Kunming Changshui (KMG): 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide
Last verified
Port facts at a glance: Kunming Changshui 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).
Kunming Changshui International Airport (昆明长水国际机场, KMG) is a designated 240-hour port (No. 63). Yunnan has three 240-hour ports: Kunming Changshui, Lijiang Sanyi and the Mohan railway port on the China–Laos railway. All of them share the same stay area: only 9 of Yunnan's 16 cities and prefectures are covered, so check every stop on your route.
At a glance
| Official port name | Kunming Changshui International Airport (昆明长水国际机场口岸) |
| IATA code | KMG |
| City / province | Kunming, Yunnan |
| Port type | air |
| NIA list number | No. 63 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 9 listed cities of Yunnan |
| 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 Line 6 timetable and fares are images on the airport page and are not reproduced.
- Whether all of Tiger Leaping Gorge is inside the permitted area is not confirmed.
Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here
You can enter at Kunming Changshui 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 Kunming Changshui International Airport puts you in the Yunnan: 9 cities/prefectures stay area. Only these 9 cities are covered; the rest of Yunnan is outside the area:
| City (prefecture-level) | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Kunming | 昆明 |
| Yuxi | 玉溪 |
| Chuxiong | 楚雄 |
| Honghe | 红河 |
| Wenshan | 文山 |
| Pu'er | 普洱 |
| Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 |
| Dali | 大理 |
| Lijiang | 丽江 |
What is in and out in Yunnan (by prefecture):
| Place | Prefecture | Inside the area? |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Forest (Shilin) | Kunming | ✅ |
| Dali old town, Erhai Lake | Dali | ✅ |
| Lijiang old town, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain | Lijiang | ✅ |
| Jinghong, Xishuangbanna | Xishuangbanna | ✅ |
| Yuanyang rice terraces, Jianshui | Honghe | ✅ |
| Pu'er | Pu'er | ✅ |
| Shangri-La, Meili Snow Mountain | Diqing | ❌ not permitted |
| Tengchong | Baoshan | ❌ not permitted |
| Ruili | Dehong | ❌ not permitted |
The prefecture assignments in this table are standard administrative geography; the permitted list itself comes from the NIA. Tiger Leaping Gorge runs along the boundary between Lijiang and Diqing, so ⚠️ parts of it may be outside the area. Confirm with 12367 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
- Sichuan: Chengdu, Zigong, Luzhou, Deyang, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Yibin, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang 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): Lijiang Sanyi International Airport, Mohan Railway Port.
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 Kunming Changshui 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 Kunming Changshui Airport to the city (official transport information)
Source: Kunming Changshui Airport, "Integrated transport" page (Chinese) (undated; fetched 2026-11-03).
- Metro Line 6 runs from Tangzixiang (塘子巷) and ends at Airport Center station (机场中心站), which is on level B2 of the terminal.
- Line 6 connects with Metro Lines 2, 3 and 4.
- Paying: the airport suggests its mini program (in WeChat/Alipay): in the transport section, link an Alipay or WeChat account to ride with a QR code or face scan.
- Timetables and fares are published on that page only as images, so we do not reproduce them. Check at the station.
Ports in Yunnan
| Port | NIA No. | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Kunming Changshui International Airport | 63 | air |
| Lijiang Sanyi International Airport | 64 | air |
| Mohan Railway Port (China–Laos railway) | 65 | rail |
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 Kunming Changshui 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.
FAQ
When does my 240 hours start if I land at Kunming Changshui 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 Kunming Changshui 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.
Can I visit Shangri-La on 240-hour transit from Kunming?
No. Shangri-La is in Diqing Prefecture, which is not one of Yunnan's 9 permitted cities and prefectures.
Are Dali and Lijiang allowed?
Yes. Both are on the list.
Can I take the China–Laos railway to Laos and exit at Mohan?
Mohan railway port is a designated 240-hour port, so leaving through it is allowed. Laos then counts as your onward country, which must differ from the one you arrived from.
How do I get from Kunming airport to the city?
Take Metro Line 6 from Airport Center (B2) and change to Lines 2, 3 or 4.
Check your own trip
Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Kunming Changshui 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):
- Kunming Changshui Airport: Integrated transport, metro (Chinese): undated; fetched 2026-11-03
Information is for reference only; official sources prevail. See our terms and disclaimer.