Visa-free China entry approved at all cruise ports, tourists allowed to stay for up to 15 days
- Easing of visa policy is expected to boost tourism that has yet to fully rebound since the pandemic
- Visitors may travel to Beijing or any coastline province during the 15-day period
Foreign visitors are now allowed to stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa if they reach via international cruises, Beijing announced on Wednesday in its latest attempt to buoy the cruise industry and boost inbound travel.
Coming into effect on the same day, the new regulations allow foreigners travelling in tour groups of at least two people to enter China visa-free through all 13 cruise ports in the country, from Liaoning province’s Dalian in the north to Hainan island’s Sanya in the south.
“The full implementation of the visa-free entry policy for foreign tourist groups taking cruises will provide policy support for the development of the cruise economy and cruise industry and create a new engine for high-quality development,” said Mao Xu, director general of the Department of Foreigners Management at the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
The new visa policy will also help attract more visitors to China, facilitating exchanges with other countries, Mao said.
The policy is an extension of a pilot scheme from 2016 that had restricted the entry point to only the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal. That scheme was suspended during the pandemic and resumed last year.
Travel agencies handling the trips must be registered in mainland China, according to the NIA notice. The whole tour group also must enter and exit China at the same time, and visitors may travel to Beijing or any coastline province during the 15 days.
