Australian, New Zealand travellers get visa-free entry to China
Source:Ttgasia
Travellers from Australia and New Zealand will now be able to enter China for business, tourism, and transit without a visa for up to 15 days, thanks to the country implementing a unilateral visa-free policy.
Australia and China also jointly declared to provide multiple-entry visas mutually with a validity period of three to five years.
Travellers from Australia and New Zealand will now be able to enjoy visa-free entry to China; Forbidden City in Beijing, pictured
According to the National Immigration Administration of China (NIA), the number of Australian visitors to China is continuously increasing.
In October 2023, the NIA released a list of 53 eligible countries for a 72/144-hour visa-free transit, including the UK, France and Australia. Then on May 15 this year, the NIA permitted the entry of foreign tourists by cruise ship without a visa, facilitating inbound visits by Australian residents.
Australia has a large community of Chinese residents; thus the introduction of the unilateral visa-free policy not only facilitates their visits to relatives and friends but also a chance to see the changes in China over the years.
New Zealand will also be included in the unilateral visa-free list, as flights between China and New Zealand have recovered quickly. Since last December, direct flights between China and New Zealand have recovered to that of pre-pandemic period. Six airlines including Air New Zealand, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Air China, Hainan Airlines, and Cathay Pacific are offering direct flights from eight stops in China to New Zealand.
China has been continuously expanding the unilateral visa-free countries since 2023 – to date, China has implemented unilateral visa-free for countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and more. Additionally, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Georgia are mutually visa-free countries with China.
