China Extends Visa-Free Entry for 11 European Countries Until the End of 2025

Up to the end of 2025, 11 European nations and Malaysia are permitted to enter China without a visa.
Since the beginning of 2024, the visa-free program has been gradually revealed. Its original duration was scheduled to be one year.

It attempts to stimulate exchanges between Chinese residents and international nationalities as well as encourage more individuals to go to and do business in China.

Until the end of the next year, citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland will not need a visa to enter the nation.

International Travel to China Is Yet to Bounce Back

For over three years, many individuals avoided visiting China due to the country’s rigorous pandemic precautions, which included mandatory quarantines for all new arrivals. The limitations were eased early last year, but foreign travel has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

China formerly permitted citizens from Brunei, Japan, and Singapore to enter without a visa, but this was banned during the COVID-19 epidemic. It reinstated visa-free entrance for Brunei and Singapore in July, but not for Japan.

Immigration data show that 35.5 million immigrants entered and exited China in 2023. That compared to 97.7 million for all of 2019, the year preceding the outbreak.

Elon Musk of Tesla and Tim Cook of Apple are among the executives who have been attending trade shows and meetings hosted by the government to stimulate the economy. Comparing this to before the pandemic, foreign tourists are still uncommon.

How Else Is China Simplifying Travel for Europeans?

Last year, Europeans’ interest in China as a tourism destination increased dramatically.

According to data from online travel service Trip.com, overall reservations from Europe to China increased by 663 percent between 2022 and 2019, and by about 29 percent in 2019.

According to the report, the United Kingdom and Germany were among the top ten sources of incoming tourists visiting China internationally.

Shanghai is the most popular European destination, with its attractive mix of modernity and heritage, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

Sanya, a seaside city on China’s southernmost Hainan Island, and Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwestern China, are rising attractions.

In addition to its recent visa-free initiatives, the nation is fostering inbound travel by partnering with Trip.com to promote its cultural and historical sites. China is also making investments in e-payment systems, travel guides, and technology to improve the infrastructure for tourism.