China has expanded its visa-free transit program from 60 to 65, and extended unilateral visa exemptions for over 40 countries until December 31, 2569.
On November 4, 2025, at 7:20 a.m., Xinhua News Agency reported that China has announced the extension of its 240-hour visa-free transit program to additional border crossings and the extension of its unilateral visa exemption program for tourists from over 40 countries until December 31, 2569. To promote the opening of the country and facilitate international travelers
According to data from China's National Immigration Administration (NIA), the newly added border crossings These include Guangzhou, Hengqin and Zhongshan districts of Zhuhai, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway. The measures will take effect from Wednesday.
Following the expansion of the border crossings, the number of ports eligible for the 240-hour transit visa across China will increase from 60 to 65. Eligible tourists from 55 countries eligible for the program can enter China through border crossings in 24 provinces or provincial-level administrative regions and stay in China for up to 240 hours without applying for a visa before continuing their journey to a third country.
The project is one of 10 new policies announced by the NIA to facilitate entry and exit for both Chinese and foreign nationals, including 10 international airports, including Tianjin, Nanjing and Chongqing, to the list of points where international passengers can transit within 24 hours without going through immigration.
In addition, starting November 20, foreign tourists entering China can fill out their entry card online in advance, or choose to complete it at the airport using electronic devices, or use the traditional paper form.
The new measures also include facilitation for mainland Chinese citizens traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as Taiwanese citizens traveling to mainland China.
On the same day, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would extend the unilateral visa exemption for tourists from more than 40 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, to December 31, 2569, from the original end of 2568. Sweden was also added to the list of countries eligible for visa-free entry, from November 10, 2568, to December 31, 2569.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning specify that This measure is part of the ongoing efforts to implement guidelines laid down at the Communist Party of China Central Committee plenary session to promote greater opening-up and promote personnel exchanges between China and other countries.
According to NIA statistics, in the third quarter of this year, foreigners under the visa-free policy entered China over 7.246 million times, a year-on-year increase of 48.3%, accounting for 72.2% of the total foreigners' trips into China.
China first tested the unilateral visa exemption measure on December 1, 2566, for ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia, before expanding it to other countries and renewing it several times to date.
refer : xhnewsapi.xinhuaxmt.com
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