Mainland Chinese authorities recently announced the extension of its visa-free policy for 12 countries until the end of 2025. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said that nationals of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg can visit the country for up to 15 days without a visa, until December 31, 2025.
The move covers travellers entering the country for business, tourism, visiting family and friends, and transit. Last year, Mainland China’s immigration authorities announced that citizens of six countries could visit the country for no longer than 15 days until November 30, 2024 on a trial basis. Since then, the list expanded to include another six nations.
According to official data, China welcomed over 13 million foreign visitors between January and March 2024, which included 1.98 million visa-free arrivals. Mainland China also eased entry requirements earlier this year, allowing travellers to get visas on arrival, extend their stay in the country, and apply for multiple-entry permits more easily. The country also scrapped transit visas for nine major Chinese airports for stays less than 24 hours long.
Header image credits: bjdlzx, a photostory via Canva
