Question

Asked by Callie from usa | Apr. 09, 2026 07:59

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Layovers

Hi,

I am a U.S. passport holder who will be traveling to China for only 4 days for a conference. The region the conference is in is eligible for the 240 hour rule. However, the only country I plan to stop in on my way home is only for a layover. Do layovers count?

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Answers (1)

Answered by Borut | Apr. 09, 2026 21:43

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Yes, layovers definitely count. The basic rule of 240 hour visa free transit requires that the immediate points before and after mainland China are located in two different countries or eligible territories (eligible territories are Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau).

Just to conclude, if you arrive to mainland China by non-stop flight from US and you leave mainland China to US via, for example, South Korea, your itinerary is eligible for 240 hour visa free transit, but if you have layovers on both of your segments in the same country, your itinerary would not be eligible one. I hope this helps.

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