UAE and Qatar citizens will now be able to spend 10 days in China without a visa.
In yet another move to entice more foreign tourists, China’s State Administration of Immigration announced it would expand its visa-free layover period to 240 hours across the board, an increase from the previously allowed three days or six days depending on the destination.
The government also added 21 new ports for visa-free transit travel, taking the number of allowed areas for entry and exit of visa-free transit travellers to 60.
Visa-free travel is under the transit programme, and the individuals need to be travelling from China to a third country. Hong Kong and Macao count as third destinations for those entering under the programme.
Apart from the UAE and Qatar, individuals from 52 other eligible countries, including most Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Russia and Canada, can enter visa-free through the allowed open ports and stay within the allowed areas (certain cities are off-limit, but most tourism-related cities are allowed) for no more than 240 hours.
The number of provinces that can be visited under the transit programme has been increased from 19 to 24.
According to a National Immigration Administration (NIA) official, the relaxation and optimisation of the visa-free transit policy is a “significant step taken by NIA in line with its commitment to thoroughly learning and implementing the instructions from the Central Economic Work Conference, aiming to proactively serve and promote a high-standard opening up while facilitating the exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals”.
The official added: “This initiative is beneficial for accelerating cross-border flows of people, promoting international communication and cooperation, and injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of the economy and society.
“Going forward, the NIA will continue to deepen the institutional openness of immigration management, continually optimise and improve the policies facilitating entry and exit for immigrants, and enhance the convenience for foreign nationals to study, work, and live in China.”
Passport holders from 38 countries can enter the country visa-free for up to 30 days. This list does not include the UAE.
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