China's visa-free boom picks up steam as entries soar in first half of 2025
Foreign nationals made 38 million trips in and out of the country, a 30% increase year on year, according to the administration.
"Visa facilitation measures have effectively attracted large numbers of foreign visitors for tourism and business, driving sustained growth in inbound consumption," administration spokeswoman Lu Ning said.
A previous long-standing policy allowed travellers without a Chinese visa to transit through the country visa-free for up to 24 hours if they held valid travel documents with onwards confirmation to a third country, consistent with international practice.
In the 2010s, Chinese cities such as Xiamen and Kunming introduced 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit to attract foreign visitors, though travel was restricted within those individual cities.
In late 2023, after three years of tough pandemic restrictions under the zero-Covid policy, China began expanding its visa-free entry policy to lure foreigners in a bid to boost tourism, stimulate a sluggish domestic economy and encourage people-to-people exchanges.
The visa-free transit policy has since been expanded to cover more countries and regions, with travel permitted nationwide.
In December, the administration added 21 ports for visa-free entry and exit, and extended the permitted stays for foreigners from 72 or 144 hours to a uniform 240 hours, or 10 days. The policy now applies to 24 provinces.
During their stays, eligible travellers are allowed to take part in tours, business, exchange visits or family visits, but activities such as employment, study or journalism still require prior approval and appropriate visas.
Lu said China would introduce "more diverse and effective" entry-exit policies alongside residence regulations to make it easier for people visiting from other countries.
With Indonesia included in the scheme as of June, China's 240-hour transit visa exemption now covers 55 countries, including most European nations along with the United States, Canada and Australia.
Nine more countries - including Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Oman - have been granted unilateral visa-free entry to China, meaning the other countries do not necessarily offer Chinese nationals the same treatment.
To date, 47 countries benefit from unilateral visa exemptions, spanning parts of Europe, Oceania, Asia and South America. Eligible passport holders from these nations may enter China for business, tourism or sightseeing for up to 30 days.
In the first half of this year, a total of 333 million cross-border trips were recorded by the Chinese authorities, a 15.8% increase over the same time in 2024.
The journeys included 159 million trips by mainland residents, an increase of 15.9% from the previous year, and 136 million trips by Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents - up 12.2% from the same period last year, according to the immigration administration.
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