China on Tuesday announced a change to its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted stay for eligible foreign travellers to 240 hours, or 10 days, from the previous 72 and 144 hours.
Twenty-one additional ports will be added to the list of entry and exit points for transit visa-exempt travelers, the National Immigration Service said.
Under the new policy, citizens of 54 countries, including Russia, Brazil, the UK, the US and Canada, who pass through China on their way to a third country or region can enter China without a visa through any of the 60 open ports in 24 provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities.
These passengers can stay in designated areas for up to 240 hours. The most significant change from the previous 72- and 144-hour visa-free transit policies is that they can now travel across provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities within the permitted areas.
From January to November, the total number of foreign arrivals at ports nationwide reached 29.2 million, an increase of 86.2 percent year-on-year. Of these, 17.4 million were entries under the visa exemption policy, an increase of 123.3 percent year-on-year.
CRI/ gnews - RoZ
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