Nationals of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, and Romania will soon be able to enter China for short stays without the need to apply for a visa.
As announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, the six countries mentioned above will be included in the visa-free policy starting November 30, 2024, Schengen.News reports.
This means that in just over a week from now, passport holders of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, and Romania will enjoy visa-free access to the territory of China.
However, the visa exemption is not permanent. The spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, said that visa-free entry will be permitted on a trial basis, with the policy ending on December 31, 2025.
Still, if this policy proves to be effective in attracting a large number of visitors from the EU, China might decide to extend it for another period of time.
In addition to adding more EU countries, among others, to the visa exemption scheme, China has also made another change regarding the period of stay within the country without a visa.
China Doubles Visa-Free Stay Period for Countries Included in Visa Exemption Scheme
As part of its efforts to attract more visitors, China has decided to double the visa-free stay period for nationals of countries included in its visa exemption scheme.
Starting November 30, 2024, those who are permitted to enter China without a visa will be permitted visa-free stays for up to 30 days instead of the current 15 days.
This means that in line with the new changes, nationals of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Malta, and Romania and all those who have been enjoying visa-free entry so far will be able to remain within the territory of China for short periods of time for tourism, business, visiting relatives and friends, and transit purposes for a maximum of 30 days.
China currently permits visa-free entry to a number of EU countries. On November 8, 2024, China dropped the visa requirements for nationals of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Slovakia.
Visa-free entry is also permitted for nationals of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland, as well as for nationals of Slovenia and Greece, among others.
All nationals of the countries mentioned above, and some other nationals included in China’s visa exemption scheme, will enjoy visa-free entry until the end of next year, more specifically until December 21, 2025.
Source: https://schengen.news/nationals-of-bulgaria-croatia-4-other-eu-countries-gain-visa-free-entry-to-china-from-november-30/
