China expands its transit visa scheme to more cities
The new cities include Chongqing, Xi’an and Ningbo
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.China has expanded the number of cities and regions in its transit visa scheme to 27, opening up the country further for stopovers.
From 1 December, residents of 53 countries can enter China via 27 ports for up to 144 hours, or six days, without arranging a visa in advance.
Tourists need to be transiting through China and have proof of onward travel to a third country, which includes Hong Kong and Macau.
The new border ports include Chongqing in southwest China, a modern city with the spiciest hotpot in the country; Xi’an in northwest China, known for the terracotta warriors; and Ningbo, which lies just south of Shanghai, reports state-owned media outlet Xinhua.
The policy of visa-free transit for up to six days already applies to a number of Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The visa-free transit policy was first introduced by the government in 2013 in an effort to boost tourism, and allows travellers from 53 countries, including the UK, to stop over in the city for a set period of time without obtaining a Chinese visa.
The holiday island of Hainan, off the southern coast of China in the South China Sea, has a slightly different policy. It allows visa-free travel for Brits for up to 30 days.
For British residents, a China visa costs £85 for one entry into the country and involves a protracted process at a visa application centre, where fingerprints will also be taken.
Almost 600,000 British travellers visited mainland China in 2017.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments