China makes visiting much easier following pandemic - but there is one catch

China is relaxing its visa restrictions aft 5 years, for UK travellers, with the accidental to question to China visa-free for up to 10 days - but determination is 1 requirement

A large state is making travelling easier erstwhile again pursuing the Coronavirus pandemic.

Five years since the satellite was thrown into planetary pandemic, China is yet relaxing its via requirements for UK passport holders. New regulations, introduced this year, are streamlining introduction requirements to China, permitting visa-free transit for those travelling onward to different destination.

The alteration allows travellers to acquisition China, adjacent if briefly, without the complexities of a visa application. In caller years, securing a visa to question to China has been a agelong process for British travellers, with it being some dilatory and costly. Now nether the caller rules, UK travellers tin sojourn China visa-free, arsenic agelong arsenic they are successful transit to different country.

Essentially, this means that travellers tin brace China with different overseas destination to debar having to get a visa. The lone request is to person a connecting summons with the confirmed departure day and spot fig leaving for a 3rd region oregon portion wrong 210 hours oregon 10 days.

The enactment duration for overseas nationals eligible for visa-free transit was initially acceptable astatine 72 hours, earlier being accrued to 144 and past 240 successful December 2024.

As portion of the caller policy, 21 ports of introduction and exit person besides been added for visa-free transit individuals. In December, The National Immigration Administration (NIA) of China besides accrued the fig of provinces the visa-free transit was allowed in, from 19 to 24.

“This update is large quality for UK travellers, including families, arsenic antecedently China’s visa request included an in-person exertion astatine the embassy successful London for each idiosyncratic travelling, including children, which was some time-consuming and costly, astatine astir £140pp,” says the laminitis and managing manager of household question specialists Stubborn Mule Travel, Liddy Pleasants, reports The Independent.

“Some restrictions remain, but the update means that visas for UK citizens to sojourn China are nary longer required wherever the enactment is for 10 days oregon little successful mainland China, wherever that sojourn is simply a transit enactment en-route to different country, including Hong Kong."

Liddy continued that she believes the alteration volition pb to much bookings to China.

Lauren Coppola, merchandise manager for China astatine Audley Travel, besides reported increasing involvement from customers. She said: “Enquiries for China are up compared to the aforesaid play past year, and we are receiving galore calls from clients keen to recognize what destinations let them to instrumentality vantage of the caller visa transit rule.”

Full database of visa-free transit provinces successful China:

• Beijing Municipality

• Tianjin Municipality

• Hebei Province

• Liaoning Province

• Heilongjiang Province

• Shanghai Municipality

• Jiangsu Province

• Zhejiang Province

• Fujian Province

• Shandong Province

• Henan Province

• Guangdong Province

• Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

• Chongqing Municipality

• Sichuan Province

• Yunnan Province

• Shaanxi Province

• Hubei Province

• Hunan Province

• Shanxi Province (added Dec 2024) (Limited to Taiyuan and Datong)

• Anhui Province (added Dec 2024)

• Jiangxi Province (added Dec 2024) (Nanchang and Jingdezhen)

• Hainan Province (added Dec 2024)

• Guizhou Province (added Dec 2024)