China has successfully welcomed the first wave of visa-free travelers following the initiation of its visa-free policy for citizens from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. Multiple ports, including those in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanning, have implemented enhanced passenger flow monitoring, on-site guidance in various languages, and inspection checks to facilitate the smooth and secure entry of visa-free visitors.
On the first day of the 15-day visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from the six aforementioned countries, a total of 2,029 inbound visitors entered China, as reported by the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Saturday. The NIA revealed that this marked a 12.54 percent increase compared to the previous day, with Malaysian passport holders comprising the majority of travelers at 1,113. French nationals saw the most significant growth, with a 52.31 percent increase from the day before.
Sabrina Chan, a Malaysian passport holder who traveled from Hong Kong to Shanghai, praised the streamlined process. “The entire entry process only took me 15 minutes,” she shared, highlighting the simplicity of filling out an arrival card and proceeding through the foreigner fingerprint self-collection area.
The visa-free entry period, valid from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, allows passport holders from the six countries to enter China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for up to 15 days without a visa.
Italian engineer Franco, working in Shanghai, expressed appreciation for the visa-free trial, citing the increased convenience for his family to visit. He expressed hope for an extension of the trial period, anticipating greater facilitation of entry for more people.
With international flights resuming and the new visa-free policy in effect, authorities predict a continued rise in travelers from visa-exempt countries for short-term tourism and business exchanges. Border inspection stations, including those in Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen, have implemented optimization measures to ensure safe and efficient border entry.
Wang Jing, deputy head of the border inspection station in Hangzhou, emphasized the importance of dynamic monitoring, police force deployment, and language interpretation services to guide foreign passengers effectively.
China’s National Immigration Administration assured the optimization of police force deployment and the opening of sufficient inspection channels for efficient border entry at ports. The administration will guide exit-entry departments nationwide to provide convenience for visa-free entry travelers staying in China.
With unilateral visa exemption policies now in place for eight countries, covering both Asian and European nations, China aims to promote high-quality openness. Data from Trip.com indicates that orders for inbound tourism from the six newly added countries accounted for about 15 percent of inbound tourism to China from January to November, experiencing a significant rise compared to 2022. The top 10 countries for inbound tourism to China in 2023 included the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, the UK, Canada, and Germany. Inbound tourism orders from January to November in 2023 reached approximately 80 percent of those in the same period in 2019.