China Extends Visa-Free Transit Stays for Americans
China announced Tuesday it was expanding its visa-free transit policy, allowing Americans and other eligible foreign travelers to stay in the country as long as 240 hours, or 10 days. The move comes as China is looking to attract more visitors from overseas.
China’s National Immigration Agency said the new measure is effective immediately, and it applies to passport holders from 54 countries are eligible. They include the United States and Canada as well as Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The agency said in WeChat that the rule applies to those “who transit from China to a third country (region), can enter China without a visa from any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces and stay in the specified area for no more than 240 hours”. Until now they were limited to 72-144 hours.
The expanded visa-free travel rule also allows transit visitors to travel across regions during the 10 days, with some restrictions.
The absence of visa requirements makes travel much easier and more accessible, and often cheaper. Travelers do not need to deal with the paperwork, application processes and fees, or waiting times often involved in obtaining a visa.
38 other countries no longer need visas at all, with passport holders being able to stay in China for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits, and more. They include Brunei, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Holland, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Korea, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan.
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