China: Five More Cities to Offer 144-hour Visa-free Stay

Another five cities of Xiamen, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chengdu and Kunming will implement the 144-hour transit visa exemption policy for foreigners from January 1, 2019. 

Citizens from 53 countries can enjoy visa-free in above-mentioned 5 cities for 144 hours with valid international travel documents and 144-hour connected passenger tickets to the third country (region) on which have an exact date and seat number.

According to the national immigration administration, the policy implemented next year is a further optimization comparing with the existing 72-hour transit visa exemption policy, which not only extends the hours of visa-free stay, but also increases the entry and exit ports. 

The five cities are Xiamen of Fujian province, Qingdao of Shandong province, Wuhan of Hubei province, Chengdu of Sichuan province and Kunming of Yunnan province.

With valid international travel documents and tickets to a third country within 144 hours, foreigners can enjoy the visa-free access to China from the five cities and stay for up to 144 hours, according to the administration.

The visa-free period will be increased from the 72 hours in 2013 to 144 hours next year, aiming to provide more convenience for foreigners to enter and leave China for short-term tourism or business visits.

The transit visa-free policy applies to the list of countries:

Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Monaco, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the UAE, Qatar.

source:http://www.mps.gov.cn/n2254996/n2254999/c6304309/content.html