China will extend visa-free entry to citizens from nine additional countries, including South Korea, Norway, and Finland, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
Starting November 8, nationals from these countries, which also include Slovakia, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein, will be allowed to enter China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 15 days without a visa, the ministry said. The policy will be in effect through December 31, 2025.
Chinese foreign ministry last month promised efforts to optimise the visa waiver and other relevant policy measures to make it more convenient for foreigners to visit and stay in the country. “We are glad to see the travel boom,” state media outlet China Daily quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian as saying. Jian made the remarks during a press briefing in response to a query about the visa waiver policies.
He noted that according to the latest statistics, in the third quarter this year, inbound foreign travelers had reached 8.186 million, up by 48.8 percent year-on-year. Among them, 4.885 million had entered China via the visa waiver policy, a year-on-year growth of 78.6 percent.
Referring to the implementation of a series of facilitating measures, Lin said the waiting time of foreign travelers for checks and inspections on entry has been further shortened, and they can directly swipe their overseas bank cards to take the subway.