Visas, visa-free entry and transit

Visiting Chongqing is simpler than ever in 2026. Many travelers can now enter visa-free for up to 30 days, or stop over for 10 days on a connecting flight without a regular visa.

Find your passport group

Chongqing (重庆) follows mainland China's national immigration rules. Your passport nationality and your flight route decide which entry rules apply to your trip.

For a short holiday in 2026, check which passport group fits you:

• France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and many other European nations: eligible ordinary passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 30 days. This policy covers tourism and short visits through 31 December 2026.
• United Kingdom and Canada: eligible ordinary passport holders enjoy the same 30-day visa-free waiver from 17 February through 31 December 2026.
• Thailand: Thai ordinary passport holders can visit visa-free for up to 30 days per entry under the mutual visa waiver agreement, up to a total of 90 days in any 180-day period.
• United States and other non-waiver countries: ordinary US passports do not qualify for the 30-day tourist waiver. However, US travelers can easily visit using the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit route on a connecting flight, or by applying for a regular tourist visa.

If you qualify for a 30-day visa-free entry, you can book a simple round-trip flight (such as London to Chongqing and back to London). You do not need an onward ticket to a third country.

Use 240-hour transit for a stop in China

The 240-hour visa-free transit policy lets passport holders from 57 countries, including the United States, Australia and New Zealand, stay up to 10 full days in approved regions of China without applying for a visa in advance.

To qualify for 240-hour transit, your flight itinerary must follow a strict Country A → Mainland China → Country B route. Country A and Country B must be different countries or regions (Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as third regions):

• Eligible route example: San Francisco → Chongqing → Tokyo (three different countries/regions).
• Ineligible route example: San Francisco → Chongqing → San Francisco (returns to the same country).

When checking in for your flight, present your passport and your confirmed onward ticket with a reserved seat departing within 240 hours. When you land at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (重庆江北国际机场; Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport), head to the 240-hour transit counter before immigration to receive your temporary entry permit.

Your 240 hours start at 00:00 (midnight) on the day after you arrive. This gives you extra time on your arrival day.

Know where a transit trip can go

Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport is an approved 240-hour transit port. The permitted transit area covers all of Chongqing Municipality, including downtown, Wulong (武隆) karst national park, and the Dazu Rock Carvings (大足石刻; Dazu Rock Carvings).

You can also travel freely across 11 approved cities in Sichuan (四川; Sichuan), including Chengdu (成都) and Leshan (乐山; Leshan). This makes it easy to combine Chengdu and Chongqing into a single 10-day high-speed rail adventure.

Just make sure that every city on your transit itinerary falls inside the official permitted zone, and that your departure flight leaves from an authorized transit port.

Prepare a small arrival folder

Before you fly, take a few quick steps to make your entry smooth:

• Save offline booking confirmations: Keep digital copies or screenshots of your hotel booking, onward flight ticket, and your hotel's address in Chinese characters. This makes your airport to city transfer and taxi rides hassle-free.
• Complete the online arrival card: Most international travelers can fill out the digital arrival card before boarding, as outlined on the National Immigration Administration portal. You can also fill out a paper arrival card upon landing.
• Hotel registration: When choosing where to stay, standard hotels register your stay directly with immigration during check-in. If you stay in a private apartment or homestay, Chinese regulations require you or your host to register within 24 hours with the local police station or through the online registration service.

Build a holiday around the allowed stay

A three- or four-day stop gives you plenty of time to explore Chongqing's dramatic cityscape. Admire the glowing wooden stilt houses at Hongya Cave (洪崖洞; Hongya Cave), ride the famous monorail through the building at Liziba (李子坝), and taste steaming street bowls of spicy noodles.

With a week or ten days, take a high-speed train to the UNESCO landscapes of Wulong or head over to Chengdu to see giant pandas. If you are planning a trip for 2027 or beyond, check official embassy updates before departure, as temporary visa waiver rules may be extended or updated.