Skift Take

China’s visa-waiver list has a clear message: it’s rolling out the welcome mat for high-spending, long-staying European travelers. It's a smart move to capture more of Europe’s thriving outbound tourism market to give China’s tourism sector a fresh boost.

As China moves ahead with its visa waiver program, it has now extended the facility to citizens of seven more countries — six of which are in Europe.

From Friday, citizens of Finland, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Iceland, Slovakia and South Korea will not require a visa to enter China for a stay of up to 15 days.

Those intending to stay in the country beyond 15 days would need to apply for a visa.

From November 8, 2024 to December 31, 2025, ordinary passport holders from these countries will be exempt to apply for a visa to “enter China and stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visit and transit purposes,” spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, Lin Jian, said at a press conference.

China’s Growing Visa-Free List

With this, 27 countries are now part of the China visa-waiver program. These include 24 European nations, Australia, New Ze