Visa

The Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower is lit up at night. Landmark tourist attractions such as Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Shanghai Jinjiang Amusement Park are among the 62 venues across Shanghai that will offer half-price admission during the upcoming 2024 Shanghai Tourism Festival. It has become standard for major tourist attractions in the city to offer half-priced tickets on China Tourism Day and during the annual Shanghai Tourism Festival, which runs from September 19 to 25 this year. Here is a list of tourist destinations offering half-priced tickets. (All prices listed are full price, before the discount is applied.) Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower (combo ticket for cruise tour and sightseeing) 上海东方明珠广播电视塔 Address: 1 Century Avenue, Pudong New Area Tickets: 279 yuan per adult (normal) Tel: 58792888 Shanghai Wild Animal Park 上海野生动物园 Address: 178 Nanliu Highway, Pudong New Area Tickets: 165 yuan per adult Tel: 58036000 Shanghai Natural History Museum 上海自然博物馆 Address: 510 Beijing Road W., Jing'an District Tickets: 30 yuan per adult, 25 yuan per elderly citizen, 12 yuan per student Tel: 62620280, 62620116 Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park 上海海昌海洋公园 Address: 166 Yinfei Road, Pudong New Area Ticekts: 399 yuan for one adult Tel: 50606666 88th Floor Sightseeing…Original link

In recent years, as China continues to open up at a higher level, it has become more important to attract top global talent for employment, entrepreneurship, and innovation. One of the key aspects of this is making sure foreign workers can easily obtain longer work permits. The validity period of visas for foreigners who want to work in China varies significantly depending on the talent category. In China, the visa duration for foreigners is based on different talent categories, primarily divided into three categories: A, B, and C. When applying for a work permit, foreigners must meet the criteria of any one of these categories. Category A talent refers to high-level foreign experts urgently needed for China’s economic and social development, such as scientists, leading figures in technology, international entrepreneurs, and other specialized high-level talents. Category B is for professional foreign talent needed for China's economic and social development, in line with the guidance catalog and job requirements for foreigners coming to China. Category C covers other foreign personnel who meet domestic labor market demands, engaged in work that complies with national policies. It is worth noting that in most regions, Category C talent is subject to a strict quota…Original link

Passengers at Shenzhen North Railway Station. As the summer vacation draws to a close, Shenzhen is experiencing a peak in return travel.  On Saturday, Shenzhen's exit and entry checkpoints recorded 972,000 border crossings, setting a new record since the resumption of border services following the COVID-19 pandemic.   The Futian, Luohu, Shenzhen Bay, and Liantang checkpoints each set records with 237,000, 261,000, 157,000, and 102,000 travelers, respectively, according to data from the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.   Despite the summer vacation nearing its end, the demand for travel remains strong. By Aug. 14 this year, the number of international travelers entering and exiting Shenzhen had exceeded 3 million, a 122.7% increase compared to the same period last year, underscoring Shenzhen's appeal as a preferred destination.   Of these, 1.49 million were inbound travelers, and 367,000 entered under the visa exemption policy, which is 3.25 times the total for all of 2023. Currently, 11 Shenzhen checkpoints are included in Guangdong's 144-hour visa-free transit policy for international travelers.   Since the beginning of this year, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport has opened 10 international routes, including those to Mexico City and Budapest, and increased flights on eight routes,…Original link

The National Immigration Administration (NIA) has announced that the airport of Zhengzhou has implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. The permitted stay area for foreign nationals entering China through this airport is the administrative region of Henan Province. Eight additional permitted stay areas (including cities and autonomous prefectures) for foreign nationals entering Yunnan Province under the 144-hour visa-free transit policy have also been designated in addition to Kunming, namely Lijiang, Yuxi, Pu'er, Chuxiong, Dali, Xishuangbanna, Honghe and Wenshan. This time, three exit-entry ports, namely Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport in Henan Province, and Lijiang Sanyi International Airport and the exit-entry port of Mohan Railway Station in Yunnan Province, have been designated to implement the 144-hour visa-free transit policy. All the aforementioned changes have been effective July 15. It is reported that, so far, NIA has implemented the 144-hour visa-free transit policy at 37 exit-entry ports in Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality, Shijiazhuang and Qinhuangdao (Hebei Province), Shenyang and Dalian (Liaoning Province), Shanghai Municipality, Nanjing and Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province), Zhengzhou (Henan Province), Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Jieyang (Guangdong Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Chongqing Municipality, Chengdu (Sichuan Province), Xi'an (Shaanxi Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Wuhan (Hubei Province), Kunming,…Original link

China’s inbound tourism is witnessing a significant rebound, with over 17 million foreign visitors entering the country in the first seven months of 2024. The figure marks a sharp increase of 129.9% compared to the same period last year, according to the latest data from the National Immigration Administration. This surge in foreign arrivals is expected to inject more than RMB100 billion into China’s economy. Between January and July, a total of 17.25 million foreign nationals crossed into China, driven by eased travel restrictions and renewed global interest in China as a travel destination. The number of visas issued at border checkpoints also saw a substantial rise, with 846,000 visas granted during this period, an increase of 182.9% year-on-year. The influx of foreign tourists has had a remarkable impact on China's tourism industry. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the average daily spending of foreign tourists in China has reached RMB3,459, further bolstering the country’s economic recovery. If you’re considering a trip to China soon, or if you have friends and family interested in visiting without the hassle of a visa, be sure to check out That's comprehensive China Visa-Free Travel Guide. READ MORE: Here's How to Travel to…Original link

Ever since China began expanding its visa-free travel and 72/144-hour visa-free transit policies to more countries last year, have you had any friends or family members who have come to Beijing to visit since then? Anyone you know planning to come? What sort of essential tips would you give them? The Beijinger is running a new series providing such essential tips for short-term visitors to the capital. We hope it’ll make things easier for overseas visitors, and help make your life easier inviting and receiving visitors from back home. Check it out and give us your feedback below! Paying for things in China can, for some, be as smooth as silk, while others might find trouble getting off the ground or getting everything registered to go on one of the country's big two apps, WeChat and Alipay. One of the respondents to our questionnaire accompanying these articles had a story relating to today's topic, about a family visiting China who ran into some easily avoidable trouble: A career businesswoman who hadn't been to China in over ten years visited with her family. They assumed they wouldn't need a Chinese SIM with local number, a good step to take when getting…Original link

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…

Original link