240-hour visa-free transit in Yunnan

Check all three conditions

• An ordinary passport from one of the 57 eligible countries. The list expanded on 20 August 2026 to include Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan.
• A valid travel document with at least three months remaining, and permission to enter your next country or region.
• Confirmed onward travel to a third country or region, with a fixed date and itinerary within the permitted period. Use a designated entry port and stay inside the permitted areas.

Your next stop must be different

Compare the country or region immediately before entering mainland China with the one immediately after leaving it. They must be different. Your passport nationality does not decide this part of the route.

• Thailand → China → Laos: a transit route, if all other conditions are met.
• Thailand → China → Thailand: does not meet the third-country transit condition.

Yunnan entry points

Mohan Railway Port is not Mohan Highway Port. Do not assume a road crossing, or any airport in Yunnan, accepts this transit scheme. Check the designated port list for both entry and exit before buying tickets.

• Kunming Changshui International Airport (KMG)
• Lijiang Sanyi International Airport (LJG)
• Mohan Railway Port, on the China–Laos Railway

Where you can go in Yunnan

The permitted area covers the whole of these nine cities and autonomous prefectures: Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu’er, Xishuangbanna, Dali and Lijiang.

Nujiang, Dehong, Baoshan, Tengchong and Diqing (including Shangri-La) are not on this list. For those destinations, check a visa-free visit or visa instead. Cross-province travel is allowed only within the scheme’s designated areas; the clock does not restart when you move.

At the border and during your stay

• Tell immigration that you are applying for 240-hour visa-free transit. Present your passport and confirmed onward booking, complete the arrival information and answer questions about your route.
• The permitted time is calculated from 00:00 on the day after entry. Check the exact departure deadline on your entry permission and leave before it expires.
• Have your accommodation registered. Hotels handle this; a private stay requires registration by you or your host within 24 hours.

Choosing a journey with us

Dali and the Dali–Mojiang route’s areas in Dali and Pu’er are within the permitted region, but we still need to check every stop and the time needed for arrival and departure. Our Nujiang and western Yunnan routes include places outside it. Tell us which entry option you plan to use when discussing your trip.