Visa requirement
China visa for Japanese citizens
Official-source answer with stay limit, cost, required documents and last verification date.
Do Japanese citizens need a visa for China?
Checked answer — confirm before travel
Japanese citizens do not need a visa for China for up to 30 days.
Last verified:
Confidence: Medium Likely current — confirm details with the official source.
This answer is for ordinary Japanese passport holders travelling as citizens of that passport. Residence permits, long-stay visas or living in another country can change which embassy or rule applies.
Visa types at a glance
| Visa type | Availability | Stay |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa-free? | Yes | Up to 30 days. |
| eVisa? | No | No eVisa route is stored for this corridor. |
| Visa on arrival? | No | No visa-on-arrival route is stored for this corridor. |
- 30 days
- Free
- Nothing required before departure
Before you travel
- 1 Entry step Nothing required before departure Official route (opens in a new tab)
- 2 Stay limit 30 days
- 3 Official fee Free
- 4 Passport validity Official rule stored below. See full note
- 5 Transit airside: conditional; landside: conditional. Full note below. See full note
- 6 Freshness Checked 23 Jul 2026; confidence: medium
Shareable verdict: Japanese citizens do not need a visa for China for up to 30 days. Checked 23 Jul 2026.
Open SVG cardCost note
No Chinese visitor visa fee applies to the ordinary short-stay visa-free route. Separate port-visa, permit, extension or residence procedures can have fees.
Passport and transit notes
- Passport validity
- China requires an ordinary passport valid for at least the full intended visa-free stay.
- Validity source (opens in a new tab) Validity guide
- Transit
- airside transit: conditional; landside transit: conditional; China permits direct transit for up to 24 hours without leaving the port-restricted area. This nationality is also on the official 240-hour transit list for eligible third-country itineraries, ports and permitted regions; a confirmed onward ticket and route conditions apply.
- Transit source (opens in a new tab) Transit guide
What you need
- Japanese ordinary passport
- Purpose limited to business, tourism, family or friends visits, exchange or transit
- Air ticket, accommodation booking or invitation supporting the purpose of travel
Why this verdict
Japanese citizens can enter China without a visa for up to 30 calendar days for business, tourism, family or friends visits, exchange or transit under China's unilateral ordinary-passport policy. The current policy is effective through 31 December 2026. The passport must cover the intended stay; work, study and news reporting are not covered. No embassy pre-declaration is required, but border officers may examine the purpose and supporting documents.
Conditional rules
- Work, study, residence, employment or long-term stay Visa required
The short-visitor rule listed here does not cover work, study, residence, employment or long-term stay.
- China transit-without-visa, regional or port-visa route Conditional
China has route-specific transit-without-visa, regional visa-free and port-visa policies. These do not automatically replace the ordinary tourist-entry rule for this passport.
Frequently asked questions
Do Japanese citizens need a visa for China?
Japanese citizens do not need a visa for China for up to 30 days. (Visa-free.) Verified 23 Jul 2026 against the official source.
How long can Japanese passport holders stay in China?
Up to 30 days.
How much does entry to China cost for Japanese citizens?
It is free. This page tracks the official government fee only, not agent markup.