China’s travel expansion plans through new visa-free initiatives

In our Spotlight on APAC series, we round up the latest developments across the region. In this post, we focus on China’s expanding travel policies, specifically the new-visa free initiatives introduced recently for travelers entering the country.

As of December 17, 2024, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced a major optimisation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the duration to 240 hours (10 days), up from the previous limits of 72 and 144 hours.

Foreign nationals from 54 eligible countries including Russia, the United Kingdon, the United States and Canada can transit through China for up to 240 hours.

This applies to travelers passing through any of the 60 designated entry points, provided they are in transit and have proof of onward travel to a third country or region within the next 10 days.

In addition to the extended time frame, the policy expansion includes 21 new ports of entry and five new provinces eligible for visa-free transit. These provinces—Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hainan, and Guizhou encouraging more cross-provincial movements.

Moreover, effective December 28, 2024, nationals of China and the Solomon Islands can travel freely between the two countries without a visa, for stays of up to 30 days at a time and a cumulative total of 90 days within any 180-day period.

Stays beyond these limits will require the relevant visa to be obtained prior to travel.

The latest update was announced on February 10, 2025, where the Chinese government announced a new visa-free policy for tourists from ASEAN countries visiting the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan.

Under this policy, tourists in groups of two or more can stay in the region for up to 6 days without a visa.

For more details on China’s visa-free policies in place or any assistance you may require on global immigration matters please do not hesitate to contact [email protected] or [email protected].

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