Canadians now get visa-free travel to China , i.e., starting February 17, 2026, Canadian passport holders can travel to China without a visa for short stays. Canadians can now visit for up to 30 days without applying for a visa in advance.
This new policy will stay in place until at least December 31, 2026.
According to an announcement from the People’s Republic of China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Canadians can travel visa-free for business, tourism, personal visits, exchange trips, or transit. This makes travel easier and faster for many people who wish to visit China.
So far, there has been no update on whether this visa-free policy will continue after December 31, 2026.
Canadian citizens will still need to apply for a visa if they plan to:
- Take up paid employment or other paid work that would normally require a work visa or residence permit
- Enroll in long-term / degree studies
- Remain in the PRC for any period of time longer than 30 days
Passport holders from the United Kingdom will also benefit from visa-free travel to China under the same rules.
Until this change, China was one of the few countries where Canadians needed a visa before travelling. This often led to long processing times and extra paperwork.
China’s nationality laws do not recognize dual citizenship. Because of this, around 1.7 million Chinese-origin Canadian citizens, based on the 2021 census, were also required to follow the same visa rules before this update.
Previously, Canadians could only travel visa-free to Hainan province, a special administrative region, for up to 30 days.
Transit rules have also changed. Canadian travelers can now stay in China for up to 30 days during transit, instead of the earlier 10-day limit at selected entry points.
Canada now joins 49 other countries exempt from visa-entry requirements to the PRC:
Visa-Exempt Countries To The PRC
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei*
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Republic of Korea
- Romania
- Russia**
- Saudi Arabia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- UK
- Uruguay
Unless otherwise indicated, visa waivers for all the above countries remain effective until December 31, 2026.
*No expiry date on visa waivers
**Visa waiver remains effective until September 14, 2026
A Change That Took Shape Over A Month
As Canadians now get visa-free travel to China, it is important to note that the first signs of this policy came about a month ago. Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China to improve trade and relations between the two countries.
During a January 16 press conference, Carney welcomed the plan for visa-free travel. He also spoke about building stronger ties between Canadian and Chinese artists and businesses.
This visit was the first official trip to China by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years. It signals a new phase in relations between Ottawa and Beijing.
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