2nd LD: China adds Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam to 240-hour visa-free transit program

BEIJING, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to its 240-hour visa-free transit program, bringing the total number of countries eligible for this policy to 57, immigration authorities announced on Thursday.

Effective from Aug. 20, citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam holding ordinary passports and interline passenger tickets with confirmed dates and itineraries bound for a third country or region may enter China through any of the 65 ports across the country and stay up to 240 hours, or 10 days, without a visa, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Citizens of these two countries holding ordinary passports will also be eligible for the 30-day visa-free entry policy for Hainan Province in south China starting the same day, allowing them to enter the province through Hainan's open ports and stay visa-free for up to 30 days. With these additions, the number of countries covered by this Hainan visa-free policy has increased to 61.

During the visa-free period, travelers are permitted to engage in tourism, business, exchange visits and family visits. However, the two policies do not cover employment, study or journalistic activities, which still require appropriate visas, the NIA said.

These measures are part of China's broader efforts to boost international travel and exchanges following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In December 2024, authorities extended the visa-free transit window from 72 or 144 hours to 240 hours. The country has also expanded its unilateral visa-free access program, allowing travelers from 50 countries to stay for up to 30 days.

These sweeping policy changes have facilitated increased travel to China, fueling a surge in online content and interest in "China Travel," particularly on platforms like YouTube.

China's border authorities handled a record 369 million inbound and outbound crossings in the first half of 2026, up 10.8 percent year-on-year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

Foreign arrivals in China rose, with visa-free entries surging 30.6 percent year on year to exceed 17.8 million during the same period, accounting for more than three-quarters of all foreign arrivals. Enditem