On 24 November 2023, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that, China has decided to expand the scope of its unilateral visa-free policy and implement unilateral visa-free entry for six more countries on a trial basis. According to the official notice, from 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2024, travelers with ordinary passports of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia may enter China on a visa-free basis for the purposes of business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, transit through China. The visa-free stay must not exceed 15 days.
Travelers that do not meet the conditions of visa-free entry shall still apply for a Chinese visa before entering the country.
This is a major step in a series of loosened entry policies by the Chinese government in the post-pandemic period in order to further promote the exchange of people and to maintain a high level of opening up to the world.
Following the announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chinese embassies in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Malaysia also released information on their official websites to notify the policy.
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