China has offered visa-free transit travel through specific cities/areas for 72 to 144 hours for nationals of 50 or so countries.
The country started offering 15-day visa-free travel to limited nationals in 2023 (read more here and here) and has recently expanded to include 18 European nationals. Sebastian entered the country using this new facility in December last year (read more here and here).
The limited-time visa-free travel was supposed to run out at the end of 2024, but the program has been extended through December 31, 2025 (read more here).
China announced this weekend that the Visa-free travel facility will expand to include citizens of Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein, and South Korea on November 8, 2024
The announcement by Chinese Embassies:
Notice on Visa-free Policy to Citizens of Finland and Other Countries
2024-11-02 01:02
To further facilitate cross-border travel, China decides to expand visa-exemption policy for citizens of Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and South Korea holding ordinary passports traveling to China. From November 8, 2024 to December 31, 2025, citizens holding ordinary passports of the above countries traveling to China for business, tourism, family visit or transit purposes with the duration not exceeding 15 days, are eligible for visa-free entry. Individuals who do not meet the visa -free conditions mentioned above still need to apply for a visa before entering China.
There are now 24 (from November 8) European countries from which citizens can travel to China visa-free for up to 15 days:
- Andorra (November 8, 2024)
- Austria
- Belgium
- Cyprus
- Denmark (November 8, 2024)
- Finland (November 8, 2024)
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland (November 8, 2024)
- Ireland
- Italy
- Liechtenstein (November 8, 2024)
- Luxembourg
- Monaco (November 8, 2024)
- Netherlands
- Norway (November 8, 2024)
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia (November 8, 2024)
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Switzerland
Travelers with passports from Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand can also visit China using this same facility. South Korea is also added on November 8, 2024.
Sebastian China Entry Experiences using this Visa-Free Facility:
Success: First Time Using The Visa Free Entry For China After New Visa Waiver Policy
Visiting China Visa-Free 2.0: Smooth Arrival At Shanghai Hongqiao Airport
Conclusion
China has unilaterally granted visa-free travel concessions to several European nationals, usually on a bilateral basis, and some have been announced during State Visits.
These announcements do not clarify how many times within a certain period you can enter China using this visa-free facility.
The hassle of not applying for a Chinese visa will make the country a more accessible destination to visit or a long transit. The last time I was in Mainland China was in 2019, and I need to incorporate a few visits next year.
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