If you have China on your 2025 travel Bingo card, I have good news for you. From then on, Americans will be able to visit the country for up to 10 days without a visa.
This is an excellent development for everything from last-minute trips to long-planned vacations, eliminating the paperwork, costs and stress of the visa application process.
Also, some 52 countries will be able to take advantage of these new relaxed visa procedures, and most of them can stay for 30 days without needing a visa (the US is not yet eligible, however, for longer stays. ).
Here are some important points about China’s new visa-free policy for foreign visitors.
What was China’s previous visa policy for Americans
Before this week, Americans had to have a visa to enter China.
Although you could apply for a multiple entry visa that was valid for 120 months, there is no guarantee that your application will be approved or that you will receive the full 10-year version, even if your visa application is approved.
TPG senior writer Ashley Kosciolek applied for a China visa in the fall before the latest Viking cruise. He sent the documents to the New York court, along with $140 in legal fees. Although he was allowed to obtain a visa (which he had to obtain in person a few days later), it was for single entry and allowed him to enter the country for 30 days. However, other passengers on his trip said they applied through the recommended travel service and were approved for 10-year visas, but at a cost of about $1,200 per person – a huge price difference that includes service fees and shipping costs.
Why Americans no longer need a visa to visit China
Although China has been slowly relaxing visa requirements for many countries since the fall, until yesterday (Dec. 16), the country required US citizens to obtain a visa before entering the country. These visas cost $140 per person and take at least four days to process.
Starting in the fall of 2023, China has been relaxing travel requirements for foreign visitors, first allowing citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Norway and Malaysia to visit the country without visas, according to China Briefing. Now, the US, along with 52 other countries, will be able to visit China for at least 10 days without a visa, and up to 30 days for other countries (although the US visa-free stay is 10 days) .
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As of today, December 17, that short-trip requirement has been removed, and Americans can now stay up to 10 days (or, more specifically, 240 hours) when entering the country through one of 60 ports of entry in 24 states. That means that in this type of cruise that we mentioned above, there will be no visa, or costs, involved in visiting the country as long as you visit the country for less than 10 days (for a longer stay, you will still need to get a visa. ).
Limitations to keep in mind
Although visa-free entry is available for trips of up to 240 hours, a passport is still required to travel to China, and passports must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into the country.
Bottom line
If the thought of applying for, and paying for, a visa to visit China was making you hesitate to visit the country, that obstacle has been removed.
From then on, you can visit the country for 240 hours with a valid passport, without any other documents required.
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