Do Australians need a visa for China?

Travelling on an Australian passport? You don’t need a visa for a normal trip to China, and you can stay up to 30 days. The reason this page exists is that a lot of information online is stuck on the old number: when the scheme first launched it was a 15-day trial, and plenty of articles never updated. It’s been 30 days since late 2024 and remains so through 2026. If you’ve been holding off a trip because you thought a fortnight was the cap, that’s no longer the case.

Why you keep seeing “15 days”

The timeline explains the confusion:

• 1 July 2024 — China launched visa-free entry for Australians as a trial, capped at 15 days.
• November 2024 — the cap was doubled to 30 days.
• Since then — it’s been extended, and currently runs through the end of 2026.

So any guide written in mid-2024, or copied from one, still says 15 days. The current, correct figure is 30 days per entry. The official description is straightforward:

“Citizens holding ordinary passports of Australia … travelling to China for business, tourism, family visit, exchange and transit purposes, with the duration of each single stay not exceeding 30 days, are eligible for visa-free entry.” — Chinese Embassy in Australia

What to bring

Almost nothing — that’s the point of the scheme. Have these on hand in case you’re asked at the border:

• An Australian passport valid comfortably beyond your trip (six months is the safe benchmark).
• A return or onward ticket within 30 days.
• Accommodation details — a hotel booking or an address.

The single digital step worth doing is the China Digital Arrival Card, completed online before you land. It replaces the old paper arrival form and shortens the immigration queue.

The 30-day rule’s edges

Generous, but bounded:

• 30 days is the hard limit per entry. Need longer? That’s a visa, arranged ahead of time.
• Tourism-type purposes only. Paid work, study, or journalism need the matching visa regardless of how short the trip is.
• Date-limited. It’s tied to the end of 2026 for now. For a 2027 trip, check it’s been renewed before you bank on it.

If your plans fall outside those lines, the fallback is the standard visa through a Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide.

A note for New Zealanders

If you’re reading this from across the Tasman: New Zealand ordinary passport holders are also covered by the 30-day visa-free scheme, on the same terms. The practical advice below applies equally.

Before you go

Entry is no longer the hard part of a China trip — staying connected and paying for things is what catches first-timers:

• Australian phone plans don’t roam usefully in China; grab a China travel eSIM before you fly.
• Foreign cards and cash are awkward; set up Alipay with an Australian card and you’ll pay like a local everywhere.

From there it’s timing and route — see the best time to visit China and our city guides to Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu.

Other nationalities

• United States — not visa-free; needs a visa or transit
• United Kingdom — visa-free since February 2026
• Canada — visa-free since February 2026
• India — visa required
• The two visa-free schemes, fully explained

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Last verified: 14 June 2026. Visa rules change frequently and the visa-free policy has a published end date. This is a general guide, not legal advice — confirm your own case with the National Immigration Administration or the Chinese Embassy in Australia before booking.