Approved by the State Council, Qindgao, a coastal city of Shandong Province, will extend its visa-free transit in the city from 72 hours to 144 hours from January 1, 2019, according to a press conference held yesterday. Foreigners from 53 countries can enjoy visa-free transit through the air ports and harbors of Qingdao and stay for a maximum of 144 hours in the administrative areas of the province with no need for Chinese visa application, as long as they have valid international travel documents and a connecting flight ticket with a firm date and seat to the third country.
Li Zhuqun, the deputy director-general of the Public Security Department of Shandong Province, briefed the new visa policy. He said that it is a concrete measure to implement the key strategy of national economic and social development and a significant move to promote the provincial key project of transforming development forces , further the opening-up policy, strengthen the international exchange and cooperation, and facilitate people-to-people exchange. The 144-hour visa-free transit policy will surely play a positive role and provide a broader platform for boosting Shandong’s international influence, promoting its development of economy and trade, culture, technology, education and tourism.
The policy is featured in three highlights, said Li Zhuqun. First, the duration of transit exemption has been extended to 144 hours from 72 hours; second, there has been an increase in the types of ports applicable to transit visa exemption, from the original airport only to harbor; third, the visa-free entry covers a wide range of activities as generally, the sphere of activity of 72-hour and 144-hour visa-free transit is limited to the city where the port of entry is located, but for foreigners who enter visa-free through Qingdao’s airports and harbors, that sphere is the entire administrative areas of Shandong.
Yu Na, head of the entry and exit administration of Shandong Public Security Department, said the new visa-free policy applies to 53 countries, including 39 European countries, 6 American countries, 2 Oceanian countries and 6 Asian countries.
According to relevant policies, foreigners who decide to stay in hotels shall check in at the hotel directly with the valid passports after entering China. If he/she decides to stay in a residence other than a hotel, the person who provides the accommodation should finish the accommodation registration in the local public security departments within 24 hours after the arrival.
Countries eligible for Qindgao’s 144-hour visa-free policy are:
39 European Countries
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switherland, Monaco, Russia, UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Republic of Belarus
6 American Countries
The U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
2 Oceanian Countries
Australia, New Zealand
6 Asian Countries
Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, UAE, Qatar
