ExplainerHere are 5 ways to enter China without a visa, by land, sea or air
From 24 hours to 30 days, visiting China is getting easier for many tourists – how long will your passport let you stay?
Obtaining a visa to enter mainland China often requires filling out pages of paperwork, paying more than US$100, and waiting days for the documents to be processed.
But for a growing number of visitors, some hurdles have been lowered or removed entirely as Beijing continues to relax visa-free entry rules to attract more foreign visitors and boost the nation’s tourism sector.
Immigration officials now allow travellers from certain countries who are transiting through China to stay without a visa for up to 10 days, and a growing list of other foreign nationals are permitted to remain for 30 days without a visa.
On September 2, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, Beijing announced its latest update: Russian citizens may stay without a visa for up to 30 days, effective September 15.
Here are five options available for travellers to enter mainland China without a visa.
1. Transit through Chinese cities (10 days)
Passport holders from 55 nations – including Australia, Russia, Indonesia, the United States and several European countries – can stay for up to 10 days in much of mainland China by transiting through one of its international airports.
Travellers can enter China via 60 ports of entry across 24 provincial-level regions under the scheme, including airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guilin, Kunming, Qingdao, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guangdong province and the Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang cluster.