China visa requirements for Cuban citizens

Embassy of China in Cuba, Consular Hall: online application at consular.mfa.gov.cn plus an in-person visit for fingerprints

An ordinary Cuban passport still needs a visa for China. The bilateral exemption exists, but it only covers diplomatic, official and service passports. What did change for everyone is the price: the Embassy of China in Cuba announced that, from 1 January 2025, Cuban passport holders applying for a visa there are exempt from the fee, with only the urgency charges still applying. The procedure moved too. Since 9 March 2026 the embassy has used the Chinese Foreign Ministry's online system: you go to consular.mfa.gov.cn/VISA/ without registering, fill in the form, print and sign the confirmation page and the form, and then take those along with your passport and the other documents in person to the Consular Hall to have your fingerprints recorded, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:30. There is no external centre involved in Cuba.

Official application site →

Hong Kong and Macao: different entry rules

Hong Kong and Macao run their own immigration control and their own list of exemptions, so a Chinese visa does not get you into either. Hong Kong's Immigration Department requires a visa or entry permit from anyone without right of abode there who wants to stay longer than their visa-free period allows. Going back to the mainland from either counts as a fresh entry into China and needs a Chinese visa again.

Source: immd.gov.hk, "Immigration Guidelines for Entry to the HKSAR"; gov.mo, servicio PS-1474 (comprobado 18/09/2026)

Authorisation system

E-Arrival Card: not a visa

Since 20 November 2025 the arrival card can be filled in online before travelling, on the National Immigration Administration (NIA) website, in its official "NIA 12367" app or in its WeChat and Alipay mini-programs. It can also be submitted by scanning the official QR code with a phone. Anyone unable to do it in advance can fill it in on arrival using the devices provided at the border checkpoint, and the paper card is still available. It is free, and the NIA warns about fraudulent websites that charge for it. On 12 July 2024 a pilot port e-visa was launched for foreigners invited by companies in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area; the inviting party applies online. According to the NIA list of unilateral visa exemptions, updated on 17 February 2026, ordinary passport holders from 50 countries can enter visa-free for up to 30 days for business, tourism, visits to relatives and friends, exchanges or transit.

Apply on the official site →

Fee

Free

Amount published by the consular post that handles this corridor; the country page may give another consulate's figure.

Processing time

For extension, replacement and reissuance of visas and stay permits applied for inside China, the processing period is no more than 7 working days from the date the application is accepted.

Required documents

• A valid passport or other international travel document
• A duly completed visa, stay permit or residence permit application form
• A photograph meeting the requirements in the Guidelines for Travel Documents’ Photographs
• Materials relating to the purpose of the application

Health insurance

Not mandatory for this destination.

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

Transit rules

China runs a visa-free transit of up to 240 hours (10 days) for nationals of a group of countries that the National Immigration Administration widens from time to time. To use it you need an ordinary passport and an onward ticket to a third country or region with a confirmed date and seat, and you must enter through one of the 65 designated ports, spread across 24 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. During those ten days you may travel, do business, and make visits including to family, but working, studying or reporting news still require prior approval and the matching visa. One duty that is easy to miss: if you are not staying in a hotel (which registers you itself), you or your host must register your accommodation with the police within 24 hours of arrival, in person or through the NIA's online channels. Failing to do so draws a warning and a fine of up to CNY 2,000.