A new visa-free transit policy will be introduced on January 30, the Ministry of Public Security announced on Tuesday. The policy permits foreign tourists to visit any region of the Yangtze River Delta, including Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, and Jiangsu Province without a visa for six days (144 hours).

To be eligible, passengers must possess valid international travel documents and booked tickets with confirmed dates and destinations.

18675

A 72-hour visa-free policy has been in effect since 2013 for Shanghai and the capitals of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, Hangzhou and Nanjing. Under the new policy however, not only has the duration been extended, but international travelers will now be permitted to enter through ports and railway stations in addition to airports.

The Ministry of Public Security said foreigners can take advantage of the 144-hour visa scheme at Shanghai’s two airports (Pudong and Hongqiao), Hangzhou (Xiaoshan International Airport) and Nanjing (Lukou International Airport). They can stay in the city and the two provinces for six days without a visa, and can also leave the country from any of the aforementioned airports.

There is however one catch: the policy is only offered to 51 countries. They include: the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

Earlier this month, China and the UK agreed to allow their citizens to visit each others’ countries under two-year multiple entry visas.

Last November, Changsha and Qingdao both began offering a 72-hour visa-free transit policy for international visitors.