Visa

Bottom line for this trip: if you're flying through Hong Kong first (Oct 16) and Hong Kong is a separate stamp from mainland China, the cleanest path for most western passport holders is a regular L tourist visaapplied for before you fly. The transit-without-visa schemes are tempting but the trip is 17 days across many cities — too risky to lean on them.

The options

1 · Standard L tourist visa (recommended for this itinerary)

• Single or multiple entry, typically 30 or 60 days per stay.
• Apply at a Chinese Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) — for US/UK/EU/IE/AU passports the process is in-person fingerprinting then mail-in.
• Cost: roughly €100-150 + service fee. ~5-10 working days.
• Need: passport (6+ months validity), filled CVASC form, hotel bookings or invitation, return flights, recent passport photo, proof of funds sometimes asked.
• Hong Kong is separate — you can enter HK visa-free for 7-180 days depending on passport, then cross into mainland on your L visa. The L visa starts counting on mainland entry, not HK.

2 · 240-hour visa-free transit (10 days)

Expanded December 2024 — citizens of 54 countries (incl. US, UK, IE, all EU, AU, NZ, JP, KR) can transit visa-free for up to 240 hours / 10 days if entering and exiting via different ports of entry, with onward ticket to a third country.

• Doesn't fit this trip — it's only 10 days, you have 17.
• Could work as a fallback if visa applications fall through and you trim the trip.
• You declare it to the airline at check-in and at immigration — get the right stamp.

3 · 144-hour transit (legacy, still works in most regions)

Same idea as 240-hour, just shorter. Largely superseded but still in force in some smaller airports.

4 · Visa-free for short stays (some passports)

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Australia, and several others can now enter mainland China visa-free for up to 30 daysfor tourism — this is the simplest path if your passport qualifies. Check the Chinese embassy site for your country to confirm and note the rules:

• Entry must be tourism/business/family/transit (not work or study).
• Must hold a return ticket.
• 30 days from entry, single stay (re-entry resets if you leave and come back).

This is probably the right answer for IE/EU passports on this trip. 17 days fits inside the 30-day window cleanly.

For Hong Kong specifically

• HK is administered separately. Most western passports get 90-180 days visa-free on arrival.
• Going HK → mainland is treated as a fresh entry. Bring your mainland visa (or qualify for visa-free).
• Easy crossings: Lo Wu / Lok Ma Chau / Shenzhen Bay (train + walk), or HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge bus.

Procedural matters every comrade must observe

• Passport must have 6 months validity from entry date and 2+ blank pages.
• Register at your hotel within 24 hours of arrival in each city — hotels do this automatically. If you stay in a private home/Airbnb you must register at the local police station within 24h.
• Don't overstay. China is very strict; even a one-day overstay is a fine and possible re-entry ban.
• Photocopy your passport + visa page. Carry a copy, leave the original in your hotel safe.

Useful links

• Chinese Visa Application Service Center — the official CVASC portal, find your local center
• Official 240-hour transit policy
• HK Immigration — visit visa requirements

Last updated April 2026. Verify with your consulate before applying — entry rules change quarterly and this page might lag reality.