China announced visa-free entry for Canadian and British nationals on February 17, allowing citizens of the two countries to cross the border and stay for up to 30 days with no more than a passport.
The move was just the latest expansion of China’s visa-free policies, which have eased entry rules for citizens of dozens of nations over the past few years as part of an effort to boost tourism.
Immigration officials now allow travellers from dozens of countries to stay without a visa for up to 10 days on a transit basis, while a growing list of foreign nationals are permitted to remain for 30 days without a visa. There are also policies allowing citizens of other nations to enter China visa-free under certain conditions.
The measures have proved highly popular with travellers, as obtaining a visa to enter mainland China often requires filling out pages of paperwork, paying more than US$100 and waiting days for the documents to be processed.
The National Immigration Administration said in January that more than 30 million foreign nationals entered China without a visa last year, a year-on-year increase of nearly 50 per cent.
Here are five ways for travellers to avoid a lengthy application process and enter mainland China without a visa.
