Choose your entry route before buying tickets

Start with your actual passport or travel permit, the purpose of the visit, the number of days and the full route into and out of mainland China. A normal visa exemption is often the simplest choice for an eligible passport holder visiting several parts of Yunnan. A 240-hour transit stay needs a different onward country or region and limits the places you can visit.

Ordinary passport visa exemptions

For a tourism visit, check the policy for the country that issued your ordinary passport. An emergency or other temporary travel document needs its own document check.

The unilateral 30-day exemption covers ordinary passports from countries including France, Germany, Spain, Japan and South Korea through 31 December 2026. Russia's corresponding exemption runs through 31 December 2027. Under this unilateral policy, the passport must remain valid for the intended stay.

Bilateral agreements have their own terms. An ordinary Malaysian passport needs at least six months' validity; the agreement allows 30 days per entry and a total of 90 days in any 180 days. Thailand's ordinary-passport agreement also allows 30 days per entry and 90 days in any 180 days.

For the 30-day exemptions above, the stay count begins at 00:00 on the day after entry. Keep the entry record and plan departure within the permitted period. Prepare a return or onward booking and the first accommodation's name, Chinese address and contact details so you can show the route and purpose of your trip.

When a 240-hour transit stay fits Yunnan

Use this route when you hold an ordinary passport from one of the current 57 eligible countries and travel from country or region A through mainland China to a different country or region C. Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan can be an onward region. The places before and after mainland China must differ.

Your passport or international travel document must have at least three months' validity. Before departure, book an onward ticket with a confirmed date and seat within the permitted period and hold the documents needed to enter that next destination. At the entry port, apply for the transit stay and keep the temporary entry permit. The 240 hours begin at 00:00 on the following day; use the actual departure deadline shown on your permit.

Yunnan's eligible entry ports are 昆明长水国际机场, 丽江三义国际机场 and 磨憨铁路口岸. Mohan's road crossing and Hekou's road crossing are different ports and are not on this Yunnan 240-hour entry list.

Within Yunnan, the permitted administrative areas are Kunming, Yuxi, Chuxiong, Honghe, Wenshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Dali and Lijiang. Shangri-La is in Diqing, outside this list. Nujiang, Baoshan and Dehong are also outside it. For a route that continues from Lijiang to Shangri-La, choose a suitable ordinary visa exemption or visa that covers your planned visit. If your transit route continues into another province, use the NIA permitted-area and exit-port table to plan that onward leg.

Apply for a tourist visa when your route needs one

An L visa is the usual tourism visa. Choose the Chinese embassy or authorized application centre serving your actual place of residence. Start at the Chinese Visa Application Service Center country and centre selector, or the Chinese consular visa system used by the relevant mission.

Prepare your passport, blank visa pages, the requested photo and an itinerary. The usual basic passport requirement for a visa application is at least six months' validity. Tourist materials commonly include flight and hotel bookings or an invitation; follow the chosen centre's actual checklist. If applying in a country of which you are not a national, prepare evidence of lawful stay or residence there.

Complete the online form and upload the requested documents. Follow the resulting instructions for passport submission, any appointment, payment and collection. The centre's instructions determine the steps, fee and processing schedule for that application.

On receiving the visa, read three fields: ENTER BEFORE is the latest entry date, ending at 24:00 Beijing time; ENTRIES is the number of entries available; DURATION OF EACH STAY gives the allowed days for each stay, counted from the day after entry. Match these fields to both your inbound and outbound travel dates.

Finish entry at your first mainland stop

If you fly into Shanghai or Guangzhou before taking a domestic flight to Kunming, that first mainland airport is where you complete entry. A flight connection in Hong Kong followed by a flight to Kunming places mainland entry in Kunming. Leave time in the connection for the actual border and baggage steps.

Foreign passport travelers can fill the arrival card before travel through the official NIA arrival-card service. Have your travel document, flight or entry details and first accommodation address ready. Port QR codes, equipment and paper forms are also available under the official procedure. Completing the card is one step in entry; present the travel document, applicable visa or transit materials and trip details to the border officer.

Travel from Hong Kong or Macao with the right document

Choose the permit for your actual status

Chinese nationals who are Hong Kong or Macao residents use the appropriate 港澳居民来往内地通行证, often called a Home Return Permit. Apply or renew through the authorized China Travel Service channel for Hong Kong or Macao, using its current identity and document requirements. A Hong Kong or Macao identity card alone is not the mainland entry document.

Non-Chinese Hong Kong or Macao permanent residents have a separate Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens). It is valid for five years, allows multiple entries and a stay of up to 90 days each time. It covers purposes such as tourism and visits.

For a first application, attend the authorized CTS office in person. Prepare your valid permanent resident identity card, an ordinary passport with at least six months' validity, the required photo and application form, and a nationality certificate issued within the previous six months. In Hong Kong, the relevant Immigration Department application is 索取資料申請通知書; in Macao, the document is 個人資料證明書. Start through CTS Hong Kong's non-Chinese permit service or CTS Macao's corresponding service.

Carry the issued permit for mainland entry. Holders of this non-Chinese permit are exempt from filling the arrival card. If you instead enter with a foreign passport, apply the visa or exemption rules for that passport in the preceding section.

Compare a flight with the train to Kunming

Curved glass facade and entrance plaza of Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station, photographed in October 2018
Photo by N509FZ

A flight can suit a route starting near an airport or continuing to a Yunnan destination beyond Kunming. Compare the actual airline itinerary's mainland arrival airport, arrival time and onward ground journey. For a Macao departure, compare flights from your practical departure airport with the full transfer to Hong Kong West Kowloon before choosing rail; include that transfer in the journey time.

The high-speed rail network includes 香港西九龙 → 昆明南. Use MTR's destination list and the live booking results to choose the train for your date. Book with the same original travel document you will carry.

At Hong Kong West Kowloon, you can begin the departure process up to 90 minutes before your train. The fastest completion takes about 30–45 minutes; allow extra time for weekends, holidays, summer travel or staffed border checks. Complete identity and ticket checks on B1, security, then Hong Kong and mainland border checks on B3. Identity checks stop 30 minutes before departure and boarding gates close five minutes before it. Plan your arrival at the station around the whole process.

In 12306, permit holders use the Chinese registration and booking interface. Choose 港澳居民来往内地通行证, or the category specifically for the non-Chinese permit you hold. Enter the full permit number without the replacement count and the name printed on the permit. For the non-Chinese permit, use its printed Chinese or English name as the registration instructions allow. The English 12306 platform serves foreign passports.

MTR's 12306 guidance supports contact registration with a mainland, Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan mobile number, or email. Finish contact and real-name verification before booking. Bring the booked original document to the station.

On reaching Kunming South, 昆明南站, use that station's location to plan the first night's transfer. It is different from 昆明站. If taking another train the next morning, choose lodging that makes that exact departure station easy to reach. Save the return ticket and entry record, and schedule departure within the stay allowed by your actual permit.

Book a room you can reach and check into

Match the room and location to the next day

For a late flight into Kunming, a hotel with a staffed late check-in and a clear airport pickup can make the first night easier. For an early train, compare the airport transfer with staying near the railway station you will actually use. Share your arrival time before confirming pickup.

If you reach the hotel at 01:00 on 15 October and want a room on arrival, book the night of 14 October. Send the arrival time and ask staff to hold the room for late check-in.

In Dali or Lijiang's old town, an inn's doorway may be away from the car drop-off. Ask for both the vehicle meeting point and the accommodation entrance, and whether staff help with bags. At a rural homestay, agree the arrival time, host contact and meeting point before setting out.

Read the chosen room's details: number and size of beds, allowed adults and children, floor, lift or stairs, private bathroom, window and heating where needed. A family room with two double beds is a specific bed arrangement; enter the full party size when booking. Compare the final CNY price per room per night, including the booked occupancy. Treat a refundable deposit separately from the room charge.

Confirm registration with the actual operator

There is no general requirement to choose a hotel with a special foreign-guest licence. Choose a hotel or inn that can register every guest using the actual travel documents in your party. The word “homestay” in a listing does not tell you whether it operates as licensed lodging or as a private residence.

Before booking, send the document type, party size and arrival time to the property and ask whether staff will handle accommodation registration. A useful message for foreign passport guests is: “我们用外国护照入住，请确认可以办理住宿登记。预计晚上十点到。” This asks the property to confirm registration for foreign passports and gives a 22:00 arrival time; change the time to your own.

Use the name and document details on each guest's actual travel document. At check-in, each guest presents the original passport or applicable mainland travel permit. Keep the booking reference available. Agree the checkout time, deposit return method and the next morning's pickup with the front desk or host.

Hotel stays and private-home stays follow different steps

Hotels register foreign guests and report their accommodation information. For a stay outside a hotel, the foreign guest or host must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival at that accommodation.

The nationwide online service, available since 21 September 2026, includes Yunnan. In the NIA service platform, open Foreigner Service → Accommodation Registration. A first online registration requires the host's help. Self-registration is available for a return to the same residence previously registered through the NIA online platform or a home you own. After submission, use Registration Record Inquiry to obtain the record. Agree this with a private host before your arrival; it is a practical part of arranging that stay.

At each new stop, have the next property's full Chinese name, address, entrance and contact saved before checking out. The Yunnan internet and travel-app guide explains how to keep those locations and bookings at hand. Complete registration for the new accommodation under the procedure that applies there. For your final night, plan the departure transfer to the exact airport or railway station on your ticket.

Sources