China Travel Toolsby Pulp & Paw

Shenzhen Bao'an & Shekou: 240-Hour Visa-Free Guide

Last verified

Port facts at a glance: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, Shekou Port (Passenger) (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).

Shenzhen has exactly two designated 240-hour entry ports on the NIA list: Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (No. 40) and Shekou Port (Passenger) (No. 43), the ferry port. Shenzhen's busy land crossings with Hong Kong (Luohu, Futian, Huanggang, Shenzhen Bay and others) are not 240-hour entry ports. Because of Guangdong's special rule, though, you can leave China through them.

Coming from Hong Kong overland and want to use 240-hour transit? The designated Hong Kong-facing entry points are the West Kowloon Station port (high-speed rail, inside Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge port (Zhuhai), both added on 5 Nov 2025 (NIA, 2025-11-03). Arriving from Hong Kong also depends on Hong Kong counting as a third region, which is ⚠️ unverified.

At a glance
Official port name Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (深圳宝安国际机场口岸)
IATA code SZX
City / province Shenzhen, Guangdong
Port type air
NIA list number No. 40 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 Guangdong 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).
  • Shenzhen Airport's website timed out from our server; its Chinese metro page was read from a search-engine copy on 2026-11-03, and the page is undated.
  • Shekou ferry routes and timetables were not verified from an operator page this round.
  • Whether a HKIA SkyPier ferry passenger landing at Shekou counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from the flight's origin is unconfirmed.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

You can enter at Shenzhen Bao'an 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 Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport 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.

Guangdong special rule: exit through any open port in Guangdong, including Luohu, Futian, Huanggang and Shenzhen Bay to Hong Kong, or ferries to Macao.

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; in Guangdong also any open port): Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, Nansha Port (Passenger), Shekou Port (Passenger), Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Zhongshan Port (Passenger), Hengqin Port, 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))

You arrive at Shenzhen Bao'an 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 Shenzhen Bao'an Airport to the city (official transport information)

From Bao'an Airport (SZX): Metro Line 11

Source: Shenzhen Airport, "Subway" page (Chinese) (undated; read 3 Nov 2026 via a search-engine copy because the site timed out). Board at Airport Station, reached from the Ground Transportation Center.

Direction Main stops First / last train from Airport Station
To Hongling South (city) Bihaiwan → Bao'an → Qianhaiwan (Line 5) → Nanshan → Houhai → Hongshuwan South → Chegongmiao → Futian → Gangxia North → Fuxing → Huaqiang South → Hongling South 05:36 / 00:02
To Bitou (north) Airport North → Fuyong → … → Songgang → Bitou 06:37 / 00:03

From Shekou Port (Passenger): ferry terminal at Shekou Cruise Homeport

⚠️ Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking.

If you fly into Hong Kong International Airport and take the SkyPier ferry straight to Shekou without passing Hong Kong immigration, it is not officially stated whether you count as arriving from Hong Kong or from the country your flight left. This decides which onward destinations count as a "third" country or region. We do not guess the answer.

Shenzhen port cheat sheet for 240-hour travellers

Port Enter on 240h? Exit on 240h?
Bao'an Airport (SZX) ✅ Yes (designated) ✅
Shekou Port (Passenger) ✅ Yes (designated) ✅
Luohu, Futian, Huanggang, Shenzhen Bay and other land crossings ❌ No (not on the NIA list) ✅ (Guangdong exit-any-open-port rule)
West Kowloon Station (in Hong Kong, high-speed rail) ✅ Yes (designated from 2025-11-05) ✅

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 Shenzhen Bao'an Airport:

FAQ

When does my 240 hours start if I land at Shenzhen Bao'an 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 Shenzhen Bao'an Airport?

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.

I fly to Hong Kong airport and take the SkyPier ferry to Shekou. Where am I arriving from?

Unconfirmed: check with the NIA hotline 12367 or your airline before booking. No official source we found says whether this counts as arriving from Hong Kong or from your flight's origin, and whether Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan count as a third region is itself unconfirmed.

Can I enter Shenzhen from Hong Kong at Luohu or Futian on 240-hour transit?

No. Those land crossings are not designated 240-hour entry ports. Use West Kowloon (high-speed rail) or the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge port, or fly into Bao'an. You can, however, leave via Luohu or Futian.

Fly into Shenzhen, leave from Hong Kong airport?

Exiting overland to Hong Kong is allowed under the Guangdong rule. Whether Hong Kong counts as the third region is ⚠️ unverified (airline FAQ only).

Which metro goes from Shenzhen airport to Futian?

Line 11 towards Hongling South, via Qianhaiwan, Chegongmiao and Futian.

Check your own trip

Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Shenzhen Bao'an 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.