Australians get longer visa-free stays in China

Australians can now travel to China and stay for up to 30 days without needing a visa, in a doubling of the visa-free 15-day period introduced in July 2024.

The Chinese Embassy in Canberra has confiirmed an extension of the visa-free stay for Australian citizens will come into effect from November 30, and remain in place until at least the end of 2025.

“Citizens holding ordinary passports of Australia travelling to China for business, tourism, family visit, transit and exchange purposes and with the duration of each single stay not exceeding 30 days, are eligible for visa-free entry policy,” the embassy confirmed in a statement.

However,“individuals who do not meet the visa-free conditions mentioned above or diplomatic, official passport holders still need to apply for a visa before entering China.”

Alongside this measure, the Chinese government now also permits visa-free transit stopovers of up to ten days, instead of the previous six-day limit, at 60 major cities.

The visa-free arrangement covers almost 40 countries including New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and a number of European states.

The visa waiver for Australian travellers to China not only saves around $100 per person – the cost of a single-entry tourist visa – but removes the need to make an in-person visit to an authorised Chinese visa office in Australia at least two weeks before you travel.

Multiple-entry visas of up to five years for tourism, business and family visits have also been made available to Australian citizens who hold ordinary passports of Australia.

According to the corporate travel arm of Flight Centre, business travel between China and Australia grew by 19% in July-September 2024 compared to the same period last year.

“This move means Australian businesses will be able to travel more seamlessly, cost effectively and for longer periods, thanks to the growing demand of corporate and personal travel, and the cutting of red tape,” said Flight Centre Corporate Global COO Melissa Elf.

“It’s no coincidence that the uplift in numbers has coincided with the returning capacity from the Chinese carriers. We’ve long been advocates of more airlines, to more destinations, offering more choice – this is a good example of the positive impact it has when this comes to fruition.”

Chinese airlines have steadily increased flights to Australia, while Cathay Pacific remains a popular one-stop option via Hong Kong.

“We’d expect to see corporates adding on extra time to their trips, given this new availability to do so, as they increasingly take up the ‘bleisure’ trend and add holidays to the start or end of a work trip,” Eff added.