The traveller’s exact question
My country appears in China’s mutual visa-exemption table. Does that let me enter with a plain ordinary passport?
The foreign-country document cell establishes only whether a plain ordinary passport is covered. It does not by itself establish entry eligibility: the traveller must also match the agreement-specific passport-validity, purpose, stay and admission conditions. The current table contains many official-travel agreements; reading it together with the country-specific China–Dominica agreement notice leaves 29 general plain ordinary-passport rows. That count does not exclude separate restricted group or document arrangements, which are distinguished below.
The 29 current ordinary-passport agreements
Stay wording is preserved country by country. The MFA agreement table has no stay-length column; these limits come from the NIA agreement details and later country-specific official notices.
| Country | Effective | Per stay | Cumulative rule or note |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Marino | 1985.07.22 | Up to 3 months | Agreement-specific limit |
| Seychelles | 2013.06.26 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Mauritius | 2013.10.31 | 60 days | 2017 amendment |
| The Bahamas | 2014.02.12 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Fiji | 2015.03.14 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Grenada | 2015.06.10 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Ecuador | 2016.08.18 | 30 days | MFA note restricts the opposite direction only |
| Tonga | 2016.08.19 | 30 days | NIA agreement-details table · 30-day limit |
| Serbia | 2017.01.15 | 30 days | Later ordinary-passport agreement |
| Barbados | 2017.06.01 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| United Arab Emirates | 2018.01.16 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2018.05.29 | 90 days in every 180 | No separate 30-day limit stated in the NIA table |
| Belarus | 2018.08.10 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days per year |
| Qatar | 2018.12.21 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Armenia | 2020.01.19 | 90 days in every 180 | No separate 30-day limit stated in the NIA table |
| Suriname | 2021.05.01 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| The Maldives | 2022.05.20 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Dominica | 2022.09.19 | 30 days | Country-specific embassy agreement notice |
| Albania | 2023.03.18 | 90 days in every 180 | No separate 30-day limit stated in the NIA table |
| Kazakhstan | 2023.11.10 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Singapore | 2024.02.09 | 30 days | Single-stay limit |
| Thailand | 2024.03.01 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2024.05.11 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Georgia | 2024.05.28 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Solomon Islands | 2024.12.28 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Samoa | 2025.04.02 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Uzbekistan | 2025.06.01 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Azerbaijan | 2025.07.16 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
| Malaysia | 2025.07.17 | 30 days per visit | Maximum 90 days in every 180 |
For an asymmetric agreement, the foreign-country side governs entry to China. The 29-row extraction excludes restricted public-affairs, official-visa and authorized-group arrangements from its general plain ordinary-passport list. Those arrangements need their own document and group checks; exclusion from this list does not cancel them. A later standalone ordinary-passport agreement is treated separately from an older official-passport agreement.
Agreement conditions can differ. For example, the China–Malaysia FAQ requires a Malaysian ordinary passport valid for at least six months and limits visa-free use to named short-visit purposes; residence, employment, study and media activity are excluded. Do not copy those Malaysia-specific terms onto another country, and do not use this table alone where the linked agreement-specific source is incomplete.
The current MFA English master table describes the Dominica-side document as an “ordinary passport for public affairs”. However, the Chinese Embassy in Dominica’s country-specific agreement notice states that a valid ordinary passport of Dominica receives up to 30 days visa-free, and the NIA table also lists ordinary passports. We include Dominica on the more specific implementation notice and keep the master-table conflict visible for the next review.
Restricted documents and authorized-group exceptions
| Country or group | Document or group condition | Action and boundary |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | The current master table does not establish plain British ordinary-passport mutual eligibility; its English attachment has an unclear official-delegation fragment | Do not infer that an agreement ended from a missing row or malformed fragment. Check the separate current unilateral policy for an ordinary tourist passport. |
| Ireland | Diplomatic and service (official) passports | A plain Irish tourist passport is not covered by the mutual agreement. |
| Laos | Ordinary passports with valid official visas | The words ordinary passport do not remove the official-visa condition. |
| Bangladesh | Ordinary passports marked government affairs or free of charge | The marking limits the row to official travel. |
| Moldova | Public-affairs-marked ordinary passports; a separate provision covers ordinary passports or international travel documents in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries | An independent tourist cannot assume the group provision applies. Ask the organizing agencies and competent authority to confirm both countries' authorization, the actual group and the document requirements before booking. |
| Turkmenistan | Public-affairs-marked ordinary passports; a separate provision covers ordinary passports or international travel documents in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries | A self-organized group is not enough. Confirm both countries' authorized agencies, the actual group and required documents with the agencies and competent authority; independent tourist eligibility is not established by this provision. |
| Benin | Ordinary passports with an attached public-affairs certificate | An ordinary passport alone does not satisfy the attached-certificate condition; do not substitute an assumed public-affairs marking. |
| Tajikistan · North Macedonia | Ordinary passports marked public affairs | A plain tourist passport does not meet the marked-document condition. |
| Cuba · Guyana · Sri Lanka · Uruguay | The foreign-country side lists diplomatic, official or public-affairs documents | The Chinese side may mention ordinary passports, but that does not govern entry to China. |
| Cyprus | EU laissez-passer | This is an official-travel document arrangement, not ordinary-passport access. |
A British traveller may currently reach the same visa-free outcome through China’s separate unilateral policy. Check the current nationality, ordinary-passport, purpose and stay conditions on the official MFA unilateral-policy FAQ ↗. The unclear master-table fragment is not evidence of treaty termination.
90 days in 180 is a rolling look-back
Look back from every day
The 180-day window is counted separately for the traveller, looking backward from any day of the visa-free stay.
Exclude only the supported legal status
Days spent under a visa or residence permit, and time covered by an APEC Business Travel Card, are excluded from this visa-free 90-day total. Do not subtract days merely because you hold another travel document. Ask the competent immigration authority about any other legal status.
Use only the remainder
If 90 days are already used, visa-free entry is refused. If fewer than 30 remain, the new stay cannot exceed the remainder.
Previous stays need an individual check
This page does not calculate your personal remaining allowance or latest departure date. Give the competent immigration authority your complete entry and exit dates, earlier legal status and planned new dates to confirm the permitted stay before making a non-refundable commitment. Re-entry does not reset the count. Do not assume that old days leaving the window automatically extend the stay permitted on this entry.
Belarus is different: the NIA table states no more than 30 days per visit and no more than 90 days per year. The exact yearly boundaries have not been verified here. Do not assume a reset on 1 January or replace the annual rule with a rolling 180-day calculation.
Six worked cases
These are editorial applications of current official rules, not field tests or admission guarantees.
Case 1 — Singapore ordinary passport
- Conditions
- 12-day holiday · no conflicting prior stay
- Result
- The ordinary-passport agreement applies and the 30-day single-stay limit covers this trip.
- Boundary
- The border authority still checks the actual document, purpose and admission facts.
Case 2 — British passport, right outcome by the wrong rule
- Conditions
- Plain British ordinary passport · 14-day holiday
- Result
- The current mutual table does not establish this passport’s eligibility. The current unilateral policy may still provide 30-day entry, so test that separate route.
- Boundary
- Do not use the UK agreement row as proof at check-in.
Case 3 — Tajik tourist passport
- Conditions
- Plain Tajik ordinary passport · tourism
- Result
- The public-affairs marking is missing, and Tajikistan is not on the current unilateral list. Apply for the correct visa.
- Boundary
- Seeing the word ordinary in the table is not enough.
Case 4 — Belarus is an annual cap
- Conditions
- Second long trip seven months after the first
- Result
- The NIA table states no more than 90 days per year, alongside the 30-day single-stay limit. A gap of seven months does not establish a new annual allowance.
- Boundary
- The exact yearly boundaries have not been verified here. Do not assume a reset on 1 January; ask the competent immigration authority to confirm how your previous stays affect this trip.
Case 5 — Prior stay on a visa
- Conditions
- Georgian passport · 40 prior days on a business visa · now requests 30 visa-free days
- Result
- The NIA calculation excludes days spent on a visa, residence permit or APEC Business Travel Card from the visa-free 90-day total.
- Boundary
- Keep proof of the earlier status; this is an editorial application, not an admission guarantee.
Case 6 — Previous visa-free stays need a separate check
- Conditions
- Thai passport · prior visa-free stays · new 30-day trip
- Result
- The 30-day single-stay maximum does not create a new cumulative allowance. This page does not calculate this traveller’s remaining days.
- Boundary
- Give the competent immigration authority your complete entry and exit dates, the legal status of each earlier stay and the planned new dates before making a non-refundable commitment. If the confirmed allowance is too short, obtain the appropriate visa for the planned stay.
If document recovery may outlast your permitted stay, use these expiry-first steps →
Failure recovery
Your row is official-travel only
- Trigger
- The document cell says marked with, with a valid official visa, or points to a restricting note.
- First action
- Check the current unilateral policy for your plain ordinary passport.
- Alternative
- Test 240-hour transit only if the actual ticket is A → mainland China → different B.
- Escalation
- Apply for the purpose-correct visa if neither route fits.
Previous stays may limit this trip
- Trigger
- You have prior visa-free stays and have not confirmed enough cumulative allowance for the new trip.
- First action
- Give the competent immigration authority the complete entry and exit dates, legal status of each earlier stay and planned new dates. Ask it to confirm the permitted stay; do not make a non-refundable commitment before confirmation.
- Alternative
- Use a shorter trip only within the stay the authority confirms and subject to the other entry conditions. Do not assume that old days leaving the window automatically extend the stay permitted on this entry.
- Escalation
- If the confirmed allowance is insufficient, obtain the appropriate visa for the full planned stay.
You must stay beyond the visa-free period
- Trigger
- Emergency or force majeure makes departure before expiry impossible.
- First action
- Apply to the public security exit-entry administration before the visa-free period expires.
- Alternative
- Do not rely on a border run or an assumed automatic extension.
- Escalation
- Call 12367 and follow the responsible local authority’s instructions.
Your passport is lost or damaged
- Trigger
- The passport used for visa-free entry can no longer be presented.
- First action
- Check your authorised stay expiry now. If replacement or exit formalities may run past it, contact local public-security exit-entry today, before expiry; call 12367 for the office. Do not wait for the replacement passport. In parallel, report the loss and contact your mission for the replacement document.
- Alternative
- Border inspection may process exit after verifying identity, entry record or loss report and mission documents.
- Escalation
- A loss report, mission appointment or rebooked flight does not extend your stay. Any overstay or out-of-area violation must be handled by the competent authority first.
Register a non-hotel stay within 24 hours
Hotels submit accommodation registration for guests. If you stay in a private home or other non-hotel accommodation, you or the host must register with the local public security authority within 24 hours after check-in.
Check accommodation registration steps →What this review does not claim
- It does not decide which policy takes precedence when both a mutual agreement and the unilateral policy fit.
- The MFA English master table conflicts with the country-specific China–Dominica implementation notice; Dominica remains a mandatory recheck item.
- Tonga’s 30-day limit is supported by the current NIA agreement-details table; this review does not turn that table into an admission guarantee.
- A new, amended or suspended agreement can change the 29-country extraction; check the linked authorities before travel.
- The six cases do not predict an individual border decision.
Your entry check
- Find the general agreement or a separate restricted group/document condition
- Match the actual passport and any group authorization, public-affairs marking or attached certificate
- Check the effective date
- Confirm both the per-stay and cumulative limit; this page does not calculate your remaining days
- Confirm the agreement-specific passport-validity, purpose and admission conditions
- Give the competent immigration authority previous entry/exit dates, legal status and planned new dates before non-refundable travel
Common questions
Does every country in the official table cover ordinary passports?
No. The 29-row table covers general plain ordinary-passport agreements. Other rows can have official-document restrictions or an authorized tour-group provision. Moldova and Turkmenistan have group provisions requiring agencies authorized by both countries; independent tourists cannot assume they qualify. Benin requires an attached public-affairs certificate, not merely an ordinary passport.
Is 90 days in any 180 the same as a new 90 days after re-entry?
No. The official rule looks backward from each day of the visa-free stay. Re-entry does not reset the allowance. This page does not calculate your personal remaining allowance or latest departure date. Give the competent immigration authority your prior dates and legal status plus planned new dates to confirm the permitted stay. Do not assume that old days leaving the window automatically extend the stay permitted on this entry.
Which earlier stays are excluded from a mutual visa-free 90-in-180 total?
Days spent under a visa or residence permit, and time covered by an APEC Business Travel Card, are excluded. Do not subtract days merely because you hold another travel document. Ask the competent immigration authority about any other legal status; this page does not calculate personal remaining days.
Does every mutual agreement give 30 days?
No. San Marino is up to three months, Mauritius is 60 days, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Albania use 90 days in every 180 without a separate 30-day limit in the NIA table.
What if my country is absent?
Check the separate unilateral visa-free policy, then 240-hour transit if your ticket goes from A through mainland China to a different B. Otherwise use the visa-application route.
Last checked
We checked the claims displayed on this page against the linked official sources. Recheck sooner if a country list, threshold or filing channel changes.
Official sources
Rules change. Open the authority when your booking depends on a current decision.
Details of mutual visa exemption agreementsNational Immigration Administration / Ministry of Foreign Affairs ↗Current table of mutual visa-exemption agreementsMinistry of Foreign Affairs ↗China–Dominica mutual visa-exemption agreement noticeEmbassy of the People’s Republic of China in Dominica ↗China–Azerbaijan ordinary-passport agreement — 30 days per visit, 90 in 180Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Azerbaijan ↗China–Uzbekistan ordinary-passport agreement — 30 days per visit, 90 in 180Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Uzbekistan ↗Official rolling 90-in-180 rule and excluded stay categoriesNational Immigration Administration ↗China–Malaysia agreement FAQ — eligibility and stay limitsEmbassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia ↗