Do citizens of Singapore need a visa for China?

Last verified 9 October 2026 against official Chinese government sources.

All visa-free routes for passports from Singapore

30-day visa-free entry: the conditions

• Ordinary passport from Singapore (not diplomatic or service).
• Purpose: business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange visits and transit.
• No onward ticket to a third country is needed — round trips are fine.
• Stay is counted from 00:00 the day after you arrive. Example: arrive 1 November 2026 → leave by the end of 1 December 2026.
• 30 days per entry confirmed by both governments. No 90/180 cap found in Singapore sources, although the NIA Q&A describes 90/180 as the general rule for mutual agreements. Ordinary passport; purposes per agreement (tourism, visiting family/friends, business, exchange, transit). Work, study, residence and journalism require a visa.

Source: lagos.china-consulate.gov.cn

240-hour visa-free transit

You may not need it, since the 30-day rule is simpler — but it is useful if your trip goes on to a third country.

• Must hold an ordinary passport of one of the 57 eligible countries.
• Must be genuinely in transit: travelling from country/region A, through mainland China, onward to a different country/region C.
• Departure and destination country/region must differ; a round trip A -> China -> A does NOT qualify (e.g., US -> Shanghai -> US).
• Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan count as a third region (e.g., US -> Beijing -> Hong Kong qualifies).
• Must hold a confirmed onward ticket (air, sea or rail) with fixed date and seat, departing within 240 hours.
• Passport/travel document must be valid for at least 3 months; documents bearing a Chinese visa-refusal stamp are ineligible.
• Ineligible if the person has illegal entry/exit, illegal stay or illegal employment records in China within the past 5 years, or is otherwise inadmissible under Chinese law.
• Must enter through one of the 65 designated ports; other ports do not apply. Exit is via the designated ports (Shenzhen Port Office additionally states exit is allowed via any other open port in Guangdong).
• Permitted activities: tourism, business, visits, family visits. Work, study and journalism require a visa obtained in advance.
• Must stay within the permitted areas of the 24 provinces; register accommodation (hotels do it; otherwise register with local police within 24 hours).
• Apply for the policy at the border inspection on arrival (airline also checks eligibility at check-in).
• The 240 hours (10 days) are counted from 00:00 on the day after entry. Example: enter on 1 January at any time -> the clock starts 2 January 00:00 and you must leave by 24:00 on 11 January. Extensions are only possible for emergencies via the local public security exit-entry office.
• Since 17 Dec 2024, travellers may move freely across provincial borders within the permitted stay areas of all 24 eligible provinces/regions/municipalities (not only the province of the entry port), and may exit from a different designated port. They must not leave the permitted areas (e.g., Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and non-listed cities in Shanxi, Jiangxi, Heilongjiang, Guangxi, Sichuan and Yunnan are excluded).

Example: fly from Singapore to Shanghai on 1 November 2026, then on to Tokyo by the end of 11 November 2026. Flying straight back to Singapore instead does not qualify.

Hainan 30-day visa-free

• Ordinary passport of one of the 61 listed countries.
• Individual travel allowed; no travel agency or group required.
• Enter and exit via any open port in Hainan Province.
• Stay within Hainan's administrative area, up to 30 days (counted from 00:00 the day after entry).
• Purposes: tourism, business, visits, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions, sports competitions; not work or study.

ASEAN tour group visa-free entry to Xishuangbanna (Yunnan)

Area: Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan

• Ordinary passport of an ASEAN country.
• Tour group of 2+ people received by a Chinese travel agency; enter and exit as a group.
• Entry via Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport, Mohan Railway Port or Mohan Highway Port.
• Stay up to 6 days.

ASEAN tour group visa-free entry to Guilin (Guangxi)

Area: Guilin City, Guangxi

• Ordinary passport of an ASEAN country.
• Tour group of 2+ people received by a Chinese travel agency; enter and exit as a group.
• Entry via Guilin airport port.
• Stay up to 6 days.

Not covered by any visa-free route

Working, studying and journalism always require the matching visa, whatever your passport. Diplomatic and service passports follow separate rules.

FAQ

Other countries with visa-free entry

SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSouth KoreaSpainSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandThailandTongaUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom