Guide Transit regions explained
China's 240-hour transit permission is regional. Your entry port determines where you may travel, and crossing outside the permitted area can create an overstay or illegal-stay risk even when your passport and route are otherwise eligible.
1. What the regional limit means
The 240-hour transit rule is not a nationwide travel pass. It is a conditional stay permission tied to an eligible entry port, a permitted activity region, and an onward route to a third country or territory.
The practical question is not only whether your passport and route qualify. You also need to know whether Shanghai to Hangzhou, Beijing to Tianjin, Guangzhou to Shenzhen, or another side trip remains inside the allowed region for your entry port.
- Plan hotels, trains, and side trips inside the permitted region.
- Check the entry port before assuming another nearby city is allowed.
- Use the same-zone exit rule when a linked region requires it.
2. Three region types
The current policy snapshot separates region planning into three practical types: linked cross-province regions, province-wide regions, and single-region limits.
Linked regions are the broadest because selected ports connect multiple regions for travel planning. Province-wide regions allow movement inside the named province. Single-region entries should be treated as limited to the entry region unless the checker shows otherwise.
- Linked region: multiple provinces or municipalities can be used together, with same-linked-region exit planning when required.
- Province-wide region: activity stays inside one province, such as Anhui, Hainan, or Guizhou in the snapshot.
- Single region or limited entry: many ports are not part of a cross-province linked group and should be planned conservatively.
3. The three linked regions in the current snapshot
The policy snapshot at @ctc/rule-engine/policies/2026-06-04 contains exactly three regionGroups. These are the only linked groups used by the region checker for cross-region planning.
Each group has its own covered regions and entry-port list. Do not copy the logic from one group to another city unless the port appears in the same group.
- Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang linked region: regions shanghai, jiangsu, zhejiang; grouped ports PVG, SHA, NKG, HGH.
- Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei linked region: regions beijing, tianjin, hebei; grouped ports PEK, TSN, SJW.
- Greater Bay Area / Guangdong linked-region context: region guangdong; grouped ports CAN, SZX in the snapshot.
4. How to check your own port
Use the region checker before booking cross-city trains or hotels. Select the entry port, then read the allowed activity regions and same-zone exit notes shown by the tool.
For a second opinion, open the ports directory and compare the port's region, transport mode, and policy snapshot date.
- Start with the region checker for the entry port.
- Use the ports page to confirm the port code and city.
- If your itinerary touches another province, verify every overnight stop against the allowed-region result.
5. Common misunderstandings
The most common mistake is reading 240 hours as permission to travel anywhere in mainland China. The time allowance and the activity area are separate constraints.
Another mistake is assuming that a city near a linked region is automatically included. The snapshot uses specific region and port mappings, not distance from a city center.
- Eligible passport does not mean nationwide travel.
- A 240-hour clock does not override the region boundary.
- A domestic train ticket can still be out of scope if it leaves the permitted region.
- An exit from a different region may be risky when a linked group requires same-zone exit planning.
6. Snapshot date and verification
This page is based on the @ctc/rule-engine/policies/2026-06-04 snapshot. The JSON snapshot reports dataAsOf 2026-06-05, verifiedAt 2026-06-05, 65 open ports, 24 regions, and a 240-hour maximum stay.
Rules, open ports, and regional groupings can change with limited notice. Before travel, verify against the official NIA source and rerun the region checker with your exact entry port.
- Snapshot regionGroups count: 3.
- Snapshot facts: 65 open ports and 24 listed regions.
- Use official source checks for final travel decisions.