# Do you need a visa for a Shanghai layover? China lets people from 57 countries, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and most of Europe among them, leave the airport without a visa if their next flight goes on to a third country. Changing planes past security within 24 hours needs nothing at all. - Web page: https://shanghailayover.com/visa-and-transit/ - Guide: [Shanghai Layover](https://shanghailayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), part of City Layover - Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 8 November 2026 ## Short answer No visa is needed to change planes at Pudong: on a through ticket leaving within 24 hours, you stay past security with no border check. To leave the airport, US, UK, EU, Canadian and Australian passports can enter without a visa for up to 10 days under China's 240-hour transit rule, with a ticket on to a third country and a passport valid for at least 3 months. UK, Canadian, Australian and many EU passports can also use China's 30-day visa-free entry until 31 December 2026. Indian passports need a Chinese visa to leave. ## At a glance - **240-hour visa-free transit**: Free, up to 10 days, with a ticket on to a third country - **30-day visa-free entry**: Free, 50 countries, most until 31 Dec 2026 - **Airside limit**: 24 hours, with no border check - **Passport validity**: At least 3 months for the 240-hour transit - **Arrival card**: Online before you land, or at the border - **Indian passports**: Chinese visa to leave; none to stay airside ## If you stay airside Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) is one of the Chinese airports where passengers changing planes skip border control altogether. If you're on a through ticket (one booking, or linked tickets) to another country and your next flight leaves within 24 hours, you follow the transfer signs, go through security and wait for your flight. You need no visa and no arrival card, whatever your passport. - **The limit is 24 hours.** For a longer connection you enter China, so you need one of the ways in below. - **Connecting to a flight within China** means entering the country at Pudong, so the rules for leaving the airport apply. - **Bags.** On a through ticket they usually go straight to your final destination. If you're not sure, ask your airline at check-in for your first flight. ## If you want to leave the airport You're entering China, even for a few hours, so you need permission to do so. For most Western passports it's free and given at the border: there's nothing to apply for in advance. | Passport | What you need to leave Pudong | | --- | --- | | United States | 240-hour visa-free transit: a ticket on to a third country within 10 days | | United Kingdom, Canada | 240-hour transit, or the 30-day visa-free entry until 31 December 2026 | | EU and Schengen | 240-hour transit for every EU country, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland; most can also use the 30-day entry | | Australia, New Zealand | 240-hour transit, or the 30-day visa-free entry until 31 December 2026 | | India | A Chinese visa | ### The 240-hour visa-free transit This is the rule that covers a layover. It lets you stay in China for up to 10 days without a visa, on four conditions: - **Your passport** is an ordinary passport from one of the 57 countries on the list (below), valid for at least 3 more months. - **Your next flight goes on to a third country or region**: anywhere but the country you flew in from. London to Shanghai to Hong Kong qualifies, so Hong Kong counts; London to Shanghai and back to London doesn't. - **The onward ticket is confirmed**, with a seat and a date within 240 hours. Have the booking on your phone or on paper to show the officer. - **You stay within the permitted area.** Shanghai is in it, so a trip into the city is fine. The 10 days are counted from midnight after the day you arrive, so a layover is well inside them. It's free, and the border officer decides on the spot after checking your documents. The 57 countries are Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. ### The 30-day visa-free entry Passports from 50 countries can enter China for up to 30 days for tourism, business, visits or transit, whatever their next flight. The list includes the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, Norway and every EU country except the Czech Republic and Lithuania. The US isn't on it. For the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the EU countries on the list and most of the others, it runs until 31 December 2026, unless China extends it; check your country on the National Immigration Administration's list before a trip in 2027. For a layover it changes little: if your passport is on both lists, the 240-hour transit covers you anyway, with no end date. ### A visa, for Indian and other passports India isn't on either list. To leave the airport you need a Chinese visa, applied for at a Chinese embassy or consulate before you travel. Under the 24-hour rule, border officers can give a passenger on a through ticket a temporary entry permit at the airport, but it's at their discretion, and it's refused if your passport has less than 3 months left. Don't plan a trip into town around it. ## If you're on separate tickets If you booked your two flights separately, your bags aren't checked through: you pass the border, collect them, then check in and go through security again. So you need permission to enter China even if you never planned to leave the airport: the 240-hour transit or the 30-day entry for most Western passports, or a visa. With an Indian passport, plan on a visa. ## At the border - **Arrival card.** Every visitor entering China fills one in. You can do it online before you land, or at the border from a QR code or on paper. You don't need one if you stay airside. - **Fingerprints.** You register your fingerprints at the border. - **Your onward booking.** On the 240-hour transit, the officer checks your ticket to a third country, so have it ready. - **Time.** Pudong publishes no queue times. This guide allows 90 minutes from landing to the metro: see [getting into the city](https://shanghailayover.com/getting-to-the-city/). ## Before you go landside - Check whether your bags are checked through to your final destination. - Keep your onward boarding pass, or your booking if you still have to check in. - Plan to be back at the airport 90 minutes before departure. If you still need to check in or drop a bag, check your airline's deadline: most close check-in 60 minutes before an international departure, but Ethiopian Airlines closes at 90, so come back earlier for it. See [getting into the city](https://shanghailayover.com/getting-to-the-city/). ## Questions people ask ### Do I need a visa to change planes at Shanghai airport? No, if you're on a through ticket to another country and leave within 24 hours. Pudong is one of the Chinese airports where passengers changing planes this way skip border control altogether: you follow the transfer signs, go through security and wait for your flight. That holds for every passport, India's included. ### Do Indian passport holders need a visa for a Shanghai layover? Only to leave the airport. India isn't on the 240-hour transit list or the 30-day list, so going into Shanghai needs a Chinese visa. Changing planes past security on a through ticket within 24 hours needs no visa. On separate tickets you pass the border to collect your bags, so plan on a visa then too. ### Do US citizens need a visa to leave Shanghai airport on a layover? No, if your next flight goes on to a third country within 10 days: US passports qualify for China's 240-hour visa-free transit. A flight back to the US doesn't count. Your passport needs at least 3 months left. The US isn't on China's 30-day visa-free list, so the 240-hour rule is the way in without a visa. ### Does Hong Kong count as a third country for the 240-hour transit? Yes. The Shanghai government gives London to Shanghai to Hong Kong as an itinerary that qualifies. What doesn't count is a flight back to the country you flew in from. ### Can I change planes at Shanghai airport on separate tickets? Yes, but you pass the border to collect your bags and check in again, so you need to be able to enter China: the 240-hour transit or the 30-day list for most Western passports, or a visa. Check-in for most international flights closes 60 minutes before departure, and Ethiopian Airlines closes at 90, so check your airline's deadline. ### What happens to visa-free entry after 31 December 2026? China's 30-day visa-free entry for the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most other countries on its list runs until 31 December 2026, unless China extends it. The 240-hour transit has no end date, so a layover stays covered for the 57 countries on its list as long as your next flight goes on to a third country. ## Sources (checked 8 November 2026) - [National Immigration Administration: visa-free transit policies (24-hour rule, 240-hour list; page of 20 Aug 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html) - [National Immigration Administration: notice of 12 Jan 2024 on border-inspection exemption for 24-hour transit (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c160935/content.html) - [National Immigration Administration: notice of 3 Nov 2025 on the 240-hour policy, passport validity and the arrival card (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c187308/content.html) - [National Immigration Administration: notice of 20 Aug 2026, Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam added (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147468/c217849/content.html) - [National Immigration Administration: unilateral visa-free countries (list as of 17 Feb 2026, checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html) - [Ministry of Foreign Affairs: 30-day visa-free entry for Canada and the UK until 31 Dec 2026 (15 Feb 2026, checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng./xw/fyrbt/fyrbt/202602/t20260215_11860467.html) - [Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles: 30-day visa-free entry extended to 31 Dec 2026 for Australia, New Zealand, most of Europe and others (4 Nov 2025, checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://losangeles.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/visa/chinavisa/202511/t20251104_11746357.htm) - [Chinese Consulate General in Montreal: 240-hour visa-free transit questions and answers (30 May 2025, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://montreal.china-consulate.gov.cn/zjfw/lszj/fhqz/cjwd2/202505/t20250530_11637915.htm) - [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: visa-free transit FAQ (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Visafreetransit/20260903/6fe4653a8b7447ba86fcf0c883db0143.html) - [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: does a London to Shanghai to Hong Kong itinerary qualify (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Visa2/20251020/b6d40e72778f4ea1a83a20f4664341d4.html) - [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: registering fingerprints and the arrival card (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-CIIE2025Service-EE/20251104/80cffb2341a24b5c8bc6ff3b5a2814ea.html) - [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: temporary entry permit FAQ (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-FAQs-TravelinShanghai/20241021/64f89ce6e77b4bf98885bacead4d2011.html) - [Shanghai Municipal People's Government: layover facilities and free tours (7 Aug 2026, checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20260807/8797f93e18e24e86ad35f46e1202dbea.html) - [Shanghai Airport Authority: check-in deadlines (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://www.shanghaiairport.com/ensh/jzsj/index.html)