China extends visa-free transit policy with addition of new ports: Details inside

BEIJING: The Chinese government has expanded its visa-free transit policy, adding more ports to take advantage of the policy.

The country’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) has announced the extension of its 144-hour visa-free transit policy, with three additional entry points available to accommodate more international travelers.

The decision increase the number of ports covered by the policy to 37 with newly included entry points such as Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Henan Province, Lijiang Sanyi International Airport in Yunnan Province, and the Mohan railway port in Yunnan.

Effective immediately, eligible foreign nationals may enter China without a visa through Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, with their stay limited to Henan Province. Similarly, travelers entering Yunnan can now travel beyond Kunming, including nine cities and prefecture-level areas such as Lijiang, Dali and Shishuangbanna.

Currently, citizens of 54 countries, including the US, Canada and the UK, are eligible for the 144-hour visa-free policy. This policy is intended for short-term activities such as tourism and business trips.

The NIA emphasized that the purpose of expanding the visa-free policy is to provide more options for foreign nationals to travel and do business in China.

As the statistics show, China’s visa-free policy is bringing positive results for the economy. Earlier this month, the NIA reported a significant increase in domestic visits to China, with 14.64 million visits by foreigners in the first half of the year, up 152.7 percent year-on-year. Of these, 8.54 million visits were visa-free, accounting for 52 percent of all domestic visits and reflecting a 190.1 percent increase over the previous year.

The government is entering into visa-free agreements with several countries. Chinese authorities have also signed a visa-free agreement with Thailand on a permanent basis to attract more tourists who were unable to fly due to social distancing protocols due to COVID.

In addition to visa-free policies, China has implemented various measures to ease the entry process for foreign nationals, including streamlined visa applications, exemptions from border checks for certain transit passengers, and better mobile for foreigners. Payment services included.