During his visit to China earlier this month, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, the Chinese president announced that Norwegians will soon be able to travel to China without needing a visa.
“This will make travel to China much easier for Norwegian business representatives, students and other interested parties. It also lays the foundation for closer cooperation,” said Prime Minister Støre.
With the addition of these three countries, at least 18 countries will benefit from visa waivers to China for tourism, trade, family visits or transit until 31 December 2025.
As of December 1, 2023, China has granted a 15-day visa waiver to visitors from Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.
Travellers from Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland can enter China without a visa from 14 March 2024.
From 1 July 2024, citizens of Poland, Australia and New Zealand are now included in the list of visa-free countries.
The UK hopes that China’s visa waiver policy will soon be extended to British nationals.
The Chinese visa waiver serves several purposes. Firstly, it aims to stimulate inbound tourism to China, a sector that was thriving before the pandemic and is now slowly recovering. China is seeking to regain its leading position in the global tourism industry and this initiative, which was introduced late last year, could attract more visitors, particularly from Europe.
In addition, this visa facilitation policy is also aimed at promoting trade. The abolition of the visa requirement for eligible entrepreneurs simplifies short-term business travel, facilitating negotiations and business relations.
Procedures have also been made easier for nationals who need a visa within one year. China has streamlined the visa application form, eliminated the COVID-19 travel requirements, removed the need to schedule an appointment to apply for a visa, reduced consular fees, and eliminated fingerprint requirements for eligible applicants by December 31, 2025.
