Citizens from four European countries – Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, and Cyprus – can now travel to China visa-free for short-term stays, as announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The visa waiver decision was announced by Wang on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he held talks with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

The move means that nationals from these four countries are eligible to stay in China for up to 15 days for tourism, business, visiting relatives and friends, and transit purposes without the need to apply for a visa.

The four countries are the latest to gain visa-free access to China, as the country seeks to boost tourism and trade.

Since the end of 2023, China has introduced the visa-free policy in stages.

On Dec 1, China granted visa-free entry for 15 days to visitors from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia.

Travelers from Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Hungary, and Austria have been able to enter China without a visa since March 14.

The list of visa-free countries has been extended to include passport holders of Poland, Australia, and New Zealand as of July 1.

Earlier this month, China announced that Norwegians would soon be allowed to travel to China without having to apply for a visa.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs