
On July 7, 2025, the Chinese government approved visa-free entry for citizens of 74 countries from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America for a period of up to 30 days. This development is part of China's broader strategy to attract foreign tourists following the easing of strict COVID-related lockdowns in 2023, which had been implemented under the “Zero-COVID” policy.
The introduction of the visa-free policy has already led to a significant increase in entries: in 2024, over 1 million foreigners entered China without a visa — double the number from the previous year, making up almost one-third of all international arrivals.
Europe:
France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Finland, Slovakia, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Malta, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Ukraine — some with limited (transit) stay duration.
Asia and the Middle East:
Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar.
Latin America:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay.
Expected Expansion:
Azerbaijan is set to join the list on July 16, 2025, bringing the total number of eligible countries to 75.
Additionally, some European and other countries may benefit from a 10-day visa-free transit stay.
Reviving Tourism:
In 2023, China received 13.8 million foreign tourists, compared to 31.9 million in 2019. The return of more than 20 million travelers via visa-free access is expected to strongly boost the tourism sector.
Political and Diplomatic Goals:
This decision also reflects China’s commitment to diplomatic engagement and the strengthening of its “soft power” through cultural and tourism exchanges.
Economic Benefits:
Jenny Zhao, director of the travel company WildChina, noted that the travel sector has not only recovered but surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The travel platform Trip.com reported that bookings in the first quarter of 2025 doubled compared to the same period last year.
Citizens of 55 countries passing through 60 Chinese airports can stay in China for up to 10 days (240 hours) without a visa.
This includes nationals of the USA, Canada, the UK, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, and more than 10 other countries.
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