If you hold an ordinary British or Canadian passport, China is open to you without a visa for short trips in 2026 — but only inside a fixed window, only for certain purposes, and only for up to 30 days. This guide explains exactly who qualifies, what documents to carry, who still needs a visa, and how to plan a year-end trip inside the rules. Information below is current as of 25 October 2026 and is drawn from official Chinese government notices and UK government travel advice. Entry rules can change, so verify them on the official sites linked at the end before you travel.

The news in brief

China's Foreign Ministry announced on 15 February 2026 that, starting from 17 February 2026, it would extend its unilateral visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom. The Chinese Consulate-General in Calgary published the same notice: from 00:00 on 17 February 2026 to 24:00 on 31 December 2026 (Beijing Time), citizens of Canada and the UK holding ordinary passports may enter China visa-free and stay for up to 30 days.

That is the whole policy in one paragraph, and it is worth reading carefully, because every word of it is a condition: the right passport type, the right purposes, the 30-day limit, and the end date.

Who qualifies

You can enter China without a visa under this policy if all of the following are true:

You hold an ordinary passport from the United Kingdom or Canada. The policy applies to ordinary passports specifically. If you travel on any other type of passport or travel document, do not assume the waiver covers you — check with the Chinese Embassy first.

Your purpose is one of the listed purposes: business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange, or transit.

Your stay is no more than 30 days.

You travel inside the policy window, which runs from 17 February 2026 to 31 December 2026, Beijing Time.

Children are covered on the same conditions as adults, according to the Chinese consulates' visa-free FAQ — there is no separate set of requirements for minors under this waiver. Short stays for sports competitions, conferences and exhibitions, and study tours are also covered up to 30 days, provided you hold a valid ordinary passport.

How long can you stay, and what counts

The limit is 30 days per stay, not 30 days per year, and the policy window itself ends at midnight (24:00 Beijing Time) on 31 December 2026. That end date matters for year-end planning: a trip that starts in December must still fit inside the rules, and nothing in the official notices promises that the waiver will continue into 2027. Do not book a 2027 trip on the assumption that this policy will be extended. If an extension is announced, it will appear on the same official channels listed at the end of this article.

Documents to carry

Visa-free does not mean document-free. Before you travel, check these:

A valid ordinary passport from the UK or Canada. This is the document the waiver is tied to, so it must be the passport you actually travel on.

Passport validity and blank pages. UK government travel advice for China states that your passport must have an expiry date at least 6 months after the date you arrive, and 2 blank pages for visas and stamping. That is stricter than simply having a passport that covers your trip, so check the expiry date early — renewing a passport takes time, and you will be denied entry if you do not hold a valid travel document.

Proof of your trip. Carry your return or onward booking and your first accommodation details where you can find them easily. These are sensible to have for any border crossing, and they help you answer questions about the purpose and length of your stay.

Travel insurance that covers your itinerary, planned activities and emergency expenses. Insurance is not a substitute for a visa, and it does not extend a 30-day stay, but travelling without cover for medical emergencies abroad is a risk not worth taking.

Immigration authorities may also collect biometric data, such as scanned fingerprints and photographs, when registering your entry. That is a normal part of arrival, not something you need to arrange in advance.

Who still needs a visa — and how to get one

The consulate notice is explicit: individuals who do not meet the visa-free conditions are still required to obtain a visa before entering China. In practice, that means you need a visa if any of these apply:

Your stay will be longer than 30 days.

Your purpose is outside the listed purposes — for example, if you plan to work or study in China, the visa-free entry does not cover you.

You do not hold an ordinary UK or Canadian passport.

You are travelling outside the policy window.

If you need a visa, apply before you travel through the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre in your country. Check the centre's official site for the current application form, supporting documents, fees and processing times, and apply well ahead of departure — do not leave a visa application to the final week before a trip. Visa fees and processing times are not stated in this article because they vary and change; the visa centre's own pages are the only reliable source for them.

Travellers on other passports are not covered by this UK and Canada announcement at all. If you hold a different passport, check the official visa-free country list and your own embassy's guidance before booking — never assume another country's waiver applies to you.

Planning a year-end trip to China

If you are thinking about a December trip, the calendar is your friend and your limit at the same time. A short, well-planned visit fits the policy neatly: a week or two of tourism in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an or Chengdu, for example, sits comfortably inside 30 days. The mistakes to avoid are all avoidable ones: booking a trip that runs past the 31 December 2026 end of the policy without checking whether the rules still cover you, arriving with a passport short on validity or blank pages, or assuming a visa-free entry lets you work or study.

A simple pre-departure checklist covers it: ordinary passport, validity and blank pages checked, trip inside the policy window, stay within 30 days, purpose within the listed purposes, return booking and first hotel to hand, insurance in place, and a final check of the official notices below before you fly.

Common questions

Do British citizens need a visa for China in 2026? For an ordinary passport, a listed purpose and a stay of up to 30 days inside the policy window, no — the waiver covers you. Outside those conditions, yes, apply before you travel.

Do Canadians need a visa for China in 2026? The same answer: ordinary Canadian passport holders are covered by the same waiver, on the same dates and conditions.

Can I enter more than once? The official notices set a 30-day limit per stay and a policy end date. They do not promise unlimited re-entry, so if you plan back-to-back trips, confirm the position with the embassy or visa centre before relying on it.

Does the waiver cover Hong Kong and Macao? Hong Kong and Macao operate separate immigration arrangements from mainland China, so check their entry rules separately before adding them to a trip.

What if the policy is extended? Extensions to this kind of policy have happened before for other countries, but no extension for the UK and Canada beyond 31 December 2026 has been announced in the official notices used for this article. Plan on the basis that the waiver ends on that date, and treat any extension as good news if it comes.

Official sources to check before you travel

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks on including Canada and the UK in the visa-free programme (15 February 2026).

Notice on Visa-free Policy for Canada and the UK, Consulate-General of China in Calgary (16 February 2026).

Chinese consulate visa-free FAQ (updated 21 May 2026).

GOV.UK Foreign Travel Advice — China, Entry requirements, including passport validity.

Rules change, and the Chinese authorities set and enforce entry rules. If anything in your trip is unusual — a non-ordinary passport, a stay near the 30-day limit, a purpose you are unsure about — contact the Chinese Embassy before you book. That one check is cheaper than a refused entry.