China expanded its visa waiver program, thus including Australia as the latest country to join visa-free entry.

The announcement came after the meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. They also revealed that Australian nationals can now visit China for up to 15 days for business tourism and to visit loved ones, VisaGuide.World reports.

Considering that Australians can travel to China without applying for a visa, it will save Aussies about $110.

We agreed to provide each other with reciprocal access to five-year multiple-entry visas for tourism, business, and visiting family members so as to facilitate personal exchanges better.

Several other countries that were included on the visa waiver list of China recently are as follows:

• New Zealand
• Singapore
• France
• Japan
• Spain
• Netherlands
• Malaysia
• Thailand

China Extends Visa-Free Travel Until End of 2025

China initially announced the visa-free policy for a trial period until November 30 this year but has now extended it until December 31, 2025. With the recent additions of Australia and New Zealand, the number of nations enjoying visa-free entry to China now totals 14.

In addition, China also signed a 30-day mutual visa exemption agreement with Singapore and a similar arrangement with Thailand, effective March 1, allowing visa-free visits of up to 30 days per entry.

It has also eased visa requirements for US citizens visiting the country on tourist visas, removing the need to provide proof of round-trip air tickets, hotel reservations, itineraries, or invitation letters.

As of May 15, the Chinese government introduced a visa exemption policy for foreign tourist groups entering the country on cruise ships. Such visitors can stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days.

Foreign Arrivals to China Saw a Surge in Only 2 Months of 2024 Under Visa-Free Policy

In the first two months of 2024, China experienced a significant increase in foreign visitors following the country’s new visa-free entry policy. During this period, foreign travelers made 2.95 million trips to and from China.

China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) data show that the above figure was 2.3 times higher than November- December 2023. Moreover, it amounted to 41.5 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

During the first quarter of this year, China issued 466,000 visas and documents to foreigners, marking a 119 percent year-on-year increase, and nearly 1.99 million foreigners entered China visa-free, a 266 percent year-on-year rise.

As Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, explained, China’s inbound tourism has huge potential, and if it is raised to the international median of 1.5 percent of GDP, it could yield growth of over $179 billion.