China Travel Toolsby Pulp & Paw

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA): 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide

Last verified

Port facts at a glance: Shanghai Hongqiao 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).

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (上海虹桥国际机场, SHA) is Shanghai's city airport, about 13 km from the centre according to the Shanghai government. It mainly handles domestic flights plus regional flights within East Asia. Hongqiao is a designated 240-hour port (No. 10), and Shanghai's border inspection authority has set up dedicated 240-hour visa-free transit channels at Hongqiao, Pudong and Shanghai Port (Shanghai government FAQ, source: Shanghai Exit-Entry Border Inspection General Station). Its big advantage is the Hongqiao transport hub: Terminal 2 is joined to Shanghai Hongqiao railway station, so you can continue by high-speed rail to Suzhou, Hangzhou or Nanjing without going into the city.

At a glance
Official port name Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (上海虹桥国际机场口岸)
IATA code SHA
City / province Shanghai, Shanghai
Port type air
NIA list number No. 10 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 Shanghai Municipality
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).
  • Taxi time, fare and stand gates come from a Shanghai government page dated 2026-06-04 that was read from a search-engine copy; treat them as approximate.
  • Which terminal handles international and regional flights is not confirmed from a current official page.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

You can enter at Shanghai Hongqiao 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 Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport puts you in the Shanghai Municipality stay area: Entire administrative area of Shanghai. Cross-province travel is allowed within the permitted areas of all 24 provinces.

From Hongqiao by high-speed rail: Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing (Jiangsu) and Hangzhou (Zhejiang) are all inside the permitted area, since both provinces are covered in full. Anhui (Huangshan) is covered in full too. See China high-speed rail for buying tickets with a passport.

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): Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai 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 Shanghai Hongqiao 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 Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to the city (official transport information)

Option Details Source (page date)
Metro Line 10 Serves both T1 and T2, and links T1, T2 and Hongqiao railway station. From T1, leave by Gate 3 and walk about 5 minutes along the covered walkway to Hongqiao Terminal 1 station Shanghai Airport Authority, rail transit (Chinese), updated 2024-07-19; walking route: Shanghai government WeChat article via The Paper
Metro Line 2 T2 only. Runs east through the city centre to the National Exhibition and Convention Center and Pudong Airport Shanghai Airport Authority, updated 2024-07-19
Airport Link Line Hongqiao T2 ↔ Pudong T1&T2, about 40 minutes; first train from Hongqiao T2 05:45; ¥4 start, ¥26 full journey Shanghai government, updated 2026-03-31
Taxi Stands outside Gate 1 (T1 arrivals) and Gate 4 (T2 arrivals). About 30 minutes and ¥100–150 to the centre, depending on traffic Shanghai government, "Transportation at Shanghai airports", updated 2026-06-04 ⚠️

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 Shanghai Hongqiao Airport:

FAQ

When does my 240 hours start if I land at Shanghai Hongqiao 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 Shanghai Hongqiao 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.

Does Hongqiao have a 240-hour lane?

Yes. Shanghai's border inspection authority says it has set up special 240-hour channels at Hongqiao, Pudong and Shanghai Port. Follow the signs.

Can I go straight from Hongqiao Airport to a high-speed train?

Yes. Terminal 2 connects directly to Shanghai Hongqiao railway station. Coming from T1, take Metro Line 10 to T2 or to the railway station first. Your passport is your train ticket.

Land at Hongqiao, fly out from Pudong?

That is allowed: you may leave through any designated port. The Airport Link Line connects the two airports in about 40 minutes.

Check your own trip

Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Shanghai Hongqiao 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.