- China has extended its 30-day visa-free entry policy through the end of 2026 for 45 countries.
- New additions include Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom to boost tourism and diplomatic ties.
- The policy aims to increase international visitor spending in hotels, retail, and hospitality sectors.
(CHINA) — China extended and expanded its visa-free entry policies through December 31, 2026, widening access for travelers from dozens of countries as it seeks to lift inbound tourism, increase visitor spending and deepen diplomatic ties during busy travel periods including Chinese New Year.
The policy now allows ordinary passport holders from 45 countries to enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, or transit. Authorities extended that unilateral arrangement on November 4, 2025, and later added Sweden on November 10, 2025, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom on February 17, 2026.
The broader push comes as China tries to draw more overseas visitors after the pandemic-era slump and channel that traffic into airlines, hotels, shops and attractions. Officials have also paired the entry changes with measures aimed at making travel easier and encouraging longer stays.
In the first half of 2025, China recorded over 23 million foreign entries, up 130% year-on-year. For the full year, visa-free entries reached 30 million.
Countries covered under the 30-day visa-free entry program include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Sweden, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The policy applies to ordinary passport holders and covers several common purposes of travel rather than a single tourism category.
That breadth matters during festival travel, when visitors often combine leisure trips with family visits, business meetings or onward journeys. It also gives travelers more flexibility to plan short breaks or longer holiday itineraries without going through a visa application process.
China has added other visa-free and transit options alongside the 30-day policy. Eligible travelers from selected countries can use a 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit arrangement in approved areas, a system authorities have recently made more flexible.
Hainan Province also offers a 144-hour visa-free stay for tour groups from Hong Kong or Macao, effective July 30, 2024. Foreign cruise ship tour groups of 2+ people can enter visa-free at 13 coastal cities under a policy that took effect on May 15, 2024.
Taken together, those arrangements create several entry channels for visitors arriving by air or sea, or passing through China on extended layovers. They also fit a broader strategy to make it easier for travelers to spend more time inside the country instead of treating China as a brief stop.
Holiday travel stands out as one of the clearest beneficiaries. Chinese New Year, one of the busiest periods on the travel calendar, has become a focal point for authorities and travel businesses hoping to capture more overseas demand.
Canada’s visa-free access began on February 17, 2026, a timing that coincided with Lunar New Year. Prime Minister Mark Carney called that a “turning point” in Canada-China ties.
The timing illustrates how entry policy can carry both commercial and diplomatic weight. Easier access during a festival period can help travelers make last-minute plans, while governments can use the move to signal warmer relations and encourage more exchanges.
Travel companies also see the looser rules as a way to extend trips. The expanded visa-free entry and transit policies encourage longer stays through discounted connecting flights with extended layovers, giving passengers more time to book hotels, dine out and shop during peak periods.
That has direct implications for sectors that depend on international visitors. Luxury hotel occupancy in Shanghai and Beijing has risen with the return of foreign travelers, adding momentum to the recovery in higher-end hospitality.
At The Peninsula Beijing, international guests now make up 50% of stays. Benjamin Vuchot, CEO of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, pointed to strong trends in diplomatic, business and leisure travel from the US, UK, Australia, and Mexico.
Those traveler profiles matter because they tend to spread spending across several categories rather than concentrating only on accommodation. Visitors on diplomatic, business and leisure trips often book premium rooms, eat at restaurants, use transport services and buy retail goods, especially around holiday periods.
Yong Chen, associate professor of EHL Hospitality Business School, said visitors from high-cost countries generate more revenue. That spending pattern helps explain why tourism policy is being linked not simply to arrival totals, but to the type of visitor and the length of stay.
Retailers, airlines and attractions stand to benefit when visitors remain in the country for several days instead of making short transits. During festivals such as Chinese New Year, those gains can be amplified as travelers look for seasonal experiences, gifts and holiday-related entertainment.
For airlines, longer layovers tied to visa-free transit can turn connecting passengers into short-stay tourists. For hotels, restaurants and shopping districts, that means more bookings and foot traffic from travelers who may not have considered a stop in China under earlier visa rules.
China’s Ministry of Commerce signaled that more changes are still in the pipeline. On March 20, 2026, the ministry outlined further expansions, though it did not name the countries that could be added next.
The ministry also set out supporting measures designed to make spending easier after travelers arrive. Those steps include improved payments, tax refunds and more sports events intended to boost holiday spending and lift inbound consumption.
That approach suggests the government wants to build what it calls high-quality inbound growth rather than focus on arrivals alone. The emphasis is on drawing travelers who spend across accommodations, dining, shopping and attractions, helping local businesses capture more revenue from each visit.
The blend of visa-free entry, transit flexibility and spending support forms a single travel policy package. Entry rules make it easier to come, while payment systems, tax refunds and event programming aim to shape what visitors do once they are there.
China’s decision to keep the visa-free entry extension in place through the end of 2026 also gives travel businesses a longer planning horizon. Airlines can market routes, hotels can forecast demand and tour operators can build packages around a stable set of entry rules instead of short-term trial periods.
That matters for markets newly added to the scheme, including Sweden, Canada and the United Kingdom. It also matters for longstanding participants such as France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia and Brazil, where travelers and businesses can make plans with more certainty around the 30 days visa-free window.
The policy’s reach extends beyond classic sightseeing trips. Because the 30-day visa-free entry rules also cover business, family visits and transit, the measures can feed several kinds of traffic at once and help smooth seasonal fluctuations in demand.
During Chinese New Year and other busy periods, that flexibility can turn one category of traveler into another. A passenger entering for a stopover may add a holiday stay; a business visitor may extend a trip for leisure; a family visit may generate spending at hotels, restaurants and shops.
China’s latest moves show how immigration and tourism policy are now closely tied to economic planning. With visa-free entry widened to more countries, transit rules loosened and consumer measures under development, the government is betting that easier access and longer stays will bring more visitors through the door and more spending to the checkout.
