China’s 240-hour visa-free transit clock starts at 00:00 on the day after entry, in China Standard Time (UTC+8). Enter your expected or recorded entry date and route to calculate the exit deadline and check the basic passport and route pattern. Final eligibility and the permitted stay are decided by border inspection authorities.
Last reviewed: October 13, 2026
Current policy at a glance
57 eligible countries, including Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan (added August 2026).
65 designated ports in 24 provincial-level regions.
The 240-hour clock starts at 00:00 on the day after entry, in China Standard Time.
240-hour TWOV expiry examples: normal, month-end and year-end arrivals
Recorded entry (China time)
240-hour clock starts
Planning label
Exact boundary
2026-11-01 22:30
2026-11-02 00:00
2026-11-11 23:59
2026-11-12 00:00
2026-11-28 08:15
2026-11-29 00:00
2026-12-08 23:59
2026-12-09 00:00
2026-12-31 23:55
2027-01-01 00:00
2027-01-10 23:59
2027-01-11 00:00
TWOV means transit without visa. Under the 240-hour (10-day) rule, count ten full days from midnight after the recorded entry date. These worked examples show the calculated clock boundary in China Standard Time (UTC+8); your temporary-entry permit and border inspection instructions control the permitted stay.
The planning label is one minute before the mathematical boundary, not an airport arrival target or a guarantee that a flight is suitable. Allow time for check-in, security and exit inspection, and follow any earlier deadline on your entry permit.
Worked example
Entry recorded 15 Oct 22:30 → clock starts 16 Oct 00:00 → planning label: 25 Oct 23:59
The equal-deadline example assumes the entry record uses 15 October. A scheduled landing date alone cannot settle a near-midnight case. Check the date and permitted deadline recorded by border inspection; the calculator is a planning aid.
Before travel, use your expected entry date for an estimate. After entry, compare the calculation with your immigration record and temporary-entry permission. Near midnight, do not assume the flight’s landing date settles the permitted deadline.
Common route examples
UK → Mainland China → Japan
US → Mainland China → Hong Kong
Singapore → Mainland China → South Korea
Australia → Mainland China → Thailand
These are route-pattern examples only. They do not confirm eligibility, a designated port or a permitted stay area.
How the calculator works
Read the expected or recorded entry date in China Standard Time; confirm it against your entry permission.
The calculator starts the official 240-hour clock at 00:00 China Standard Time on the day after entry and adds 240 hours.
The displayed planning time is one minute before the exact boundary. Travelers should leave a practical buffer for transport, check-in, security and exit inspection.
What the result cannot confirm
A city name does not prove that the exact airport, railway port or seaport is a designated port under the current policy.
Eligibility also depends on nationality, ordinary-passport status, a confirmed onward ticket, a different-country-or-region route, permitted stay area and the policy in force on the travel date.
Chinese border inspection authorities make the final temporary-entry and admission decision. The actual immigration entry record controls if it differs from the scheduled arrival.
Checks to complete before booking
Confirm that the passport nationality appears on the current official list and that the passport is an ordinary passport.
Confirm the exact entry port, exit port and permitted area using the latest National Immigration Administration information.
Keep a confirmed onward ticket with a departure date and seat, and avoid a simple return to the same country or region of origin.
TWOV means transit without visa. This free tool calculates the 240-hour transit clock and its departure boundary in China Standard Time. It also compares your passport and third-country route with basic public requirements, while the border authority decides eligibility and the permitted stay.
Is 240-hour visa-free transit the same as a 10-day stay?
240 hours equals ten full 24-hour periods. For this policy the clock starts at midnight on the day after entry, so adding 240 hours to your flight's landing time can give the wrong boundary. Use the recorded entry date, check your permit, and allow a departure buffer.
When does the 240-hour clock start?
Under the current National Immigration Administration rule, the 240-hour period is calculated from 00:00 on the day after entry. This calculator uses China Standard Time. Your immigration record and the border authority’s calculation control, so leave a practical buffer before the displayed boundary.
Does this calculator confirm that I qualify?
No. It calculates the time window only. Eligibility also depends on your passport nationality, ordinary-passport status, confirmed onward ticket, third-country or region route, designated entry and exit ports, permitted stay area, purpose of travel and the policy in force on your travel date.
Can I return to the same country or region I departed from?
A simple route such as United States to Mainland China to United States does not meet the third-country or region transit pattern. The origin and onward destination normally need to be different. Airlines and border authorities should confirm complex routes before travel.
Does every airport or port qualify?
No. The policy applies through designated ports and within permitted areas. Selecting an entry city here does not verify a particular terminal, airport, railway port or seaport. Check the latest official port list and confirm your planned entry and exit points.
Which time zone does the calculator use?
All results use China Standard Time, UTC+8. Use an expected entry date only as a pre-trip estimate. After entry, check the immigration record and permitted deadline, especially when landing and border processing are around midnight. Do not schedule departure at the final planning minute.
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ChinaEase Buddy is a digital travel toolkit. It is not an official travel authority, visa service, immigration service, medical service, legal service, financial service, hotel booking service, or flight booking service. Always confirm important travel, payment, health, and entry information with official sources or service providers.