Free China cruise visa

This item appears on page 4 of the March 2017 issue.

Visitors to China who first arrive in Shanghai by cruise ship each can receive a free 15-day tourist visa. The visa also allows travelers to continue to the cities of Beijing and Tianjin as well as ports of call in the coastal provinces of Liaoning, Heibei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan and Guangxi. 

For a visitor to qualify for the visa, travel must have been arranged by a travel agency registered in China. That agency must submit the traveler’s information at least 24 hours before the ship arrives in Shanghai. A list of registered travel agencies can be found on the China National Tourist Office website at www.cnto.org/plan/plan-your-trip/tour-operators.

Additionally, many major cities in China, such as Beijing, Guangzhou and Xi’an, offer an exemption to the visa requirement for transiting visitors, allowing a visa-free stay of up to 72 hours.