China’s 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been extended to three more entry ports, bringing the total number of eligible ports to 37, as revealed by the country’s National Immigration Administration (NIA).
The three new ports are Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport, and the Mohan railway port, VisaGuide.World reports.
Through an official statement released on July 15, NIA said that expanding the 144-hour visa-free transit policy to the above-mentioned ports offers foreigners more options for traveling and trading in China.
Currently, citizens of 54 countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, who have valid travel documents and confirmed travel tickets within 144 hours can transit through these ports to third countries visa-free.
The eligible citizens can stay in the designated areas for up to 144 hours for tourism, business, or family visits purposes.
China Plans to Further Enhance & Optimize Visa-Free Transit Policy
NIA also noted that since its introduction in January 2013, the transit visa exemption policy has played an important role in enhancing personnel exchanges between China and other countries, and encouraging international cooperation, among others.
In addition, NIA said that China plans to further improve and optimize the visa-free transit policy.
In the next step, the National Immigration Administration will continue to improve and optimize the transit visa exemption policy, continue to deepen the institutional opening of immigration management, welcome foreigners to China with a more open attitude, and make every effort to serve and promote high-level opening and high-quality development.
China Welcomed 14.64 Million Foreign Arrivals in H1 of 2024 Due to Its Expanded Visa-Free Policy
Over the past few months, the Chinese government has lifted and relaxed visa requirements for several countries in a bid to attract international visitors and return to 2019 tourism levels.
Recent NIA’s statistics indicate that China’s visa-free to multiple policy countries have started to yield results. During the first six months of 2024, China welcomed 14.64 million visitors, marking a significant increase of nearly 153 percent compared to the previous year.
Of those, 8.5 million visitors entered the country visa-free, making up 52 percent of the total inbound trips and marking a 190 percent increase compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile, China’s capital Beijing welcomed over one million visitors during the first half of 2024, representing a 257 percent increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Source：https://visaguide.world/news/china-extends-visa-free-transit-policy-to-37-ports/
