Visa-free Entry to China for Travelers from 5 European Countries

Tourists at the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo by Ling Tang on Unsplash

Travelers from five European and one Asian country will be allowed to enter China without a visa as of December 1 through to November 30, 2024, announced the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In an effort to reignite post-pandemic tourism, China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday a 15-day visa-free entry period for travelers with passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia.

The move comes after China restored international flight routes earlier this year and as part of efforts to revive its tourism sector which has been impacted by three years of strict Covid measures and to restore its reputation.

Travelers who do not meet the visa exemption requirements still need to obtain a visa to China before entering the country.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the decision, which comes days ahead of the EU-China Summit next month, was aimed at fostering cross-border exchange and promoting high-quality development in services related to the movement of people.

The European Chamber of Commerce in China said the move would help boost business confidence. “It is a positive that the authorities are taking steps to facilitate people-to-people exchanges,” it said.

Commenting on the news, Germany’s ambassador to China, Patricia Flor said via her Twitter (X) account that the decision would “facilitate travel to China for many German citizens to an unprecedented extent”

. “We hope that the Chinese government will implement the measures announced today for all EU member states,” she added.

Among other actions to facilitate travel, China expanded its visa-free transit policy to 54 countries to include citizens of Norway and lifted all Covid-19 test requirements for inbound arrivals.