China to Allow Visa-Free Travel for Certain Countries
Citizens of six new countries will soon be able to travel to China visa-free for short stays of up to 15 days.
Contact our Global Immigration team today on 0204 502 8582 or email us at globalImmigrationteam@iasuk.org for more information about the changes to travel to China, as well as other international immigration news.
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New Visa-Free Travel List for China
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced a year-long trial where nationals of six countries will be able to travel to China visa-free.
The countries included in the scheme are France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.
The scheme will run from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024.
Stays of up to 15 days will be permitted while the scheme is running. Visitors will only be allowed to visit for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes; standard visa requirements will still be in place for other travel purposes such as long-term stays and paid work.
Easing of Restrictions
The announcement is one of many new measures China is taking to ease travel restrictions in the wake of Covid.
In August, the requirement for all travellers to China to take Covid tests was scrapped. Visa-free travel for citizens of Singapore and Brunei was also resumed earlier this year, soon after China started officially issuing visas to foreign travellers.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that the new scheme was to help “promote China’s high-quality development and opening up”.
For more news and information about international immigration, reach out to our Global Immigration team today on 0204 502 8582 or email us at globalImmigrationteam@iasuk.org today.