China extends visa-free transit stays to 10 days
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Foreigners made 8.2 million inbound trips to China, up 48.8 per cent year on year in the third quarter of 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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HONG KONG - China announced on Dec 17 a relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travellers to 240 hours, or 10 days, from the original three to six days, as the authorities aim to attract more foreign visitors.
The measure, which is effective immediately, was announced by the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on its official WeChat account.
People from 54 countries including Brazil, Canada, Russia, the UK and the US, “who transit from China to a third country (region), can enter China without a visa from any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces and stay in the specified area for no more than 240 hours”, it said.
China, since reopening its borders in 2023 after three years of self-imposed isolation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has waived visa requirements for travellers to encourage visits to the world’s second-largest economy.
In November, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing had extended its visa-free policy to a total of 38 countries.
People from these countries – including Singapore, Spain and the Netherlands – do not need a visa to enter China and can stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visit, exchange and transit purposes.
Foreigners made 8.2 million inbound trips to China, up 48.8 per cent year on year in the third quarter of 2024. More than half of these were facilitated by the visa-free policy – up 78.6 per cent year on year – the NIA said in October. REUTERS
