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Do you need a visa?A two-minute answer, with a checker for the 50 visa-free nationalities.
Landing at PudongMaglev, metro, taxi or Didi — and the first two hours, sorted.
Your first factory visitHow to arrange it, what to ask on the floor, and the red flags.
Pay like a localAlipay and WeChat Pay with your foreign cards, set up in minutes.
The five tracks, in trip order
Visa & Entry
Do you need one, which type, how to apply, visa-free routes Payments & Tax Refunds
Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, cash, tax-free shopping Getting Around
High-speed rail, eSIM, metro, maps that work Business Trips & Factories
Canton Fair, factory visits, supplier meetings Trip Itineraries
Day-by-day routes for 7, 10 and 14 days — shaped by the visa clock
Do you need one, which type, how to apply, visa-free routes Payments & Tax Refunds
Alipay, WeChat Pay, cards, cash, tax-free shopping Getting Around
High-speed rail, eSIM, metro, maps that work Business Trips & Factories
Canton Fair, factory visits, supplier meetings Trip Itineraries
Day-by-day routes for 7, 10 and 14 days — shaped by the visa clock
Every guide, track by track
Visa & Entry9 guides
Do You Need a Visa for China? The Complete 2026 Guide
Whether you need a visa for China depends on your passport and your trip. The 50-country visa-free list, the 240-hour transit rule, tourist visas, UK fees and processing times — checked against official sources, updated October 2026. Chinese Visa Application Service Centres in the UK: Addresses, Fees & How to Apply
Where to apply for a China visa in the UK — London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast centre addresses (two have just moved), the online-then-in-person process, consular fee vs service fee, and processing times. China Visa Application Step-by-Step: The COVA Form, Documents & What Gets Rejected
How to fill in the COVA online visa form without mistakes — field by field, the six errors that get applications bounced, what to bring to the centre, and how long it takes. China Visa Photo Requirements: Exact Size, Digital Specs & Why Photos Get Rejected
China visa photos are 33 × 48 mm — not the 35 × 45 mm used in the UK and Schengen. Exact print and digital specifications, head measurements, background rules, and the five mistakes that get applications rejected. China Visa-Free Entry 2026: 50 Countries, 240-Hour Transit & Full Lists
The complete lists: the 50 countries with 30-day visa-free entry, the 29 mutual-exemption countries, and the 57 countries eligible for 240-hour visa-free transit — plus the four conditions and which one applies to you. Hong Kong to Mainland China: Do You Need a Visa?
Crossing from Hong Kong into mainland China is a full border entry. Whether the 240-hour transit works from West Kowloon, why the 144-hour Pearl River Delta scheme doesn't apply to individuals, and what a Shenzhen day trip actually requires. China Visa Fees & Processing Times (2026): Consular Fee vs Service Fee
What a Chinese visa actually costs: the reduced consular fee schedule by nationality, the separate CVASC service fee, express surcharges, and how long standard, express and urgent processing take. China Business Visa (M Visa): Invitation Letter, Multiple Entry & What It Doesn't Allow
What the Chinese M business visa actually requires: the three blocks your invitation letter must contain, the form-field mistakes that get applications sent back, how 5-year multiple entry works, and why business travel is not employment. China Tourist Visa (L Visa): What You Need, and Whether You Need One at All
When a China tourist (L) visa is actually required, the documents the visa centre asks for, why flight and hotel bookings or an invitation letter are alternatives rather than both, duration of stay, and how extensions work.
Whether you need a visa for China depends on your passport and your trip. The 50-country visa-free list, the 240-hour transit rule, tourist visas, UK fees and processing times — checked against official sources, updated October 2026. Chinese Visa Application Service Centres in the UK: Addresses, Fees & How to Apply
Where to apply for a China visa in the UK — London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast centre addresses (two have just moved), the online-then-in-person process, consular fee vs service fee, and processing times. China Visa Application Step-by-Step: The COVA Form, Documents & What Gets Rejected
How to fill in the COVA online visa form without mistakes — field by field, the six errors that get applications bounced, what to bring to the centre, and how long it takes. China Visa Photo Requirements: Exact Size, Digital Specs & Why Photos Get Rejected
China visa photos are 33 × 48 mm — not the 35 × 45 mm used in the UK and Schengen. Exact print and digital specifications, head measurements, background rules, and the five mistakes that get applications rejected. China Visa-Free Entry 2026: 50 Countries, 240-Hour Transit & Full Lists
The complete lists: the 50 countries with 30-day visa-free entry, the 29 mutual-exemption countries, and the 57 countries eligible for 240-hour visa-free transit — plus the four conditions and which one applies to you. Hong Kong to Mainland China: Do You Need a Visa?
Crossing from Hong Kong into mainland China is a full border entry. Whether the 240-hour transit works from West Kowloon, why the 144-hour Pearl River Delta scheme doesn't apply to individuals, and what a Shenzhen day trip actually requires. China Visa Fees & Processing Times (2026): Consular Fee vs Service Fee
What a Chinese visa actually costs: the reduced consular fee schedule by nationality, the separate CVASC service fee, express surcharges, and how long standard, express and urgent processing take. China Business Visa (M Visa): Invitation Letter, Multiple Entry & What It Doesn't Allow
What the Chinese M business visa actually requires: the three blocks your invitation letter must contain, the form-field mistakes that get applications sent back, how 5-year multiple entry works, and why business travel is not employment. China Tourist Visa (L Visa): What You Need, and Whether You Need One at All
When a China tourist (L) visa is actually required, the documents the visa centre asks for, why flight and hotel bookings or an invitation letter are alternatives rather than both, duration of stay, and how extensions work.
Payments & Tax Refunds1 guide
Getting Around3 guides
China's High-Speed Rail for Foreigners: Booking With a Passport, Train Types & Station Tips
How to book China's high-speed trains with a foreign passport: the 12306 English version, the 15-day sales window, what G/D/C mean, real-name gates, luggage limits and refund rules — source-checked for 2026. Staying Online in China: eSIM, Local SIM, and What to Do Before You Board
Which phones can actually use an eSIM in mainland China, why a data-only travel eSIM leaves you without a Chinese number for verification codes, what buying a local SIM at the airport involves, and the two setup steps that must happen before you fly. Pudong Airport to Shanghai: Maglev, Metro or Taxi — and Your First Two Hours
How to get from Pudong Airport into Shanghai — the Maglev, Metro Line 2, taxis and ride-hailing compared, what to set up in your first two hours (eSIM, Alipay, hotel address), and the late-arrival case where the choice is made for you.
How to book China's high-speed trains with a foreign passport: the 12306 English version, the 15-day sales window, what G/D/C mean, real-name gates, luggage limits and refund rules — source-checked for 2026. Staying Online in China: eSIM, Local SIM, and What to Do Before You Board
Which phones can actually use an eSIM in mainland China, why a data-only travel eSIM leaves you without a Chinese number for verification codes, what buying a local SIM at the airport involves, and the two setup steps that must happen before you fly. Pudong Airport to Shanghai: Maglev, Metro or Taxi — and Your First Two Hours
How to get from Pudong Airport into Shanghai — the Maglev, Metro Line 2, taxis and ride-hailing compared, what to set up in your first two hours (eSIM, Alipay, hotel address), and the late-arrival case where the choice is made for you.
Business Trips & Factories2 guides
Canton Fair 2027: Dates, Phases, Free Buyer Registration and the Scams to Avoid
Canton Fair 2027 (141st session) dates and phases, where it is, how overseas buyers register free of charge, how the invitation letter works for a Chinese visa, and why you should never pay a third party for a badge. Visiting a Factory in China: What Happens on the Day and How to Prepare
How a first factory visit in China actually runs — arranging it, getting there, what the showroom-then-workshop day looks like, the questions worth asking, what the factory is quietly assessing about you, and the red flags buyers report.
Canton Fair 2027 (141st session) dates and phases, where it is, how overseas buyers register free of charge, how the invitation letter works for a Chinese visa, and why you should never pay a third party for a badge. Visiting a Factory in China: What Happens on the Day and How to Prepare
How a first factory visit in China actually runs — arranging it, getting there, what the showroom-then-workshop day looks like, the questions worth asking, what the factory is quietly assessing about you, and the red flags buyers report.