Latest news with #NationalImmigrationAdministration
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Japan Today
China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries to draw tourists
Tourists take a selfie at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on June 15. By FU TING Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 — almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. 'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. 'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own,' he said. After lifting tough COVID-19 restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan. About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis. For Norwegian traveler Øystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't very often open, so it was much harder' he said. 'The new visa policies are 100% beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specializes in boutique and luxury routes for international travelers. She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic. While the U.S. remains their largest source market, accounting for around 30% of their current business, European travelers now make up 15–20% of their clients, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao. 'We're quite optimistic' Zhao said, 'we hope these benefits will continue.' Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, said the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, with 75% of the visitors from visa-free regions. No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent's relatively close ties with China. Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country's National Immigration Administration. The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren't: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Aside from the UK, Sweden is the only other high-income European country that didn't make the 30-day list. Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish book seller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in 2020. Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China. Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Euronews
7 days ago
- Euronews
More Europeans can now visit China visa-free for 30 days
Travellers from dozens of countries – including much of Europe – can now enter China without a visa, as the country opens up in a bid to revive tourism. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 – more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. 'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Giorgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. China's tourism industry gears up after years of slow recovery While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holidaymakers coming to China. 'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up,' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own,' he said. After lifting tough COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year – less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. 30-day entry for many in Europe In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travellers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on 16 July with the addition of Azerbaijan. About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis. For Norwegian traveller Øystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa – a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't very often open, so it was much harder,' he said. Europeans driving a tourism rebound 'The new visa policies are 100 per cent beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specialises in boutique and luxury routes for international travellers. She said business is up 50 per cent compared with before the pandemic. While the United States remains their largest source market, accounting for around 30 per cent of their current business, European travellers now make up 15–20 per cent of their clients – a sharp increase from less than 5 per cent before 2019, according to Zhao. 'We're quite optimistic,' Zhao said. 'We hope these benefits will continue.' Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, said the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, with 75 per cent of the visitors from visa-free regions. No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent's relatively close ties with China. Transit stays offer another option for non-eligible countries Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country's National Immigration Administration. The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren't: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the United States and Mexico. Aside from the United Kingdom, Sweden is the only other high-income European country that didn't make the 30-day list. Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish bookseller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in 2020. Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China.
India.com
10-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
China Opens Its Gates Wider: 74 Nations Now Eligible For Visa-Free Entry; Is India On The List?
Beijing/New Delhi: China has made its move. Without much fanfare, it has quietly flung open its doors to tourists from 74 countries. No visa. No long forms. No consulate queues. Just walk in and stay for up to 30 days. This shift is no small gesture. It signals a new phase in China's outreach – aimed squarely at reviving tourism, boosting its struggling economy and rebranding its image abroad. And the numbers? They are already telling the story. Over 20 million foreign tourists entered China without visas in 2024. That is nearly a third of all international arrivals. A full double of what the country saw last year. The National Immigration Administration released the data with quiet pride. The message behind the statistics was loud enough – China wants visitors, and it is willing to make it easy. On the cobbled grounds of Beijing's Temple of Heaven, a Georgian traveller named Giorgi Shavadze looked around and smiled. 'Applying for a visa is a hassle. This change makes it so much easier to visit,' he said. In December 2023, China first rolled out visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Then came more. Europe saw country after country added to the list. Latin America got a slice too – five nations joined in June, followed by Uzbekistan. Then came the Middle East. Four countries from the region were given access. And on July 16, Azerbaijan will officially be added, taking the count to 75. India, however, remains off the list. Tour operators in China are gearing up. Domestic tourists still make up the bulk of the footfall, but this summer, foreign travellers are expected to return in force. Travel firms are preparing for packed tour buses and busy city streets. Shanghai-based confirmed the trend. In the first three months of 2024, hotel bookings, flight reservations and tour packages for China doubled compared to the same time last year. Three-fourths of these tourists? They came from visa-exempt countries. America still sends the most visitors. About 30% of business comes from the United States. But there is a visible shift. European tourists, once a negligible 5% in pre-pandemic days, now form nearly 20%. So, why now? Observers point to a mix of motives. China's economy needs a boost. Global perception needs a reset. Tourism helps with both. And with countries like Japan and South Korea tightening entry rules, Beijing's relaxed stance looks even more attractive. But there is also geopolitics. India's absence from the list has not gone unnoticed. Despite booming trade and regular diplomatic exchanges, tensions around border disputes and regional rivalry still cast a shadow. Until that fog clears, it seems unlikely Indian citizens will get the visa-free green light. For now, the dragon is welcoming – but only to those it chooses.
Time Magazine
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
China Opens Up to Tourists as Trump's U.S. Closes Itself Off
As the U.S. under President Donald Trump increasingly closes itself off from the world, denying entry to tourists amid a crackdown on border controls and migration, its geopolitical rival China, which has long been known for its relative isolation, has loosened its travel restrictions to unprecedented levels. By July 16, China will have expanded visa-free entry to 75 countries as part of a broader campaign to boost inbound tourism, which has already seen a surge. Last year, over 20 million foreigners visited China without a visa, doubling that of the previous year, according to China's National Immigration Administration. Shanghai alone received 2.6 million overseas visits in the first half of this year, around half of which were visa-free entries, a 45% year-on-year increase. China has been steadily pushing for more people to visit since reopening its borders in early 2023, after its 'Zero-COVID' policies appeared for a time as though they might drive the country into a lasting isolation. It's also part of China's effort to boost its soft power, especially at a time when the Trump Administration appears to be withdrawing the U.S. from the global stage. In recent months, Trump has moved to restrict international students from the U.S., impose sweeping tariffs on the rest of the world, and shutter USAID, while reports of tourists being detained or denied entry by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have deterred some from visiting the U.S. China's response to U.S. actions—including the targeting of Chinese international students and U.S. intervention in the Israel-Iran War—has been relatively restrained, signalling the country's desire to maintain cordial diplomatic ties to the U.S., especially amid trade negotiations, while also advocating for multilateralism like never before. The U.S. has 'demonstrated its military capabilities, its commitment to allies, and its influence in crisis management' through Trump's efforts to broker peace deals around the world, at times wielding the threat of force, but 'these are not the metrics by which China measures its global role,' says Lin Jing, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. 'Instead, China continues to showcase its consistency and stability, its non-aligned posture, and its support for a U.N.-centered international order.'. 'There's recognition that when you don't have people-to-people exchanges, you lose an important bulwark against populist rhetoric on both sides,' David Weeks, co-founder and chief operating officer of Sunrise International, a consulting firm that advises overseas universities on recruiting Chinese students, previously told TIME. 'China thinks that we need more, not less, exchange if we have disagreements.' In May, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng emphasized the importance of people-to-people exchanges to U.S.-China relations, just as the U.S. announced enhanced screenings of student visa applicants from China and Hong Kong. 'It is people-to-people ties that invigorate China-U.S. relations,' he said at his embassy. 'We warmly welcome all American friends to travel in China, shop in China, succeed in China and take part in Chinese modernisation. Come and see the country with your own eyes.' Inbound tourism could also help to rejuvenate China's domestic economy, which the Chinese government has prioritized to mitigate against the worst effects of Trump's tariffs as well as high youth unemployment and a persistent real estate crisis. China is opening more duty-free shops around the country in an effort to bolster spending within the country. Meanwhile, Chinese businesses, like 'Labubu' toy retailer Pop Mart, have gained global popularity, boosting China's soft power and interest around the world in visiting the country. Here's what to know. What are China's new visa-free rules Much of Europe, Asia, and parts of the Middle East are able to travel to China without a visa. China began expanding its visa-free scheme after reopening its borders in 2023 after inbound travel plummeted during the pandemic. The country saw just 14 million visitors in 2023 as compared to 32 million in 2019. Since then, Beijing has introduced or resumed visa-free entry for visitors from nearly every European country, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and most Asian countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea. Citizens of five Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay—and Uzbekistan were added to the scheme in June. Four countries in the Middle East—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia—were also granted visa-free entry last month. Azerbaijan will become eligible on July 16, bringing the total to 75. (By comparison, nationals from 42 countries have visa-free access to the U.S. for tourism or business stays up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program.) China's scheme allows citizens of eligible countries to enter without a visa for up to 30 days. 'Our inbound tourism has already recovered to 70 to 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels. It could be fully recovered this year,' James Liang, chairman of China's leading online travel service Ctrip, reportedly told Shanghai-based outlet The Paper. 'There are still some bottlenecks to be addressed. If they are tackled, China's inbound tourism could reach the world's top tier in 10 or 20 years.' China has also expanded its transit policy that allows travellers from 55 countries to enter China without a visa for 10 days if they then depart for a different country from where they came. The transit policy includes 10 countries that are not part of the visa-free scheme: Canada, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, the U.K., Ukraine, and the U.S. China is also aiming to open up Xinjiang—the Uyghur autonomous region that is under Western sanctions over human-rights concerns—to more domestic and foreign tourists. Earlier this year, local officials announced goals of bringing in at least 400 million annual visits to the region by 2030. Travel to the U.S. falls China's opening up is happening against a backdrop of the U.S. tightening its visa rules. Trump has targeted international students in his crackdown on universities across the U.S. His punitive moves have included attempting to remove Harvard's ability to enroll international students, targeting foreign-born students for removal from the country, and quietly revoking the visas of thousands of international students (before reversing the move). He's also heightened screening requirements for student visa applicants—especially those from China—including requiring applicants make their social media accounts 'public' for vetting. During his 2024 campaign, Trump also vowed to reinstate his travel ban on travellers from Muslim countries, and in June he announced a new travel ban on nationals from 12 countries and tightened restrictions on nationals from seven more. And he is reportedly considering adding 36 countries to the travel ban list. Several countries have issued advisories about travelling to the U.S., including China, which advised its citizens to 'fully assess the risks' before travelling to the U.S. because of 'the deterioration in China-U.S. trade relations and the domestic security situation in the U.S.' Some European countries, including the U.K. and Germany, issued warnings after multiple European travellers were detained at the U.S. border, some for weeks. Others, including Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands, cautioned transgender and nonbinary travellers about U.S. travel after Trump issued an executive order recognizing only two sexes, and several states have targeted trans people. Canada, too, warned its citizens about potential delays, denial of entry, and device seizures. Some Canadians have also launched a travel boycott of the U.S., after Trump repeatedly threatened to use 'economic force' to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S. Overseas travel to the U.S. has dropped 2.5% through April this year as compared to a year ago, Bloomberg reported, with the largest drop of 10% happening in March after Trump announced tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates that the U.S. will lose out on $12.5 billion from tourism this year, although some suggest the shortfall could be as high as $29 billion.
The Star
09-07-2025
- The Star
China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries
Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 – almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. 'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. 'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up,' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own,' he said. After lifting tough Covid-19 restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travellers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan. About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis. For Norwegian traveller Oystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't open very often, so it was much harder,' he said. 'The new visa policies are 100% beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specialises in boutique and luxury routes for international travellers. She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic. — AP
