China extends visa-free transit policy to 10 days as part of efforts to lure more foreign tourists

By Lilit Marcus, CNN

(CNN) — China has tripled the amount of time visitors can spend in the country without a visa in yet another move to entice more foreign tourists.

The Chinese State Administration of Immigration announced the country will expand its visa-free layover period to 240 hours (10 days) across the board.

Previously, there were two tiers, allowing eligible travelers to visit for 72 hours (3 days) or 144 hours (6 days) depending on the destination.

The transit program, a popular “hack” for foreign tourists who want to visit China but find the visa process too complicated or overwhelming, allows visitors who have existing flight bookings from China to a third country or territory to snag a visa on arrival at a Chinese airport and travel for a short period before departing.

Citizens of more than 50 countries, including the United States, are eligible for the program.

China has made no secret of its desire to increase the number of international visitors and has made several major policy changes since reopening following the Covid-19 pandemic.

And it appears to be working.

In 2024, the number of foreigners entering mainland China in the third quarter of the year reached a record high since tracking began in 2014, according to data from the National Immigration Administration.

Passport holders from 38 countries can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days, including France, Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan and Switzerland.

However, the United States is not among them. Until 2023, US citizens seeking a China travel visa had to confirm a hotel booking, tour itinerary and flight reservation before applying for a visa, but those requirements have since been dropped.

Foreigners eligible to visit under the new 240-hour transit policy are permitted to travel between 24 provincial regions, up from 19 previously. While a few of those provinces limit access to certain cities, most permit travel across the whole region, covering tourist hot spots like Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

Special areas like Tibet and Xinjiang, though, require additional permission to access.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong and Macao both count as third destinations for those entering under the 240-hour visa-free transit program.

According to the latest statistics cited by state media, from January to November 2024, more than 29 million foreigners entered the country, a year-on-year increase of 86.2%. Of these, 17 million entered under the visa-free program, a year-on-year increase of 123.3%.

More than four million of them entered via Shanghai, making it the most popular place to visit.

Visa simplification isn’t the only change China has made to entice foreign tourists.

Its two biggest e-payment apps, WeChat and AliPay, now accept non-Chinese credit cards, have built-in translation software and streamlined identity verification processes.

In addition, the government has mandated that major tourist attractions and three-, four- and five-star hotels all accept international credit cards.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to remove references to China’s previous visa-free transit policy that are no longer in effect.

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