Which visa do you need to train kung fu or stay at a temple in China?

Up to 30 days: visa-free entry for many countries

Until 31 December 2026, ordinary passport holders from most of Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland, as well as Australia and New Zealand, can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days. The United Kingdom and Canada were added from 17 February 2026.

The permitted purposes are business, tourism, visiting family or friends, exchange and transit, and official guidance says the waiver does not apply to work or study. No official notice we found says whether a paid martial arts course counts as study, so ask the school and your Chinese embassy before relying on visa-free entry for training.

Citizens of the United States are not on the visa-free list.

• Visa-free policy notice (Chinese Visa Application Service Center)
• Visa-free entry for the UK and Canada (Chinese Embassy in the UK)
• Visa-free entry questions (Chinese Consulate in San Francisco)

Passing through: the 240-hour transit rule

Nationals of 57 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, can stay up to 10 days without a visa when travelling through China to a third country or region with a confirmed onward ticket. Henan, Hubei and Shandong are among the permitted areas.

The transit rule is for onward travel, not for study, and you cannot use it to return to the country you arrived from.

• 240-hour visa-free transit (National Immigration Administration)

Longer stays: the study visa

For study of up to 180 days, Chinese consulates list the X2 visa, issued with an admission notice from a school in China. Study of more than 180 days needs an X1 visa, which also requires an official JW201 or JW202 form.

Schools handle this differently. The Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School helps students apply for an X2 visa with its admission letter and warns that private kung fu schools cannot obtain JW forms for an X1 visa. The Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy says most of its students arrive on a tourist (L) visa and that a student visa also works. Your consulate decides, so ask it which visa it will issue for your course.

• Visa types and documents (Chinese Consulate in Toronto)
• Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu School: getting ready
• Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy: questions

Extending your stay in China

Extensions are handled by the exit-entry office of the local public security bureau. Apply at least seven days before your permitted stay ends. An extension cannot be longer than the stay first granted, and is limited to 30 days for a tourist visa or 180 days for an X2 visa with a letter from the school.

Qufu and Xiaolong both list a visa extension of about US$45 as an extra cost.

• Visa and extension rules (National Immigration Administration)

Before you book

Visa rules change, and the current visa-free period ends on 31 December 2026 unless it is extended. Check your Chinese embassy’s website when you choose your dates, and ask the school for its admission or invitation letter before you apply. This page is general information, not legal advice.