Australians get 30 days of visa-free entry into 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 this week announced 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.”

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.

Chinese airlines have steadily increased flights to Australia, while Cathay Pacific remains a popular one-stop option via Hong Kong; the corporate travel arm of Flight Centre reports most Australian business travellers are arriving into Shanghai.