China to Resume Normal Visa Issuance from the 15th... Tourist Visas Also to Reopen

Resumption of All Types of Visa Issuance for Foreigners
Visa-Free Entry Opened for Hainan and Others

China will resume issuing all types of visas, including tourist visas, to foreigners starting from the 15th.

According to Bloomberg on the 14th (local time), the Chinese Embassy in the United States announced this in a statement. Along with this, Chinese authorities have decided to resume visa-free entry for residents of Hainan Island, Shanghai port cruise passengers, and people from Hong Kong and Macau entering Guangdong port.

On the 15th, visitors at the China Visa Issuance Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, inquiring about visa issuance, following China's announcement to resume issuing short-term visas to Koreans starting from the 18th. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Since May 2018, China has allowed visa-free entry for tourism in Hainan for 59 countries including South Korea, but due to the spread of COVID-19, all visas issued before March 28, 2020, were invalidated. In August of the same year, visa issuance was resumed only for three cases: international students and workers (Z visa holders), and those holding valid residence permits at the time of visa application.

This resumption of visa issuance is effectively the 'final step' following the transition to a with-COVID-19 policy in December last year. Chinese authorities abolished quarantine and mandatory PCR testing upon arrival for travelers from overseas starting January 8.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, about 115.7 million inbound and outbound trips were made last year. This is less than 20% of the 2019 level before the pandemic. The number of trips made by mainland Chinese citizens was 64.6 million, also only 20% of the pre-COVID-19 level.

Airlines have been continuously increasing international flights since the resumption of overseas group tours. CITIC Securities forecasted that the number of international flights this year will recover to 50-60% of the pandemic peak, and will only exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2024.