China Travel Toolsby Pulp & Paw

Xiamen Gaoqi (XMN): 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Guide

Last verified

Port facts at a glance: Xiamen Gaoqi 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).

⚠️ Airport move expected around the end of 2026. Xiamen's new Xiang'an International Airport (厦门翔安国际机场) is planned to open around the end of 2026. When it does, Gaoqi is to close to civil flights and all operations move to Xiang'an (announcement by the airport operator Xiamen Airport Group, via cninfo, 2026-10-01; Securities Daily, 2026-03-14). No exact date was confirmed as of 2026-11-03. The NIA list still names Gaoqi. We will update this page once the NIA lists Xiang'an. If you fly after the move, check your ticket and the NIA list.

Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (厦门高崎国际机场, XMN) is a designated 240-hour port (No. 26). It sits on Xiamen Island, and international and regional flights use Terminal 3. Fujian has five 240-hour ports: Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou and Wuyishan airports, and Xiamen Port. All of them give you the whole of Fujian as your stay area.

At a glance
Official port name Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (厦门高崎国际机场口岸)
IATA code XMN
City / province Xiamen, Fujian
Port type air
NIA list number No. 26 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 Fujian 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 transport page is undated and its footer is old (2013–2016), so timetables may be out of date.
  • The date of the move to Xiang'an airport is not confirmed, and neither is how the NIA list will be updated.

Who can use 240-hour visa-free transit here

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

Fujian-specific notes: Gulangyu, the Fujian Tulou (Yongding in Longyan and Nanjing County in Zhangzhou), Quanzhou and Wuyishan are all in Fujian, so they are inside the area. Neighbouring Guangdong and Zhejiang are permitted in full. Jiangxi is limited to Nanchang and Jingdezhen.

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): Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport, Wuyishan Airport, Xiamen 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 Xiamen Gaoqi 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 Xiamen Gaoqi Airport to the city (official transport information)

Source: Xiamen Airport, "Railway station – airport" page (Chinese) (undated; fetched 2026-11-03).

Option Route Fare
BRT to T3 BRT Kuai 1 / Kuai 2 to Xianhou (县后), change to bus L19 to Gaoqi T3 stop about ¥1.5
BRT to T4 BRT Kuai 1 / Kuai 2 to Gaoqi T4 stop (T4 is domestic) about ¥1.5
Airport express bus (空港快线) T4 → T3 → Wucun bus station (former Xiamen island railway station area), about 25 min, hourly from 09:00 to 20:00 ¥10
City buses e.g. 650 express to Taigu Dormitory stop and walk to T3; or change to bus 41 or 81 to Gaoqi T3 stop about ¥2

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 Xiamen Gaoqi Airport:

FAQ

When does my 240 hours start if I land at Xiamen Gaoqi 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 Xiamen Gaoqi 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.

Will 240-hour transit still work after Xiamen moves to the new airport?

Probably, but ⚠️ this is not confirmed. The NIA list names Gaoqi today. Check the NIA list or call 12367 if your trip is after the move.

Can I visit the Fujian Tulou from Xiamen?

Yes. They are in Longyan and Zhangzhou, Fujian, which is permitted in full.

Can I take a ferry from Xiamen to Kinmen and come back?

Kinmen is administered by Taiwan, and whether Taiwan counts as a "third region" is ⚠️ unverified. A trip that arrives from and returns to the same place (for example Kinmen → Xiamen → Kinmen) does not qualify in any case.

Check your own trip

Use the free 240-hour transit checker with Xiamen Gaoqi 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.