You need to apply for a visa unless you belong to the following categories:

(1)According to bilateral agreements, citizens of some countries(List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption between the P.R. China and Foreign Countries)holding appropriate passports may enter China without a visa provided that their stay in China shall not exceed 30 days from the date of entry into China. While in China, they should apply to the department concerned for the extension of the duration of stay in advance if they want to stay longer.

(2)Citizens of Singapore, Brunei and Japan holding ordinary passports may enter China without a visa through the ports of entry open to foreigners provided that they come to China for tourism, family visit, business or transit, and intend to stay in China for no more than 15 days. However, the following personnel of these three countries must apply for a visa in advance if: a)They are holders of ordinary passports, and come to China for tourism, family visit or business, and intend to stay in China for more than 15 days; and b)They are holders of ordinary passports, and come to China for study, employment, permanent residence or on a news reporting mission; and c)They are holders of diplomatic and service (official) passports;

(3)Foreigners holding ordinary passports of the countries having diplomatic relation with China and on a tour to Hong Kong or Macao, and participating in group tours to the Zhu Jiang River (Pearl River) Delta Area for a stay of no more than six days organized by the travel services legally registered in Hong Kong or Macao shall not need to apply for a visa. The Zhu Jiang River (Pearl River) Delta Area refers to the administrative area of the 10 cities below: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou and Shantou.

(4)Foreigners who have confirmed onward tickets and seats on international flights and directly transit through China and stay for no more than 24 hours within the airport boundaries shall not need to apply for a transit visa.

(5)Citizens holding ordinary passports of the following 21 countries and in group tours to Hainan Province for a stay of no more than 15 days organized by the international travel services approved by the National Tourism Administration of China and registered in Hainan Province shall not need to apply for a visa: Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, the UK, France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Ukraine and the Republic of Kazakhstan

(6)Citizens holding ordinary passports of the following 3 countries and in group tours to Hainan Province for a stay of no more than 15 days organized by the international travel services approved by the National Tourism Administration of China and registered in Hainan Province shall not need to apply for a visa: Republic of Korea, Germany, Russia

(7)Part of the personnel of foreign airline offices resident in China and crew members on international flights and trains are exempted from visa requirements or entitled to simplified visa application procedures in accordance with the agreements between the Chinese Government and the governments of their respective countries

Except for the foreign citizens mentioned-above, all other foreigners shall have to apply for a visa in advance.