Golden Week 2026: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan Entry Rules for Chinese Passport Holders

China's National Day Golden Week runs from Thursday 1 October to Wednesday 7 October 2026, confirmed in the State Council's holiday notice, with make-up working days on 20 September and 10 October. The Mid-Autumn Festival on 25 September is a separate three-day break this year rather than merging into the October holiday, so the peak outbound window is the first week of October itself.

Four destinations account for a large share of Chinese Golden Week bookings in the region: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. Three of them are visa-free for Chinese ordinary passports under bilateral agreements. One is not, and it has become markedly more expensive since July. This guide sets out what each requires, including the digital arrival cards that now apply everywhere, so nothing is left to the last week of September.

At a glance

Thailand: 30 days under the bilateral agreement, unchanged

Thailand's visa rules changed on 15 September 2026, and much of the coverage has been confusing. The change cuts Thailand's unilateral exemption for 60 nationalities from 60 days to 30. It does not touch the China-Thailand mutual visa exemption agreement, which has governed Chinese entries since 1 March 2024 and continues on its own terms:

• 30 days per entry for holders of Chinese ordinary passports and public-affairs passports.
• No more than 90 days cumulatively in any 180-day period.
• Tourism, family visits, business and similar short-stay purposes; not work or study.

Two practical points for October:

1. 1Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC, 泰国数字入境卡). Mandatory for every foreign visitor since May 2025 and unaffected by the September changes. Submit it at tdac.immigration.go.th before you land. It is free. Many WeChat mini-programmes and agencies offer to file it for a fee; you do not need them.
2. 2Onward ticket and funds. Immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi and Phuket can and do ask for a return ticket and hotel booking, particularly during peak weeks. Have them on your phone.

For how the September rules affect other nationalities, including the new two-per-year land-border cap that does not apply to bilateral-agreement entries, see our post on Thailand's 30-day rule from 15 September.

Malaysia: 30 days, 90 in 180, MDAC required

Malaysia's unilateral visa waiver for Chinese nationals, first introduced in December 2023, has since been overtaken by a proper treaty. The China-Malaysia Mutual Visa Exemption Agreement entered into force on 17 July 2025 for an initial five-year term with automatic renewal. According to the Chinese Embassy's FAQ on the agreement:

• 30 days per entry, counted from midnight after the day you arrive.
• No more than 90 days in any 180-day period, calculated individually by looking back 180 days from each entry. Stays before 17 July 2025 do not count.
• Permitted purposes: holiday, visiting family and friends, business, exchanges, private affairs, medical treatment and crew transit. Employment, residence, study and media work are excluded and need a visa.

The Malaysian Immigration Department separately lists Chinese nationals as visa-exempt until 31 December 2026 under its own notice; the treaty runs beyond that.

Before you fly, submit the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC, 马来西亚数字入境卡) at imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac within three days before arrival. It is free and takes a few minutes. Kuala Lumpur International Airport has autogates for MDAC holders on repeat visits, which is worth using in Golden Week queues.

Singapore: 30 days visa-free, refreshed SG Arrival Card

The mutual 30-day visa exemption between Singapore and China has applied to ordinary passports since 9 February 2024, confirmed by ICA's media release at the time. Holders of other PRC travel documents still need a visa. Singapore does not publish a cumulative cap; the period of stay on each entry is at the immigration officer's discretion, and frequent back-to-back visits attract questions.

The SG Arrival Card (SGAC, 新加坡电子入境卡) is the one thing you must do before landing. It is submitted online within three days (including the day of arrival) before entry, through ICA's e-Service or the MyICA Mobile app, and it is free - ICA warns explicitly against third-party sites that charge for it.

On 26 August 2026 ICA released an enhanced version of the card with a redesigned interface, 19 languages including Simplified Chinese, and passport scanning that fills in your name, passport number and expiry date from the biodata page. The enhanced version is available on the ICA website first and comes to the MyICA app later. Only one submission is needed per trip; if you already filed the older version, you do not file again.

Singapore is also hosting the Formula 1 Grand Prix on 9-11 October, immediately after Golden Week, so hotel rates in the Marina Bay area stay high into the second week of October. Our Singapore visa guide has the entry-requirement checklist.

Japan: visa required, and a lot more expensive since July

Japan is the exception. Chinese ordinary-passport holders need a visa for any visit, and two changes in 2026 have raised the cost of a Golden Week trip considerably.

The fee rose fivefold on 1 July 2026

For applications submitted on or after 1 July 2026, Japan's visa issuance fee is ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa (up from ¥3,000) and ¥30,000 for a multiple-entry visa (up from ¥6,000). This is the first increase since 1978 and was approved by the Cabinet on 19 June 2026. It applies to all nationalities that pay a fee, but the impact lands hardest on China, because among Japan's five largest source markets mainland China is the only one whose travellers need a visa at all. Fees are paid in RMB at the rate fixed by each consulate; designated agencies add their own service charge. Our post on Japan's July 2026 fee increase has the full breakdown.

How to apply

Chinese nationals resident in China do not apply directly at the embassy for tourist visas. Two routes exist:

• Paper visa via a designated travel agency. The Japanese Embassy and Consulates-General in China publish lists of agencies authorised to accept tourist applications, individual and group. The agency checks documents, submits, and returns the passport.
• JAPAN eVISA via an accredited agency. Since 2025, applicants in China can obtain an eVISA through agencies accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The eVISA is single entry, tourism only, and capped at 15 or 30 days - fine for Golden Week, not for a longer itinerary.

Standard documents include a passport with six months' validity, a confirmed itinerary and accommodation, proof of funds and, for individual applicants, evidence of employment or income. Processing is quoted at about five working days once the agency lodges the application, but agencies themselves need time to review, and September is busy. Apply by mid-September at the latest for a 1 October departure; our Japan tourist visa guide lists what to prepare.

The ¥3,000 departure tax

Separately, Japan's International Tourist Tax - the departure tax collected in the ticket price - rose from ¥1,000 to ¥3,000 per departure for tickets issued from 1 July 2026. It applies to everyone leaving Japan by air or sea regardless of nationality. Tickets issued on or before 30 June 2026 keep the old rate, so an early booking made in spring is not affected.

Chinese arrivals are falling

Chinese travel to Japan was already contracting before the fee rise. According to JNTO figures reported by Caixin, mainland Chinese visitors numbered 313,000 in May 2026, down 60.4% year on year, with January-May arrivals of about 1.72 million, roughly 56% below the same period in 2025. Airline capacity between China and Japan has been cut accordingly. Whether the fivefold visa fee deepens that trend will only be clear once JNTO publishes post-July figures; for the traveller, the practical effect is fewer flights and higher fares on the routes that remain, so book early if Japan is the plan.

A pre-departure checklist

1. 1Passport validity. Six months beyond your return date is the safe standard for all four countries.
2. 2Japan first. If Japan is on the itinerary, lodge the visa application with a designated or accredited agency by mid-September.
3. 3Arrival cards in the last three days. TDAC for Thailand (any time before arrival), MDAC for Malaysia and SGAC for Singapore (both within three days). All free, all on official portals.
4. 4Proof of onward travel and accommodation on your phone for every border.
5. 5Count your days if you are doing multiple entries into Thailand or Malaysia across the autumn; both run a 90-in-180 cap.

A day-by-day itinerary helps at every one of these borders and is required for the Japan application. Our itinerary generator produces one in the format consulates expect.

Key takeaways

• Golden Week is 1-7 October 2026; Mid-Autumn (25 September) is separate.
• Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are 30 days visa-free for Chinese ordinary passports under bilateral agreements. Thailand's 15 September changes do not apply to Chinese travellers.
• All three require a free digital arrival card: TDAC, MDAC and SGAC. Singapore's was refreshed on 26 August 2026 with Simplified Chinese and passport scanning.
• Japan needs a visa via a designated or accredited agency; ¥15,000 single entry since 1 July 2026, plus a ¥3,000 departure tax on the ticket.
• Chinese arrivals in Japan were down 60.4% year on year in May 2026 according to JNTO data reported by Caixin; expect thinner flight schedules.

Rules and fees change; check the official portal linked above for each country before booking, and run your passport through our visa checker for the latest position.