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After the closure to almost all foreign visitors For more than three years To curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, China is now taking major steps to revive its faltering tourism industry.
At the beginning of 2023, the country extended its visa-free travel policy It was presented as a pilot experiment For citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland to visit for up to 15 days, with some requirements relaxed for US tourists.
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Instead of needing to show proof of residency before obtaining a visa, US citizens now can Applying to an embassy With only the individual’s work history and identification documents.
While most English-speaking countries had previously been excluded from China’s visa waiver program due to declining political ties with the US and its allies, China has just reversed course and announced that citizens of Australia and New Zealand can now also visit the country for up to 15 days with a passport. Just.
Chinese Premier promises five-year multiple entry visas for tourism
“We have agreed to grant each other mutual access to five-year multiple entry visas for tourism, business and visiting family members,” PRC Premier Li Qiang announced during a visit with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “China will also include Australia in the visa waiver program.”
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The visa has the same rules that China has made available to citizens of Malaysia and European countries. It is intended for short visits of up to 15 days while those looking to spend more time or work in the country need to apply for a visa at the Chinese embassy in their home country as before.
For shorter visits, China recently introduced and expanded the “List of Countries Eligible for 72/144 Hour Visa-Free Transit Policy” through which some visitors can visit selected cities such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shanghai and Kenya. Guangdong for no more than 144 hours.
This is available to citizens of 53 countries including the US, UK and Australia although these countries will now no longer need to use this as expanded access is available from 17 June.
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Australia has not yet announced the reciprocal visa Chiang alluded to. Chinese citizens looking to enter the country Currently need to submit an application For a transit or visitor visa for three, six or 12 months.
Before the pandemic, China allowed visa-free entry only to citizens of Brunei, Singapore and Japan. The former two can now visit for up to 15 days without a visa while Japanese citizens now no longer have visa-free status. Due to the dispute over the status of the South China Sea, China has not reintroduced visa-free entry after opening up to the epidemic.
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In reference to the relations between the two countries, the US State Department has now announced He still has it China under Level Three “reconsiders travel” due to what it says could be “arbitrary enforcement of local laws” and the “risk of unlawful detentions” of citizens of countries the Chinese government considers unfriendly.
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