Beijing, June 26, 2024 – China has expanded its visa-free travel policy, now including Poland, Australia, and New Zealand, allowing their citizens to visit China without a visa until the end of 2025. This initiative is part of a broader scheme to bolster business and tourism exchanges between China and other nations.
Since the beginning of 2024, the visa-free policy has been rolled out in stages. It now encompasses citizens from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and Malaysia. Polish citizens will be added to this list starting July 1.
The objective, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world.” This statement was made during a briefing in November, when the initial announcement was made.
Under the trial program, visitors from these countries can stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa. This move comes after nearly three years of stringent pandemic measures, including mandatory quarantines for all arrivals, which had significantly deterred international travel. Although these restrictions were lifted early last year, international travel to China has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
China had previously granted visa-free entry to citizens of Brunei, Japan, and Singapore but suspended this privilege following the COVID-19 outbreak. Visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore resumed in July, but not for Japan.
In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, a substantial decrease from the 97.7 million recorded in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. The Chinese government is actively seeking foreign investment to rejuvenate its sluggish economy, and notable business figures, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook, have visited for trade fairs and meetings. However, the number of foreign tourists remains significantly lower compared to pre-pandemic levels.