Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian confirmed yesterday that ordinary passport holders from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Slovenia will be granted visa-free entry to the Chinese mainland between October 15, 2024 and December 31, 2025, according to the central government’s pilot and trial visa exemption policy concerning a number of countries.
The official transcript on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing about Lin’s regular press conference yesterday included the question by a China News Service (CNS) journalist about the visa-free policy concerning nationals from the four countries and Lin’s answer:
Q: China News Service (CNS): We noted that on the margins of the UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced [the extension of the central government’s pilot and trial] visa-free policy to Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Slovenia. Could you share more details with us?
A: To further promote cross-border travel, China decided to expand its visa waiver program and extend the visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Slovenia on a trial basis. From October 15, 2024 to December 31, 2025, ordinary passport holders from these four countries can be exempted from [obtaining a] visa to enter [mainland] China and stay for no more than 15 days for business, tourism, family visits and transit purposes. In that spirit, we encourage relevant countries to offer more visa facilitation measures to Chinese nationals.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference at the ministry in Beijing. – Photo courtesy of fmprc
