1. Check your Passport Status and Visa Requirement of your Destination
https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/passports-and-visas
https://english.www.gov.cn/services/visitchina/202008/04/content_WS5f290b87c6d029c1c2637394.html
2. Guideline on How to Apply for a China Visa
http://nz.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/lsfw/visa/202310/t20231023_11166055.htm
3. 72/144-Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy
Foreign nationals from 54 countries are currently eligible for the 72/144-hour transit visa-free policies which are effective at 31 ports in 23 cities of 18 provinces in China. These countries include Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Passengers from these countries holding valid international travel documents and interline tickets with confirmed dates and seats, who are going to transit to third countries (or regions) via China within specific time frames, can apply for visa-free transit at the entry/exit border inspection authorities in the designated visa-free transit city ports. The authorities will handle all temporary entry procedures, with the duration of stay of each passenger to be calculated from 00:00 on the day following entry.
One visa-free zone per transit: You can only visit the cities and their surrounding area covered by one policy zone before international transit. You can’t travel from one visa-free zone to another: for example, Beijing to Shanghai visa-free travel is not allowed.
How to apply: You just need to apply for a temporary entry permit at your entry airport.
Key Requirement: You will need to be transiting via China to a third region or country.
You can only travel within the designated region under the 144-hour visa-free policy:
- Yangtze River Delta Region: Shanghai, as well as Jiangsu Province (major cities: Nanjing, Suzhou) and Zhejiang Province (major cities: Hangzhou, Ningbo)
- Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region: Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province (major cities: Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao)
- Guangdong Province: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, etc
- Chengdu Region: Chengdu, Leshan, Ya’an, Deyang, Suining, Meishan, Ziyang, Zigong, Yibin, Neijiang, and Luzhou
- Liaoning Province: Shengyang, Dalian, etc
- Shandong Province: Qingdao, etc
- Chongqing
- Xi’an and Xianyang
- Xiamen city only
- Wuhan city only
- Kunming city only
You can only travel within the designated region under the 72-hour visa-free policy:
- Hunan Province
- Guilin city only
- Harbin city only
4. 30-Day Visa-Free to Hainan Island
Ordinary passport holders from 59 countries are eligible to enter China through any open port in Hainan and must stay within the administrative area of Hainan Province for a maximum of 30 days. Countries eligible for visa-free entry in this case include Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
5. Shanghai Visa-Free Policy for Cruise Groups
Shanghai has a 15-day visa-free policy for foreign tourist groups（2 people minimum）entering China via a cruise visiting certain areas. You must arrive and depart on the same cruise and be received by a Chinese travel agent at the Shanghai Cruise Terminal (or Wusong Passenger Center).
6. Tibet Travel Permit
A Tibet Travel Permit (Tibet Entry Permit), is an entry license needed for all foreign nationals to enter Tibet, which is issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau.
Tibet Travel Permits must be handled by a travel agency in China and independent applications are not accepted. The application procedure is very simple: the only required documents are travellers’ passports and China visa copies.