China announced an extension of visa-free entry procedures in November to include the citizens of 38 countries, including Thailand. They can enter visa free for up to a month, in the latest effort to bring in more foreign tourists and support the economy.
China announced an extension of visa-free entry procedures in November to include the citizens of 38 countries, including Thailand and Japan. They can enter visa free for up to a month, in the latest effort to bring in more foreign tourists and support the economy.
Japanese citizens, including many with investments in China, had been allowed to visit mainland China visa free for up to 15 days from 2003 until 2020. Beijing cancelled the scheme that year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In another possible boost to China-bound tourism, the United States government relaxed its travel warning this week to "exercise increased caution", down from "reconsider travel". The US State Department issued the more severe warning last year over the "risk of wrongful detentions".
A visa to China can take days to acquire, cost well over US$100 (3,450 baht) and require pages of paperwork. The red tape has deterred some foreigners from visiting the world's second-largest economy as tourists or business travellers.
Here are five ways to get into China visa free:
1. Transit through Chinese cities (1-6 days)
Passport holders from 54 nations, including Australia, Japan, the US and countries throughout Europe, can stay nearly a week in certain areas of mainland China after entering via one of its international airports.
Airports in cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Kunming, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan and Xiamen, and those in Guangdong province and the Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang cluster, are processing visa-free arrivals to let transit passengers remain for 72 to 144 hours.
As of November, these rules applied to 38 exit-entry airports and seaports in 18 provinces, municipalities and regions of mainland China.
A transit stay of up to 24 hours, meanwhile, is open to visitors from any country arriving at any international airport, a rule that the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre says aligns with "global norms".
Travellers must stay within the designated city or surrounding provinces for the allotted period.
They are not allowed to visit other parts of mainland China on the same trip, but may enter from or depart to Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan. There is no charge and no permit application to fill out before travel.
Passengers must, however, prove to the airline before boarding and again to immigration authorities after arrival that they have a ticket to leave the city or province - usually by air but possibly by sea - to a place outside mainland China where they did not start their journey.
For example, a passenger may reach Shanghai visa free from Singapore, and then proceed to Tokyo - or fly from the special administrative region of Macau to Xiamen and then onwards to Taipei.
Proof of a hotel booking in China could speed up processing on arrival.
The departure time of the outbound ticket must fall within the transit window, which starts at midnight on the first full calendar day after arrival.
Round-trip tickets are not allowed, as they do not not qualify as "transit".
2. Hainan province (30 days)
The tropical island province of Hainan in China's far south allows nationals from 59 countries to enter visa-free for up to 30 days.
Visitors need only to buy a round-trip flight to one of the province's two main gateways - Sanya and Haikou - and show immigration officers in Hainan proof of a fully booked departing flight.
Seaports with immigration kiosks can also process visa-free arrivals.
Hainan, which began to allow visa-free travel in 2018 to stimulate tourism, has formally scrapped an earlier requirement that visa-free visitors arrange trips through Hainan-based travel agencies.
Travellers under this scheme are not allowed to visit other parts of China during the 30 days.
3. Tour group from Hong Kong or Macau to Guangdong province (6 days)
Citizens of any country that has diplomatic ties with China may legally join tour groups arranged by agencies registered in Hong Kong or Macau to enter specific cities in neighbouring Guangdong province.
Groups may enter Guangdong by land, sea or air, for 144 hours, with dozens of bus, rail and ferry routes connecting the province with Hong Kong.
To qualify, a tour group must have at least two people and no more than 40. They should enter and exit at the same time, as arranged by the agency.
The nine Pearl River Delta cities of Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai are included.
Shantou, a coastal city located east of the delta, also falls under the same scheme.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board's website says the scheme is "subject to change without prior notice" and suggests contacting a hotel concierge or tour operator for updated information.
Two major Hong Kong tour operators told the Post earlier this year they were not offering visa-free tours to Guangdong.
A National Immigration Administration media representative in Beijing confirmed at the start of June that the 24-year-old policy still existed.
The media representative suggested travellers call the immigration hotline on +86 12367 with any related questions - in Chinese or English. The 24-hour service is available to travellers inside or outside mainland China.
Separately, citizens of the 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations may form tour groups of at least two people to visit the city of Guilin in China's southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region visa-free for 144 hours.
4. Arrive by cruise ship (15 days)
Foreign visitors may spend 15 days in China without a visa if they arrive on international cruises, the National Immigration Administration said in May.
The rules grant entry to tour groups of at least two people via China's 13 cruise ports, from Dalian, east of Beijing, to Sanya in the south.
The policy is an extension of a pilot scheme from 2016 that had restricted the entry point to the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal.
The Shanghai rule, which was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic before being reinstated last year, allows tourists to alight visa free at the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal and stay for 15 days.
Travel agencies taking passengers to Shanghai must be registered in mainland China, and the entire tour group must enter and exit at the same time.
During the 15 days, visitors under the Shanghai scheme may travel to Beijing and any part of China's coastline with seaports, as well as to the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which borders Vietnam in the south.
5. Passport holders from 38 countries, mostly in Europe (30 days)
As of Nov 30, passport holders from the following countries may enter China visa-free for 30 days: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.
The initial batch of countries under the scheme were cleared for visa-free arrivals last year. Most had been allowed 15-day stays until the time frame doubled this November.
China is allowing visa-free entry unilaterally, meaning the 38 countries need not give Chinese nationals the same treatment.
Visitors under this scheme are allowed to sightsee, conduct business, visit family, transit or hold "exchanges". For most countries on the list, the 30-day arrangement will run until the end of next year.
