China has announced an extension of its visa-free transit policy, allowing eligible foreign travellers to stay for up to 10 days, or 240 hours, compared to the previous limit of 72-144 hours.
The policy, which took effect immediately on Tuesday, aims to attract more international visitors, according to a statement from the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
According to Reuters, travellers from 54 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Brazil, and Canada, can transit through China to a third destination without a visa.
The policy applies to 60 designated ports across 24 provinces, with the condition that visitors remain within specified areas during their stay, the NIA announced via its official WeChat account.
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China has been actively easing travel restrictions since reopening its borders in 2023 after a three-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, the Foreign Ministry revealed that visa-free entry had been extended to 38 countries, enabling travellers from nations such as Spain, Singapore, and the Netherlands to visit for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, exchange, or transit purposes.
In the third quarter of 2024, foreigners made 8.2 million inbound trips to China, representing a 48.8% increase compared to the same period last year. According to the NIA’s October report, over half of these trips were enabled by the visa-free policy, which saw a year-on-year rise of 78.6%.
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