CN - Widening Visa-Exemption Policy Network

The Chinese government recently expanded even further its unilateral visa-exemption policy to 38 countries, and extended the stay per entry to 30 days with more activities being permitted for visa-exempt entries.¹ (For related coverage, see GMS Flash Alert 2024-065, 20 March 2024.)

In addition, more countries are added to the list of mutual visa-exemption agreement countries with the People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) in the past six months.

The Chinese government also introduced a visa with longer validity for “Mekong” countries.²

WHY THIS MATTERS

The series of visa-exemption policies are aimed at streamlining travel for foreign nationals visiting the PRC, and include transit visa-free arrangements, mutual visa-exemption agreements, and the latest updates on visa-free entry. These policies offer more flexibility, convenience, and certainty to short-term visitors who come to the PRC for cultural and business exchanges.

Highlights

Unilateral Visa Exemption

In November 2024, the Chinese government decided to extend the unilateral visa-exemption policy to citizens of Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, and Japan, expanding the unilateral visa exemption policy network to 38 countries. Please refer to Appendix I for the list of countries.
The duration of stay in the PRC for each entry is extended from 15 to 30 days.
In addition to purposes of tourism, business, family visits, and transit, academic and culture exchanges are added as eligible activities for unilateral visa-exemption travellers.

Mutual Visa Exemption

Georgia and Solomon Islands have been added to the mutual visa-exemption network. Please refer to Appendix II for the list of countries in the network.
The duration of stay in the PRC should be no more than 30 days per entry and the cumulative stays should be within 90 days for every 180 days.
Citizens of the five Mekong countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, who intend to visit the PRC for business purposes, can apply for "Lancang-Mekong visas" with a maximum validity of five years.
Where the purpose of travel or length of intended stay extends beyond the permitted period, the individual should apply for an appropriate visa for entry.

KPMG INSIGHTS

The “upgraded” visa-exemption policies allow longer stays per entry and a wider range of activities that can be performed during the stay, without imposing restrictions on the number of entries. It is a welcome signal of the PRC relaxing its international mobility policy to meet the needs of the country’s social and economic development.

While China continues to encourage business exchanges, international cooperation, and trade, companies and individuals should be kept up-to-date on the latest entry and exit policies and practices adopted, and timely evaluate business travel arrangements and policies to foster compliance.

Passport holders of countries that are covered by the mutual or unilateral visa-free policies may travel to China for the purposes of sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, doing business, and connecting with flights. Those who intend to come to China to study, work, reside, or do media reporting and interviews should apply for a visa in advance. If you are uncertain about whether the visa-exemption policy applies to you, please consult with your usual immigration counsel or with a member of the KPMG immigration team in the People’s Republic of China (see the Contacts section).

Appendix I

List of 38 Unilateral Visa-Exemption Countries
As at 30 November 2024
Ordinary passport holders of the following countries can travel to China for the purposes of tourism, business, family visits, academic and cultural exchange, and transit for up to 30 days per entry, without applying for a Chinese entry visa until *31 December 2025*.
Andorra	Australia	Austria	Belgium
Brunei	Bulgaria	Croatia	Cyprus
Denmark	Estonia	Finland	France
Germany	Greece	Hungary	Iceland
Ireland	Italy	Japan	Latvia
Liechtenstein	Luxembourg	Malaysia	Malta
Monaco	Montenegro	The Netherlands	New Zealand
Northern Macedonia	Norway	Poland	Portugal
Romania	Slovakia	Slovenia	South Korea
Spain	Switzerland

Source: KPMG in the People’s Republic of China

Appendix II

List of Mutual Visa-Exemption Countries
Ordinary passport holders of the following 25 countries can benefit from the mutual visa-exemption policy to travel to China (or vice versa) for the purposes of tourism, business, family visits, academic and cultural exchange, and transit for up to 30 days per entry, without applying for an entry visa until further notice.
Albania	Antigua and Barbuda	Armenia	The Bahamas
Barbados	Belarus	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Dominica
Ecuador	Fiji	Georgia	Grenada
Kazakhstan	Maldives	Mauritius	Qatar
San Marino	Serbia	Seychelles	Singapore
Suriname	Thailand	Tonga	United Arab Emirates
Solomon Islands (effective 28 December 2024)

Source: KPMG in the People’s Republic of China

To date, the PRC has concluded agreements on mutual visa exemption with 157 countries. Please refer to this link for the full list: List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries. The list above covers countries for which ordinary passport holders are eligible for the mutual visa-exemption policy.

Footnotes:

1 See: 关于进一步扩大免签国家范围并优化入境政策的通知.

2 The Mekong countries are: China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Contacts

Renee Bai

Immigration Manager

KPMG in China

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* Please note the KPMG International member firm in the United States does not provide immigration or labour law services. However, KPMG Law LLP in Canada can assist clients with U.S. immigration matters.

The information contained in this newsletter was submitted by the KPMG International member firm in the People’s Republic of China.

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People's Republic of China - Widening Visa-Exemption Policy Network