Officials from China have announced this week that the country’s visa-free transit policy has now been expanded to let American travelers visit for 10 days with no visa required. Moreover, travelers from more than 50 countries are able to stay for up to 10 days with no visa with immediate effect. Among those countries are Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia and the move is being made to attract more international travelers.

American travelers can visit China with no visa

According to USA Today, previous to this week’s announcement, visitors were only allowed to stay in China without a visa for some 72 to 144 hours. However, under the new system, travelers who have confirmed tickets to leave China in 10 days can enter the Asian nation from around 60 different locations throughout 24 provinces. These include two of the most popular destinations, Beijing and Shanghai.

In the wake of the pandemic and lockdowns, China is facing challenges getting its tourism industry back to work. Meanwhile, as part of the efforts to improve tourism, passport holders from 38 countries are no longer required to have visas. Moreover, they can stay in the country for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes. Among these countries are Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand and more.

Tourism to China increased in the first part of 2024

It seems some of the efforts are working, as tourism to China increased in the first part of 2024. According to the official Chinese Visa Application Service Center website:

This initiative is beneficial for accelerating cross-border flows of people, promoting international communication and cooperation, and injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of the economy and society.

NIA invites more foreign friends to come to China and experience the beauty of the country in this new era firsthand.

However, there are some restrictions that travelers should be aware of. While American citizens can enter many areas of China for up to 10 days without a visa, they must continue to another country afterward. In other words, they can’t travel from the US to China roundtrip without a visa.

According to the Chinese Visa Application Service Center:

Individuals from 54 eligible countries… traveling from China to a third country (region), can enter visa-free through any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and stay within the allowed areas for visa-free transit travelers for no more than 240 hours.

Due to this, American citizens only wishing to visit China, or wanting to stay longer than 10 days will still require a visa. Moreover, different types of visas are required for tourists and business people heading to China.

Which countries can visit China visa-free?

The 54 countries eligible for visa-free transit for up to 10 days are as follows:

Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Find out more about visas for China here.