China widens visa-free access in latest opening-up move

BEIJING, Nov. 3 -- China on Monday announced that it will expand its 240-hour visa-free transit program to more ports, and extend its unilateral visa-exemption arrangements for more than 40 countries to Dec. 31, 2026, in the country's latest move to further open up the country to the world.

The newly added ports include Guangzhou, Zhuhai's Hengqin and Zhongshan, as well as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).

The new policy, effective Wednesday, will raise the total number of ports eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit from 60 to 65 around China.

Travelers from 55 eligible countries who meet certain criteria can enter China through any of these ports in 24 provincial-level regions and stay in the country for up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa before heading to a third destination, said the NIA.

This is one of 10 new policies announced by the NIA on exit and entry administration to further facilitate outbound or inbound travel for both Chinese and foreign nationals.

A total of 10 international airports located in Tianjin, Nanjing, Chongqing and other cities will be added to the list of ports allowing 24-hour direct transit for foreign nationals without having to undergo border check procedures, according to these measures.

The NIA also announced that starting Nov. 20, foreign travelers to China will be able to complete their entry cards online before arrival. They can also choose to fill them out on-site using electronic devices provided at inspection points or opt for traditional paper entry cards.

The newly released measures also include provisions to simplify travel for Chinese mainland residents visiting Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as for Taiwan residents traveling to the mainland.

On the same day, the Chinese foreign ministry announced that China will extend its unilateral visa-exemption arrangements for more than 40 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, to Dec. 31, 2026. The current visa-free policy for nationals of some of these countries runs until Dec. 31, 2025 before the extension.

China also decides to include Sweden in the visa-free scheme effective from Nov. 10, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2026, according to the ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning.

The measures came on the heels of a key meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee which adopted the recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for formulating the plan for economic and social development in the next five years.

The latest move was to implement the guiding principles of the CPC plenum, expand high-level opening-up to the world, and continuously facilitate personnel exchanges between China and other countries, Mao said.

In the third quarter of this year, foreign nationals made 7.246 million visits to China under its visa-free travel policies -- a 48.3 percent year-on-year increase and accounting for 72.2 percent of all entries made by foreign nationals, according to NIA statistics.

On Dec. 1, 2023, China began implementing trials of unilateral visa-free entry policies for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. These policies were later expanded to more countries and extended in duration on several occasions.