Hainan's Visa-Free Policy: The 61-Country, 30-Day Guide for 2026

Hainan operates one of China’s broadest regional visa-free regimes: ordinary-passport holders from 61 countries can enter through the island’s open ports and stay up to 30 days without a visa. Most English-language coverage still describes the previous version of the scheme — the list grew to 61 on 20 August 2026, when China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) added Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan. This guide is the current version: the full country list, what you may and may not do during the 30 days, how the stay is counted, what the December 2025 island-wide customs closure did and did not change, and how founders and business scouts can put the policy to work.

1. What the Hainan Visa-Free Policy Actually Is

The Hainan visa-free policy is a regional entry waiver that applies only to Hainan Province. It has existed since May 2018, when 59 countries were first granted 30-day visa-free access to the island — a list that has since been expanded to 61 countries (Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan were added on August 20, 2026). This was itself an upgrade from an earlier 26-country group-tour scheme. Two upgrades since then matter for planning:

• February 2024: the permitted purposes expanded beyond tourism to include business and trade activities, visits, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions, and sports competitions.
• August 2026: Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan were added, bringing the list to 61 countries.

Three structural facts define the policy. First, it is province-scoped: your activity area is the Hainan provincial administrative region — leaving for the mainland requires appropriate visa or stay formalities (Section 3). Second, entry and exit must go through Hainan’s open ports. Third, the stay is capped at 30 days, counted from the day after entry.

The policy also overlaps with China’s national waivers. Official reporting in late 2025 and early 2026 stated that 86 countries and regions could access Hainan through the combined bilateral, unilateral, regional, transit and tour-group arrangements. Those routes have different passports, purposes, ports and geographic scopes. If another national waiver or bilateral agreement applies, its rules may govern; confirm the applicable basis with the carrier and border inspection authority rather than assuming a particular route will be selected automatically.

2. The 61-Country List

Effective 20 August 2026, ordinary-passport holders from the following countries may enter Hainan visa-free for up to 30 days:

• Europe (40): Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Norway, Ukraine, Italy, Austria, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Monaco, Belarus.
• Americas (6): the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile.
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand.
• Asia (13): South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Qatar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan.

If your country is not on this list, other routes may be available. Hainan’s published port-visa guide describes seven visa categories for eligible urgent cases, subject to application, documents and authority approval. The 240-hour transit waiver now covers 57 countries and includes Haikou Meilan and Sanya Phoenix among the designated ports, but it requires confirmed onward travel to a third country or region. For longer or work-related stays, see our visa and residency guide for entrepreneurs.

3. What You Can Do — and What You Can’t

Permitted purposes under the Hainan visa-free policy: tourism, business and trade activities, visiting friends or relatives, medical treatment, exhibitions, and sports competitions.

Not permitted: employment and study. The August 2026 NIA announcement states that work, study and news reporting requiring prior approval still need the appropriate visa before travel. Visa-free entry does not itself authorize employment. A founder who will take up a post, sign an employment contract or perform day-to-day work should complete the applicable work-permit and immigration process rather than treating a business visit as employment status.

Important: visa-free entry cannot be converted into work status — working on a visa-free stay is illegal employment. For the compliant route, see our China work visa and work permit guide.

Geographic limit: your activity area is Hainan Province. If you need to travel onward to the mainland — for example, a supplier visit in Shenzhen or meetings in Shanghai — contact the Hainan public-security exit-entry administration before leaving the island to determine and apply for the appropriate visa or stay formalities. Approval is not automatic. Alternatively, enter under a national policy or visa that covers the full planned itinerary.

4. Entry Mechanics: Ports, Day Counting, Registration

• Ports: the policy applies through all open ports in Hainan. The main international passenger gateways include Haikou Meilan International Airport and Sanya Phoenix International Airport. Confirm that your chosen port, carrier and route are operating and eligible before departure.
• Day counting: the 30 days run from 00:00 on the day after entry. An arrival on the 1st of the month gives you until the end of the 31st.
• Accommodation registration: hotels register guests under the hotel-registration system. If you stay anywhere else — a friend’s apartment or a privately booked flat — you or your host must complete registration with the local public-security authority within 24 hours of check-in. Since March 2026, eligible applicants may also use the NIA’s online accommodation-registration service. Failure to register may constitute a violation.
• Overlapping policies: if your passport also qualifies under a national waiver or bilateral agreement, the alternative policy may offer a broader geographic scope. Confirm which basis applies to the actual entry and itinerary.

5. What the December 2025 Customs Closure Did — and Didn’t — Change

Hainan’s island-wide customs closure, which took effect on 18 December 2025, established a special customs supervision framework: “first line” open toward the world, “second line” managed toward the mainland, and freer circulation inside the island. It is primarily a goods-and-trade concept. For people, the National Immigration Administration stated in its January 2026 briefing that travel and entry-exit policies did not change because of the closure. Chinese travelers need no extra documents; foreign travelers continue to use the applicable passports, visas, residence documents and visa-free policies.

The direction remains toward greater entry convenience. The visa-free country list reached 61 in August 2026, and Hainan has continued upgrading port and border-inspection services. The Free Trade Port master plan also commits to progressively wider visa-free arrangements. These policy directions do not remove the need to meet the exact passport, purpose, port, duration and geographic conditions of the applicable route.

For what the closure changes on the business side — zero tariffs, second-line rules and the 15% tax regimes — see our Hainan Free Trade Port complete guide.

6. Using Your 30 Days for a Business Scouting Trip

The February 2024 expansion made “business and trade” an explicit permitted purpose, which is what makes this policy useful for founders: an eligible traveler can spend up to 30 days exploring Hainan without first applying for a visa.

A scouting trip may include visiting industry parks such as Yazhou Bay Science City in Sanya or the Software Park in Haikou, meeting registration advisers and banks, viewing co-working spaces, and talking to potential customers or partners. Keep the itinerary and evidence consistent with genuine short-term business and trade activity.

The line to respect: scouting is not working. You can negotiate, inspect, learn and plan; you cannot treat the waiver as authority to take a paid role, sign an employment contract or begin day-to-day operations. If the trip converts into a decision to set up, plan company registration first and then handle work-permit and residence procedures through the appropriate route. Registration and immigration timelines depend on documents, business scope and authority review and should not be guaranteed. Our company registration step-by-step guide covers the first half; the visa and residency guide covers the second.

If you want a local team to structure a business scouting itinerary — park visits, adviser meetings and banking pre-checks — talk to us.

7. If You Need Longer — or Need the Mainland

Longer stay: if a legitimate reason requires you to remain beyond 30 days, apply to the competent public-security exit-entry administration for the appropriate stay document before the permitted period expires. Issuance is discretionary; do not overstay while expecting later approval.

Mainland access: a traveler relying only on the Hainan regional waiver should obtain the required visa or stay formalities before leaving the island. Travelers who know in advance that they need both Hainan and mainland time should consider a national waiver, bilateral agreement or standard visa that covers the intended route.

Other waiver routes, for comparison: China’s unilateral visa-free programme covers dozens of countries with nationwide stays, while the 240-hour transit waiver covers 57 countries for passengers continuing to a third country or region. Foreign tour groups arriving via Hong Kong or Macau may enter Hainan for up to six days under a separate group policy. The Hainan scheme remains distinctive because it combines a 30-day regional stay, individual travel and permitted business and trade activities for the listed ordinary-passport holders.

For work permits, residence permits and longer-term founder planning, continue with our visa and residency guide for entrepreneurs.

FAQ

Which countries qualify for Hainan’s 30-day visa-free entry in 2026? As of 20 August 2026, the list has 61 countries: 40 in Europe, 6 in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, and 13 in Asia. Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan were the newest additions. Check the NIA’s current list before travel because entry policies can change.

Can I work in Hainan on visa-free entry? No. The policy permits tourism, business and trade activities, visits, family visits, medical treatment, exhibitions and sports — but not employment or study. Visa-free entry does not itself grant work authorization. A person who will work should obtain the required approval, visa, work permit and residence status through the applicable process.

Can I leave Hainan and visit mainland China during my 30 days? Not under the Hainan-only waiver alone: its activity area is Hainan Province. Before onward travel, apply for the appropriate visa or stay formalities with the competent Hainan exit-entry authority, or use another entry policy covering the itinerary. Approval should not be assumed.

Did the Hainan visa-free policy change after the December 2025 customs closure? No. The customs closure is primarily a goods-and-trade framework. The NIA confirmed in January 2026 that policies for people entering and leaving Hainan did not change because of the closure. Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan were later added to the Hainan list on 20 August 2026, bringing it to 61 countries.

How is the 30-day stay calculated, and can it be extended? The period is counted from 00:00 on the day after entry. If a legitimate reason requires a longer stay, apply for the appropriate stay document before the permitted period expires. The authority decides whether to issue it; overstaying without authorization violates China’s exit-entry rules.

Do I need to book through a travel agency to use the Hainan visa-free policy? The current 61-country policy does not require individual travelers to join a tour group. Eligible travelers may use an applicable invitation or self-declaration route. Carry documents supporting the stated purpose, such as accommodation bookings or a business invitation, and complete accommodation registration within 24 hours when staying outside a hotel.

Official Sources

• Regional Visa-Free Entry Policies for Foreign Nationals — National Immigration Administration (updated 20 August 2026)
• Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam Added to the Hainan 30-Day and 240-Hour Transit Policies — National Immigration Administration
• January 2026 Press Briefing: Customs Closure Did Not Change Policies for People — National Immigration Administration

This guide provides general entry-planning information, not immigration or legal advice. Policies, eligible countries, routes and local implementation can change. Confirm the current rule with the competent authority and your carrier before travel.

Before committing to a structure or supplier, use our China market-entry consulting service to map the commercial, operating and regulatory questions.