Shanghai essentials

Visa-free entry and transit (checked 21 October 2026)

Thirty-day visa-free entry: ordinary passport holders from 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia and Japan, can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit, for up to 30 days. For most of these countries the arrangement runs until 31 December 2026. The 30 days are counted from 00:00 on the day after you arrive (National Immigration Administration; Chinese embassy notices, February 2026). The United Kingdom and Canada were added from 17 February 2026.

240-hour visa-free transit: citizens of 57 countries, including the United States, can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) when travelling on to a third country or region, with a valid passport and a confirmed onward ticket. Pudong and Hongqiao airports and the Shanghai cruise port are entry ports, and you may travel within the permitted areas of 24 provincial-level regions. Tourism, business and visits are allowed; work, study and journalism need the right visa. Final approval is made by border officers on arrival (National Immigration Administration, via the Shanghai Municipal Government, updated 20 August 2026).

If you don’t qualify, apply for a visa before you travel. Check the Chinese embassy in your country and the National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn) for the current rules.

The online arrival card

You can fill in China’s arrival card online before you travel, on the National Immigration Administration’s official page (s.nia.gov.cn), its app or mini-programs. The service costs nothing; the NIA warns that fake websites have charged travellers fees. You can also complete it on devices at the border, and paper cards remain available.

Paying in Shanghai

Mobile payment is everywhere. You can link an eligible overseas Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Diners Club or Discover card to Alipay or Weixin (WeChat) Pay without a Chinese bank account. Limits are US$5,000 per transaction and US$50,000 a year. Payments of 200 yuan or less generally carry no platform fee; above that, a 3% fee may apply.

Many shops and hotels also take overseas cards directly; look for your card’s logo or ask. ATMs showing your card network’s logo dispense yuan, generally up to 3,000 yuan a withdrawal (Shanghai Municipal Government, September 2026).

From the airports

From Pudong, the Maglev runs to Longyang Road (50 yuan single economy, 20% off with a same-day air ticket; a Maglev + one-day Metro pass is 55 yuan), and Metro Line 2 runs into the city. Hongqiao is on Metro Lines 2, 10 and 17, next to Hongqiao Railway Station. The Airport Link Line joins the two airports in about 40 minutes for 26 yuan.

The Metro

The Metro reached about 900 km in late 2025. Fares start at 3 yuan for up to 6 km. Tap a contactless UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB card at the gates (enable small-amount password-free payment first), use the Metro Daduhui app, or buy tickets at machines and service centres, which accept overseas cards. A one-day pass costs 18 yuan and a three-day pass 45 yuan.

Health and emergencies

Call 110 for police (available in eight foreign languages, including English), 120 for an ambulance and 119 for fire; both have English. The 12345 city hotline helps with non-emergency questions in Chinese and 18 foreign languages. Several hospitals have international departments; see our health page. Carry travel insurance that covers medical costs.

Questions and answers