On Jan 11, China brought into effect five measures to facilitate the entry of foreign nationals into China for business, education and tourism, according to the National Immigration Administration.
1. Relax port visa application requirements
Foreigners can apply for a port visa on arrival by presenting invitation letters and other relevant certification materials if they urgently need to come to China for non-diplomatic or non-official purposes such as commercial cooperation, exchanges, investment, entrepreneurship, visiting relatives and personal matters, and have no time to obtain visas outside China.
2. Cancel border check procedures for foreigners who transit at major airports for 24 hours
Foreign nationals enjoy 24-hour direct transit without undergoing border check procedures at nine major airports:
Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing Daxing International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, Xian Xianyang International Airport. Visas and border inspection procedures will not be required for passengers with connecting tickets who transit to a third country or region through any of these airports for 24 hours.
3. Access to visa extension, replacement, and issuance services at local immigration departments
Foreigners who come to China in the short term for non-diplomatic or non-official purposes such as commercial cooperation, exchanges, investment, entrepreneurship, visiting relatives and personal matters, can apply for visa extension, replacement or reissuance at the exit and entry administration of the public security organs near their location, provided they have valid reasons to continue their stay in China.
4. Multiple-entry visas are available for qualified foreigners
Foreigners in China who need to enter and exit the Chinese border multiple times for legitimate reasons can apply for renewal of valid multiple-entry visas at the exit-entry administrations of public security organs by presenting the invitation letters and other relevant documents.
5. Simplity visa application documents for foreigners already in China
For foreigners applying for visa documents, checking relevant documents will be canceled if information such as accommodation registration records, business licenses and other information can be checked through information sharing.
Foreigners in China who apply for short-term visas for family visit and reunion can use a kinship statement to prove the relationship.