144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Is No Longer the Default (Use 240 Hours)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-20

Quick answer

If a blog still says China 144-hour (6-day) visa-free transit is the product to plan around, stop. On 17 December 2024 the National Immigration Administration extended eligible TWOV from 72/144 hours to 240 hours (10 days) and expanded ports and stay areas. In 2026, choose among 30-day visa-free, 240-hour transit, or an L visa — see [which entry product](/questions/do-i-need-a-visa-for-china-or-is-visa-free-enough).

Last reviewed: 2026-08-20

Who This Affects

Anyone holding a 2023–2024 “144-hour” screenshot
Flyers comparing a short stopover vs a 10-day TWOV
Readers who landed on this URL from an old “144-hour expansion” headline

What Changed

NIA retired 72/144 hours as the headline TWOV length in favour of 240 hours, with more ports and the ability to move across allowed provinces. Airline check-in still wants a third-country onward ticket for TWOV. US passports remain on TWOV, not the 30-day unilateral visa-free list.

What You Need To Know

144 hours is not the 2026 default to ticket against
TWOV is still transit, not a general tourist visa
30-day visa-free (separate product) is what many EU/UK/Canada visitors should check first

What To Do Next

Open Do I need a visa, or is visa-free enough?.
If you are on TWOV, run the 240-hour five gates.
Confirm the live list on NIA English.

What May Vary

Eligible nationalities, ports, and airline document rules change — recheck within 14 days of departure.

Related ChinaPie Guides

Sources and Editorial Notes

NIA / english.gov.cn, 17 Dec 2024 — TWOV to 240 hours: http://english.www.gov.cn/news/202412/17/content_WS6760ead6c6d0868f4e8ee0c1.html
NIA 240h interpretation: https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html
ChinaPie editorial — not legal advice. This URL keeps the old slug so existing links resolve to the correction.