When The Great Wall, The Terracotta Army of Xi’an and the bright lights of Shanghai are just three of many incredible landmarks across the country, it’s easy to why China holds such appeal for travellers. But that fire that burns from within to visit The Land of the Red Dragon can oft be diminished when challenged with the visa process.
However, in a bid to boost tourism, some travellers can now dodge the visa process entirely, as Chinese authorities have announced that citizens and passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia can now travel visa-free to China over the next the year.
Coming into effect from December 1 2023, to 30 November 2024, the trial process will offer ordinary passport holders from the aforementioned countries an opportunity to travel or do business in China without a visa for up to 15 days. They will join citizens from Singapore and Brunei as the only travellers who are exempt from needing visas in order to enter China.
Spokeswoman for the Chinese Government, Mao Ning, said the new policy is to help “promote China’s high-quality development and opening up”. The decision will also aid China’s tourism recovery which saw travel restrictions for the COVID-19 pandemic only lifted in December 2022. Currently most travellers from around the globe need a visa to enter China including those transiting through the country.
