China has expanded its visa-free policy to nine more countries, including Slovakia, Norway, and Finland, starting Friday, allowing visitors to stay for up to 15 days.
The extended visa-free policy, effective from November 8, 2024, to December 31, 2025, aims to boost tourism and international exchange.
This is part of China’s broader initiative to expand its visa-free policy, which is now being trialled for citizens holding ordinary passports from 29 countries, including several European nations and South Korea.
"I’m from Germany, visiting here. We have a local business here and we're meeting our colleagues and customers. Yes, it (visa-free policy) makes it much more convenient and easier to enter China, and we are happy about that,” said a visitor. "Yes, so we came to China because of the free visa policy, so we don't need a visa to come here," said another visitor.
"There has been lots of options. We're actually doing a ten-day tour here, which is really good. So, we're very excited and we have also got a family who are coming next year to do the same tour,” said a visitor.
Beijing's immigration authorities have reported a significant increase in international visitors, attributing the rise to the policy.
According to Zhao Kun, an instructor at the Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection, over 15.3 million people have passed through the station as of October 31, 2024, with more than 2.02 million inbound foreign visitors a 142-percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The visa-free policy has seen particularly strong uptake, with foreign visitors nearly doubling in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
To improve the entry experience for foreign travelers, Beijing's immigration authorities have rolled out measures to streamline the border inspection process.
"To ensure a smooth border inspection process, the Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection has added inspection channels and waiting areas at high-traffic checkpoints. It has also implemented a 'double-row inspection' mode to improve inspection efficiency. Additionally, we also set up a multilingual service team, with officers fluent in foreign languages providing front-line services (to assist passengers with inquiries and guidance),” said Zhao.
China's relaxed visa policies, including the restoration of transit visas in 2023, have boosted tourism and economic growth.
Data from the National Immigration Administration shows that in 2023, foreign visitors spent an average of 487 U.S. dollars per day while in China, contributing more than 100 billion yuan (approximately 14 billion U.S. dollars) to local businesses.
China extends visa-free policy for 9 countries starting Friday
