China: Visa-free policy expanded to new cities as of December 1 /update 2

Event

China announced it will expand its visa-free policy to include the cities of Chongqing, Xi'an (Shaanxi province), and Ningbo (Zhejiang province). The policy will allow passport holders from 53 countries to stay in China for 144 hours, or six days, when arriving in the three cities.

Travelers must have a passport valid for three months, confirmed accommodations and have travel arrangements to a third country within 144 hours of arriving in China. Other restrictions may apply.

Citizens from the following countries are eligible for this policy: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korean, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, Ukraine, and the US.

Context

The policy is already in place since January 2019 in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Hangzhou (Zhejiang province), Nanjing (Jiangsu province), Shenyang, Dalian (Liaoning province), Xiamen (Fujian province) Qingdao (Shandong province), Wuhan (Hubei province), Chengdu (Sichuan province), and Kunming (Yunnan province).

Advice

Individuals from the abovementioned countries who are traveling through China are advised to confirm entry requirements and adhere to instructions and advice issued by local authorities and their home governments before traveling through China.