Canadians can now travel to China visa-free

As of February 17, 2026, Canadian passport holders will now be able to travel to China without requiring a visa, for stays of up to 30 days.

This policy will remain effective until at least December 31, 2026.

Per an announcement made by the People’s Republic of China's (PRC’s) Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Canadians travelling for business, tourism, personal visits, exchange trips, and/or transiting through the PRC will now be able to do so without requiring a visa.

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No information has yet been provided as to whether the policy will continue or be reassessed after December 31 of this year.

Canadian citizens will still need to seek visas if they wish 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; and/or
• Remain in the PRC for any period of time longer than 30 days.

Passport holders from the United Kingdom will now also benefit from visa-free travel to the PRC under the same conditions.

Until now, the PRC has remained one of the few countries to which Canadians did not have visa-free access, leading to lengthy visa processing times for Canadian nationals wishing to visit the country.

The PRC’s Nationality Laws also do not recognize dual citizenship, meaning that roughly 1.7 million (as of the 2021 census) Chinese-origin Canadian citizens were also previously subject to these newly lifted entry requirements.

Before today’s policy change, Canadians could only travel visa-free, specifically to the special administrative region of Hainan province, for up to 30 days at a time.

The ability of Canadian nationals to remain in China during transit periods has now also been expanded from 10 days (at select ports of entry) to 30 days.

Canada now joins 49 other countries exempt from visa-entry requirements to the PRC:

A month in the works

The first mentions of visa-free travel for Canadians to the PRC came approximately one month ago, following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the Asian country to facilitate closer trade ties between the two nations.

As part of a January 16 press conference held during Carney’s visit, the prime minister welcomed the promise of visa-free travel and also touched on the possibility of further paths to collaboration between Chinese and Canadian artists and businesspeople.

Carney’s visit also marked the first time in more than eight years that a Canadian prime minister had made an official trip to the PRC, indicative of a significant shift in Ottawa’s posture towards Beijing.

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