Historically, travel to China has often involved a lot of admin beforehand to secure documentation and visas when visiting as a tourist. However, in November 2023, China announced that until the end of November 2024, the need to secure a tourist visa before visiting for up to 15 days has been waived for five European countries.
Which countries can travel to China without a visa?
If you’re a holder of any of the below passports, according to new rules you are allowed to visit China visa-free for up to 15 days. If you intend on staying longer, you’ll still have to act in accordance with standard China visa requirements, but those shorter journeys (for example, our 9-day Hong Kong to Chengdu tour, or our 10-day Beijing to Shanghai tour) just got a whole lot more accessible.
The European countries are:
- France
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Spain
If that’s not enough, there are many hubs across the country that allow short-stay travel with China transit visas. Over 31 ports of entry in 23 cities – from Beijing to Shanghai – travellers can apply for 72-hour or 144-hour transit visas. This grants passport holders from 54 countries a temporary stay if they’re using anywhere in China as a transit point between their start destination and their end destination (for example: UK > China > Japan). So, if you’re looking to make the most out of a layover, see if you’re one of the countries who can apply to spend a whirlwind weekend in China!
You can find full visa information on the China Visa Application Service Center website.
