead. You can still leave via Gongbei under the Guangdong rule.

Do I clear immigration twice at Hengqin?

No. Hengqin uses joint inspection, with one queue for both Macao and mainland checks.

How do I get from Macao to Hengqin Port?

Take the Macao LRT Taipa line to Lotus, then the Hengqin line (about 2 minutes) to Hengqin station.

Check your own trip

Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Hengqin Port 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):

• NIA Announcement No. 4 of 2025 (Hengqin and other ports added): 2025-11-03
• Hengqin Cooperation Zone: Port clearance (Chinese): undated; fetched 2026-11-03
• Hengqin Administrative Affairs Bureau: Macao LRT Hengqin line opens (Chinese): 2024-12-02; fetched 2026-11-03

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