Visa-free foreign entries into China up 24.1% in Q3; Kenyans still need a visa

Foreign nationals made 23.272 million border crossings into and out of China in the third quarter, up 15.6%, and 8.992 million foreign entries were visa-free, up 24.1%, according to National Immigration Administration (NIA) figures reported by China News Service on 20 October 2026. Kenya is not on China's 240-hour transit list or on the Foreign Ministry's 30-day visa-free list, so a Kenyan trader or tourist still applies for a visa before flying.

The same figures put total cross-border trips in the quarter at 192 million, up 7.9%. China News Service named the ten countries that sent the most foreign visitors: Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. None is African.

The NIA's English-language page on transit policies, dated 20 August 2026, says nationals of 57 countries can transit China without a visa for up to 240 hours, provided they hold ordinary passports and onward tickets with confirmed seats and departure dates. They enter through any of 65 designated ports in 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The page lists 40 European countries, nine in Asia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico, the US and Canada, and Australia and New Zealand. No African country is on it.

Nationals of all other countries may transit for up to 24 hours without a visa at any open port, the same page says. They need valid international travel documents and onward international tickets with confirmed seats, and must stay in the port's restricted area unless they first obtain a temporary entry permit from the port's immigration inspection authority.

The Foreign Ministry's separate unilateral policy lets ordinary-passport holders from listed countries enter for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, transit or exchanges. The ministry's FAQ on the policy, as posted by the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, lists 50 countries, none of them in Africa. For 48 of them the policy runs to 31 December 2026; Brunei has no end date and Russia's runs to 31 December 2027.

Kenyans therefore apply through the Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Nairobi. Its pages, each dated 28 August 2026, say all applicants fill in the online form at visaforchina.org, print and sign it, and bring the confirmation page. Ordinary-passport holders book an appointment on the same site. The passport must have at least six months' validity and two blank facing pages, and applicants attach a recent colour passport photo with a light background.

For a tourist (L) visa, the centre asks for an invitation letter from a Chinese travel agency with the agency's business licence and a travel itinerary, and a pre-paid hotel booking in the applicant's name. First-time travellers also give proof of employment, with separate rules for unemployed spouses, retirees and minors.

For a commercial trade (M) visa, a trader who has been to China before submits an invitation letter from the Chinese host, with a copy of the host company's business licence or, for an individual trader, a copy of the trader's national ID, plus an itinerary. A first-time visitor submits an Invitation Letter (TE) or Verification Letter of Invitation obtained through the Chinese host, plus an itinerary.

The centre lets M applicants skip the TE or verification letter if they submit a letter from the Chinese host or trading partner together with three documents: a six-month bank statement showing at least KSh 1 million, notarised by a Kenyan notary public; a police clearance certificate certified by Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and either a tax compliance certificate certified by the ministry, or proof of employment or a business association membership certificate notarised by a Kenyan notary.

For a transit (G) visa, the centre asks for an onward plane, train or ship ticket with a confirmed date and seat. In all categories the consular officer can ask for more documents or an interview and decides the visa's validity, length of stay and number of entries.