Another country can now enter China without a visa

In 2024, the most powerful passport in the world belongs to Singapore, while the second place is tied for Japan (last year’s most important), France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Citizens of these nations can visit more than 190 destinations around the world without a visa, while the number allowed for the lowest ranked countries on the list is only in the thirties.

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China is a country that has traditionally made it particularly difficult for foreigners to visit. To apply for a visa from many Western countries, it was previously necessary to present to the consulate not only personal and employment information, but also booked tickets and a hotel stay, even before the right of entry was granted.

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After the pandemic, the Chinese government was on a desperate mission to revive the country’s collapsing tourism industry and launched a trial travel policy in which citizens of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland can enter the country without a visa for up to 15 days.

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Australia and New Zealand were added to the list a few days later, and while the United States and the United Kingdom are not on the list of visa-free nations, their citizens now have a simplified visa application process (a prepaid stay is no longer is required to apply.)

The latest country to be added to China’s visa-free list is Norway. On September 9, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced a joint agreement for tourist access.

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“This will make it much easier for Norwegian businesses, students and others to travel to China,” Støre told a local press conference. “It facilitates more cooperation.”

Norway is not a member of the European Union, but it is part of the Schengen Area which allows visa-free travel on the European continent. The granting of visa-free access to Norway is therefore subject to Schengen rules, and therefore no information has been announced as to whether Norway would comply with China’s relaxed policy.

By all accounts, China was pleased with the result of the looser rules. While the visa-free trial period was originally supposed to run until November 2024, it has now been extended for the whole of 2025 as tourists bring spending power and provide a much-needed boost to the country’s economy.

“Extending the short-term visa-free policy until the end of 2025 will undoubtedly boost confidence and enthusiasm for travel to China and help boost inbound tourism as well as help the industry prosper.” China Tourism Academy President Dai Bin told a local news agency earlier this year.

Although U.S. visitors are still required to apply for a visa at a consulate, they are eligible for China’s recently expanded “72/144-hour Visa-Free Transit Policy,” which also gives certain international visitors access to Beijing- Tianjin- Hebei, Shanghai or Guangdong area for short visits of no more than 144 hours (this is usually occupied by those coming into the country as part of a cruise voyage or on a stopover to another Asian destination.)

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