A foreign tourist poses for photos at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, capital of China.

China implements unilateral visa exemptions or mutual visa-free policies with 75 countries

(Global Times/BRNN) -- China has implemented unilateral visa exemptions or mutual visa-free policies with 75 countries during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Wang Zhizhong, head of National Immigration Administration (NIA) said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Wang noted that the number of countries with visa-free transit policy has been expanded to 55, the number of entry ports has increased to 60, and the length of stay in China has now been extended to 240 hours.
Wang said that border inspection authorities across the country have checked and released a total of 1.556 billion passenger trips entering and leaving China, and more than 98 million vehicles including ships and trains.
China has become one of the countries with the most efficient port clearance efficiency in the world, Wang added. Currently, Chinese passport holders can travel to over 90 countries and regions worldwide with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access. According to statistics and rankings provided by relevant international consulting agencies, the global popularity of Chinese passports has risen from 72nd in 2021 to 60th place in the world, demonstrating a continued increase in their value, Xiong Shuren, an NIA official, said.
Currently, visa-free entries have become the main channel for foreigners to travel and do businesses in China, driving the continued rise of inbound tourism. Data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism showed that China received 26.94 million overseas tourists in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 96 percent.

(Latest Update July 31, 2025)