Hainan, the southernmost province of China, has been optimizing it's visa-free policies. With the approval of the State Council of the PRC, citizens from a total of 59 countries have had the right to enter Hainan visa-free for tourism. As of February 9, 2024, however, this right has been expanded to include business discussions, interviews, family visits, medical, conferences, and to compete in sporting events. Effectively, work and study are the only things people in Hainan under the 30 day visa-free policy are prevented from legally doing. At the same time as Hainan's visa policies have been loosening up, China has also been experimenting with new and improved policies: and, in December of last year and March of this year, citizens from a total of 12 nations were granted the right to 15 days of visa-free travel anywhere in the country.

This series of new and more open policies is not only good for the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port's economy, it also provides a new driving impetus to the development of it's tourism market which will be especially beneficial this April when the 4th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE) is held in the provincial capital of Haikou. The CICPE is the first national-level exhibition with the theme of consumer quality products in China. As these new policies will lead to more foreign nationals attending the Expo as visitors, purchasers, and media, it is predicted that their ripple effect will also lead to more people becoming more aware of everything the island province has to offer.

Under the new arrangements, citizens of any of the 59 listed countries need only arrive at any one of Hainan's official ports of entry (Bo'ao, Meilan and Phoenix airports, and the ports of Basuo, Haikou, Qinglan, Sanya, and Yangpu) for the stated purposes of travel and tourism, business discussions, interviews, family visits, medical treatment and diagnosis, meetings and conferences, and sports competitions; that work and study are the only activities people entering Hainan under the new arrangements are prohibited from doing; and, starting from midnight on the date of entry, the period of stay under the visa-free policy cannot exceed 30 days. Furthermore, if anyone who has entered Hainan under the current version of the visa-free policies wishes to extend their stay in Hainan or would like to travel to other parts of China, so long as they do so at least 7 days in advance, provisions have been made for them to apply to the Hainan Exit & Entry Administration for a standard visa or residence permit.

Additionally and when regards to the national visa-free policies, as of March 14, 2024, China has signed bilateral visa-free agreements with 23 countries (including the Maldives, Singapore, and Thailand) and has expanded it's unidirectional visa-free policies from six to 12 countries (including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland). Of the 23 countries which have bilateral visa-free agreements with China, 14 are included on Hainan's list of 59 countries. The policies will be in their trial implementation period through til November, 30 of this year, during which time any ordinary passport holder whose country has a visa-free agreement in place with China is granted the right to 15 days' entry for the purposes of business, tourism, visiting friends and family, or transit to a third country.

It is worthwhile to take note of some of the specific rights and restrictions on people coming to Hainan under the island's visa-free policies and on citizens from countries which have unidirectional visa-free policies with China. These include an list of activities that are permissible during the visa-free period and the length of the visa-free period.

FAQ

Q. If a person who is a citizen of one of the nine countries (including Singapore and Thailand) that can take advantage of both bilateral visa-free agreements and Hainan's policies wishes to directly enter Hainan from overseas, which policy will they be listed as entering under?

As long as they comply with the provisions of the visa-free agreements signed with China, the specifics depend on how long they want to stay and if they also plan to travel to the Chinese mainland.

Q. If a person wants to take advantage of Hainan's visa-free policies, can they enter from other locations on the Chinese mainland before come to Hainan?

Hainan's visa-free policies are only applicable to people who have entered China via one of Hainan's recognized ports of entry. Even if a person has entered China under a different visa-free policy, they may not "extend or modify" their original visa-free status by traveling from the Chinese mainland to Hainan.