The reporter learned from the press conference of the State Council Information Office today that the National Immigration Administration will officially implement 5 measures to facilitate foreign personnel to come to China from today (January 11, 2024), further breaking through the relevant barriers for foreign personnel to do business, study, and travel in China, better serving to ensure high-level opening up to the outside world, and promoting high-quality development.
These 5 new measures mainly include:
- Relax the conditions for foreign nationals to apply for port visas in China. For foreign personnel who urgently need to come to China to engage in non diplomatic or official activities such as business cooperation, visits and exchanges, investment and entrepreneurship, visiting relatives, and handling personal affairs, if they do not have time to complete their visas overseas, they can apply for a port visa to enter the country with relevant proof materials such as invitation letters.
- Foreign personnel are exempt from inspection procedures for 24-hour direct transit through hub airports such as Beijing Capital Airport. At 9 international airports, including Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Xiamen Gaoqi, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao’an, Chengdu Tianfu, and Xi’an Xianyang, 24-hour direct transit passengers are exempt from border inspection procedures. For inbound and outbound passengers who hold international connecting tickets within 24 hours and transit through any of the above-mentioned airports to a third country or region, they can be exempted from border inspection procedures and directly pass through without a visa.
- Foreign nationals in China can apply for visa extension, replacement, and reissuance nearby. Foreign nationals who come to China for short-term non diplomatic or official activities such as business cooperation, visits and exchanges, investment and entrepreneurship, visiting relatives, sightseeing and tourism, and handling personal affairs, and who have legitimate and reasonable reasons to continue staying in China, can apply for visa extension, replacement, and reissuance from the entry and exit management agency of the local public security organ nearby.
- Foreign nationals in China need to enter and exit multiple times to apply for a re-entry visa. Foreign nationals in China who need to enter and exit the country multiple times due to legitimate and reasonable reasons may apply to the public security exit and entry management agency for a valid multiple entry visa with relevant proof materials such as invitation letters.
- Simplify the application materials for visa documents for foreign nationals in China. When foreign nationals apply for visa certificates, if their accommodation registration records, business licenses, and other information can be found through information sharing, they are exempt from checking relevant paper proof materials; Foreign nationals in China who apply for short-term family visit and reunion visas can invite a declaration of kinship to replace the proof of kinship.
The relevant person in charge of the National Immigration Administration introduced that as China’s economic development continues to recover and improve, and the level of opening up to the outside world continues to expand, domestic and foreign enterprises and personnel have put forward many new demands for deepening immigration management services. The National Immigration Administration will actively collaborate with relevant competent departments, continue to focus on the checkpoints and obstacles for foreigners to do business, study, and travel in China, continuously deepen the reform of immigration management services and policy system innovation, accelerate institutional opening up, actively participate in creating a first-class business environment, and actively serve to promote the construction of a new development pattern.
Source: National Immigration Administration