Authorities in China will test a new policy permitting passport holders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman to enter the country visa-free for stays of up to 30 days.
The new decision has been announced by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, and will enter into force on June 9, 2025, and remain effective until June 8, 2026, VisaGuide.World reports.
China’s unilateral decision covering all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is expected to boost China’s tourism and further tighten connections with these four countries.
It means that holders of passports issued within the GCC can travel to China for short-term stays for purposes such as business, tourism, visiting relatives or friends, or exchange or transit for up to 30 days without being required to obtain a visa at first, according to a report from Xinhua.
With the United Arab Emirates and Qatar that have implemented reciprocal visa-free policies with China since 2018, China now grants visa-free treatment to all GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. We welcome more friends from the GCC countries to embark on an impromptu trip to China.
Ning recalled that her country has had a full mutual visa exemption since 2018 with the UAE and Qatar, announcing the decision to further expand the policy with other territories as well.
Together with the UAE and Qatar, which have had full mutual visa exemptions with China since 2018, China has now achieved visa-free coverage for all GCC member states.
Ning said that China will welcome more friends from GCC countries to make spontaneous trips to China.
Visa-Free Travel Policy Expanded to Many Countries
In a bid to ease the travel process, authorities in China expanded the unilateral visa-free travel policy to a large number of countries.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, announced that from June 1, 2025, nationals from Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, and Uruguay will be eligible to travel visa-free to China for short-term stays.
Announcing the new decision, Jian said that China remains committed to high-level opening-up, stressing that the country also plans to introduce new measures to further facilitate the cross-border travel process.
We also welcome more foreign friends to make good use of the visa-free and visa facilitation policies to visit China, take a look around, and experience the colorful, passionate, and vibrant China. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian
In November of last year, China included in its visa-free policy nine more countries, among them Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Estonia, Montenegro, Latvia, Malta, and Japan.
Moreover, since November 8, 2024, nationals of the following countries are also permitted to travel to China visa-free until December 31, 2025: Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, South Korea, Andorra, Monaco, Slovakia, and Liechtenstein.