Can Foreigners Without Chinese Visas Enter China?
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith the accelerating pace of China’s opening to the outside world, there are more and more visa-free ways to enter China.
According to Article 22 of the law of the people’s Republic of China on the administration of exit and entry, foreigners are exempted from visas under any of the following circumstances:
1. According to the mutual visa exemption agreements signed between the Chinese government and the governments of other countries, they are visa-free personnel.
2. Holding a valid Foreigner Residence Certificate.
3. An aircraft, ship, or train carrying a connecting passenger ticket on an international voyage transits from China to a third country or region, stays in China for no more than 24 hours and does not leave the port, or stays in a specific area approved by the State Council for no more than the specified time limit.
4. Other circumstances prescribed by the State Council under which visa may be exempted:
[box type=”note” align=”” class=”” width=””]
– Visa-free agreement –
*According to the bilateral agreements or agreements signed or reached between China and relevant countries, people from some countries who meet specific conditions may be exempted from visas.
According to the visa-free agreement between China and foreign countries, as of May 2, 2019, citizens of 14 countries can travel to China with ordinary passports without applying for visas in advance ( Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina included).[/box]
However, visa-free entry does not mean an indefinite stay or residence. According to the agreement, after entering the country without a visa with a customs passport, it is generally allowed to stay no more than 30 days.
If the licensee needs to stay for more than 30 days, he shall apply for stopping residence locally as soon as possible.
Visa-free residence certificate
* Foreigners with valid residence certificates can stay in China and enter and exit China many times within the validity period of their residence certificates, and there is no need to apply for a separate visa.
* Those who hold valid permanent residence identity cards of foreigners of the People’s Republic of China can stay in China and enter and exit China many times without applying for a separate visa.
Transit visa-free
Transit visa-free means that foreigners who transit from China to a third country on international flights, ships, and trains with connecting passenger tickets, stay in China for no more than 24 hours, and do not leave the port can be exempted from visa.
At present, in addition to the 24-hour visa-free transit at ports, China also implements the 72 / 144-hour visa-free transit policy for citizens of 53 countries at open ports in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Shijiazhuang, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shenyang, Chengdu, Kunming, Xiamen, Wuhan, and other cities.
Other types of visa-free
1. APEC business travel card is equivalent to multiple visas for 5 years. Cardholders can enter China multiple times within the validity period of the travel card, and each stay shall not exceed 60 days at most.
2. Citizens holding ordinary passports from 59 countries such as Russia and the United Kingdom are received by travel agencies established in Hainan. They can enter Hainan without visas from Hainan’s open ports and stay in the administrative region of Hainan Province for 30 days. See how cool this trip is!
3. Foreigners holding ordinary passports of countries that have established diplomatic relations with China and have been in Hong Kong and Macao entering the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong through travel agencies legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao (referring to the administrative regions under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing and Huizhou) and staying for no more than 6 days can be exempted from visa. If the above groups travel directly from Shantou and the scope of activities does not exceed the administrative region of Shantou, the above policies also apply.
4. The 10 ASEAN tourist groups (2 or more people) are organized and received by the tourism agency with the qualification approved by the competent Tourism Department of Guilin, Guangxi. The whole group can enter and leave the country from Guilin airport port without a visa and stay in the Guilin administrative region for no more than 6 days.
5. People who have ordinary passports from Singapore, Brunei, and Japan traveling to the Chinese mainland, doing business, visiting relatives or friends, or crossing the border for more than 15 days. Visa-free entry is allowed when Chinese mainland ports are open to foreigners.
