240-Hour Visa-Free program itinerary

Question

The topic is very confusing, I sincerely apologize if this is a repeat question.

Does this itinerary qualifies for 240-hour program?

US (citizen) to Hong Kong

Hong Kong to Shenzhen (Nansha or Shekou)

Shenzhen to Dongguan

Dongguan to Handan, Hebei

Handan to Ningbo

Ningbo to Hong Kong

Hong Kong to the US

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Answer

The 240-hour visa-free transit (VFTF) program in China allows certain nationalities, including U.S. citizens, to stay in designated areas of China without a visa for up to 10 days (240 hours) when entering from a third country and departing to another third country. The key points are eligibility, entry/exit points, and permitted areas of stay.

Looking at your itinerary:

US → Hong Kong
Hong Kong → Shenzhen (Nansha or Shekou)
Shenzhen → Dongguan
Dongguan → Handan, Hebei
Handan → Ningbo
Ningbo → Hong Kong
Hong Kong → US

Here are the issues with qualifying for the 240-hour VFTF:

Entry from Hong Kong: VFTF requires entry from a foreign country or territory. Hong Kong is considered a special administrative region, not a third country. The Chinese authorities generally do not accept Hong Kong as a “foreign country” for the purpose of VFTF entry. Therefore, your entry via Hong Kong would likely not qualify for the program.
Multiple cities: The 240-hour VFTF is usually valid only in certain regions (e.g., Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Beijing). While Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Nansha are in Guangdong (which is part of the eligible region), Handan (Hebei) is outside the designated VFTF zones. Traveling there would violate the VFTF conditions.
Exit to a third country: You are exiting to Hong Kong and then the US. While the exit to Hong Kong itself may be fine in some cases, the combination of entering from Hong Kong and traveling to areas outside the eligible region makes it risky and likely invalid for the 240-hour program.

In conclusion, your current itinerary does not meet the requirements for the 240-hour visa-free transit program because:

Entry is from Hong Kong (not a third country).
You plan to travel to Handan, which is outside the designated VFTF region.

To qualify for the 240-hour VFTF, you would need:

Entry from a third country (e.g., the US or another foreign country) directly to a city/region eligible for 240-hour transit.
Stay strictly within the eligible region during your transit.
Exit to a third country (not back to your country of residence via Hong Kong).

Recommendation: If you want to use the 240-hour VFTF, consider restructuring your itinerary so that your first Chinese entry is from a foreign country (not Hong Kong), and stay within eligible cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, or nearby areas in Guangdong.

240-Hour Visa-Free program itinerary

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