China Travel Update: July 2026

Three things happened this month that affect people planning trips. One is in force, one is a stated intention with no date attached, and one is scheduled for later in the year.

Telling them apart is the point of this page.

In force now

Departure tax refund overhauled — effective 1 July 2026

The biggest practical change of the month, and it affects anyone shopping in China.

China implemented an upgraded departure tax refund policy from 1 July 2026, introducing a package of measures reported to include:

• Fully digital processing of refunds
• A 28-day refund-upon-purchase window, extending the period in which an immediate in-store refund can be claimed
• Simplified airport inspection for lower-value claims
• Expanded coverage of tax refund services across major tourist destinations

What this means for you: the instant-refund route is materially easier than it was, and the paperwork burden at the departure airport is reduced for smaller claims.

What has not changed: you still need to shop at participating stores, meet the minimum purchase threshold, keep the documents, and present goods for customs check where required.

Affects: China Tax Refund Guide for Foreign Tourists — updated.

Online accommodation registration pilot — effective 20 March 2026, still seven regions

Not new this month, and repeated because it is the single most misunderstood current rule.

Foreigners staying somewhere other than a hotel — a private apartment, a friend's home — must register with the public security organs within 24 hours. Since 20 March 2026 this can be done online, through the NIA website, the NIA 12367 app or its WeChat mini programme, by either the guest or the host, with the same legal validity as an in-person filing.

The pilot covers seven provincial-level regions: Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Hubei, Guangxi, Chongqing and Sichuan.

It does not cover Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shaanxi or anywhere else. In those places the in-person route at a police station still applies.

We have seen no announcement expanding the pilot during July. If you are relying on the online route, check the current list before you travel.

Affects: Accommodation Registration in China, Can Foreigners Use Airbnb in China?

Unilateral visa exemption — 50 countries, extended through 2026

Current position, unchanged this month.

Ordinary passport holders from 50 countries may enter mainland China and stay up to 30 days without a visa, for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit. Canada and the United Kingdom were added on 17 February 2026.

The trial policy has been extended through 31 December 2026 for most countries.

The expiry date is the thing to watch. It has been extended more than once and it is not permanent. If you are booking travel for early 2027, do not assume.

Affects: China Visa-Free Entry Explained

Announced, not yet in force

Further visa-free refinement and digital immigration services — announced 24 July 2026

On 24 July 2026, Qi Yanjun, vice minister of public security, outlined a set of measures as part of China's opening-up agenda. Reported elements:

• Refining visa-free transit and entry programmes — no specific countries, durations or ports named
• Digitising travel documents, including passports and border-area travel permits
• Widening expedited and "smart" customs clearance channels
• Gradually extending fully online processing for immigration services

No effective dates were attached to any of this. It is a statement of direction from a senior official, which is a meaningful signal in the Chinese policy system and is not a rule you can rely on.

What to do with it: nothing yet. If you are planning a trip for late 2026 or 2027, it is a reason to re-check the entry rules closer to departure rather than a reason to change plans now.

Unified foreign-card acceptance in Alipay and WeChat Pay — targeted Q4 2026

Reported plans indicate that by the fourth quarter of 2026, a unified interface will allow Alipay and WeChat Pay to accept UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Discover cards directly.

Current position, unchanged: direct foreign-card binding already works in Alipay, with no service fee on transactions of ¥200 or under and a fee of around 3% above that. The Q4 change is about standardising and broadening the plumbing rather than introducing card acceptance from nothing.

Watch for: whether the fee structure changes alongside it. That is the part that would actually affect what you pay.

Affects: Alipay in China: Setup, Fees and What Actually Breaks

Context, for scale

Not rules, and useful for understanding why the direction of travel is what it is.

• 17.8 million visa-free entries by foreign nationals in the first half of 2026, up 30.6% year on year
• 369 million total inbound and outbound border crossings handled in the first half of 2026, a record
• 7.83 million foreign passenger journeys on Chinese railways in the first four months of 2026, up 33.9% year on year
• A five-year tourism plan targeting substantially higher annual international arrivals by 2030, with commitments on aviation links, digital travel services and simplified entry

The short read: inbound travel is growing quickly from a low base, and the policy direction is consistently towards making entry easier. That has held for three years and it is the reason the rules keep moving.

Still true, and worth repeating

Things that have not changed and that people continue to get wrong.

240-hour visa-free transit still requires an onward ticket to a third country or region. Returning to where you came from does not qualify. Hong Kong and Macau count as third regions.

The transit clock starts at 00:00 on the day after entry, not on arrival.

Seven regions remain outside the 240-hour transit area: Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu and Jilin.

Tibet requires a Tibet Travel Permit in addition to a visa, arranged through a licensed agency, and cannot be visited on a transit permit.

12306 rail tickets go on sale approximately 15 days ahead, real-name against your passport.

Forbidden City tickets release seven days ahead at around 20:00 Beijing time, ¥60 peak season and ¥40 off-peak, closed Mondays outside statutory holidays.

Airbnb has had no mainland China listings since July 2022.

Sources

• Xinhua, 24 July 2026: China to refine visa-free policy and streamline entry procedures — https://english.news.cn/20260724/fbe7a773574d428b974be08c74a3a7a5/c.html
• National Immigration Administration, online accommodation registration — https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147413/c196926/content.html
• NIA policy interpretation of the registration pilot — https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c197328/content.html
• NIA visa-free transit information — https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183412/content.html
• NIA unilateral visa exemption information — https://en.nia.gov.cn/n147418/n147463/c183390/content.html
• Xinhua, 10 July 2026: cross-border trips in the first half of 2026 — https://english.news.cn/20260710/0ea82e41eccb46a0bae2a118289c32c5/c.html

Items sourced from state media reporting of official announcements are marked with the announcement date. Where a primary NIA or ministry document exists, it is linked above and takes precedence.

Nothing here is an immigration decision. Confirm your own position with the National Immigration Administration and the Chinese embassy or consulate responsible for where you legally reside before booking non-refundable travel.

Last reviewed: 30 July 2026.

Next update: end of August 2026. Previous updates