China Expands Unilateral Visa-Free Policy to 9 Additional Countries including Japan, Extends Stay to 30 Days

China has expanded its unilateral visa-free travel policy to include nine additional countries, including Japan. The policy has also been enhanced to accommodate more entry purposes and extend the stay duration.

On November 22, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China announced that the country’s unilateral visa-free entry policy will be expanded to include nine more countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan. Effective November 30, 2024, citizens holding ordinary passports from these nine countries will qualify for China’s unilateral visa-free entry program.

In addition, China will enhance its unilateral visa-free policies by including exchange visits as a valid reason for entry and extending the visa-free stay duration from the current 15 days to 30 days. These updated policies will apply to all countries eligible for China’s unilateral visa-free entry and will generally remain in effect until December 31, 2025.

Starting from November 30, 2024, there will be a total of 38 countries enjoying unilateral visa-free entry policy to China.

Development of China’s unilateral visa-free entry policy

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, China used to offer a 15-day visa-free entry policy to Japan, Brunei, and Singapore. Citizens with a valid ordinary passport from these three countries were permitted to travel to China for a period of up to 15 days without a visa for the purposes of tourism, business, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting to a third country. However, this policy was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On July 26, 2023, the 15-day visa-free travel to China policy was resumed for citizens of Brunei and Singapore, the latter of which has been upgraded to a 30-day mutual visa exemption policy since February 2024. The resumption for Japanese citizens, however, was delayed until the recent announcement.

To boost consumption and facilitate inbound tourism after reopening its borders, China began piloting and expanding its unilateral visa-free entry policy to include more countries:

• On November 24, 2023, China decided to pilot a 15-day unilateral visa-free entry in the first batch of 6 countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia, effective from December 1,2023 to November 30, 2024.

• On March 7, 2024, China decided to expand its 15-day unilateral visa-free entry policy to cover a second batch of 6 countries including Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, effective from March 14, 2024 to November 30, 2024.
• On May 8, 2024, China decided to extend the deadline for the 15-day unilateral visa-free entry policy for the first batch and second batch 12 countries to December 31, 2025.
• On June 25, 2024, China decided to expand its 15-day unilateral visa-free entry policy to cover a third batch of 3 countries including New Zealand, Australia, and Poland, effective from July 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
• On September 30, 2024, China decided to expand its 15-day unilateral visa-free entry policy to cover a fourth batch of 4 countries including Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovenia, effective from October 15 2024 to December 31, 2025.
• On November 1, 2024, China decided to expand its 15-day unilateral visa-free entry policy to cover a fifth batch of 9 countries including Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, and South Korea, effective from November 8, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
• On November 22, 2024, China decided to expand its unilateral visa-free entry policy to cover a sixth batch of 9 countries including Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan, effective from November 30, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Meanwhile, the 15-day stay under Chin’s unilateral visa-free entry policy shall be extended to 30 days. The permittable purpose of entry shall be expanded to business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchange visits, and transit.

38 countries with unilateral visa-free entry policy to China

The 38 countries eligible for China’s unilateral visa-free entry policy can be roughly categorized as below:

• Asia (4 countries): Brunei, Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan
• Western Europe (10 countries): France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Austria
• Eastern Europe and Baltics(10 countries): Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, and Latvia
• Southern Europe (5 countries): Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Malta
• Northern Europe (4 countries): Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland
• Microstates in Europe (3 countries): Andorra, Monaco, and Liechtenstein
• Oceania (2 countries): New Zealand and Australia

Also Read:

• China’s Visa-Free Policies: Latest Updates
• Transit Visa Exemptions in China: 24-Hour, 72-Hour, and 144-Hour Options

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