Over the previous few months, PRC authorities have rolled out a collection of recent immigration insurance policies, starting from granting visa-free entries to issuing new model of everlasting resident IDs, with the intention of additional selling commerce, tourism, and worldwide exchanges. This replace provides a abstract of the important thing facets of those new insurance policies.

Visa Insurance policies

Mutual Visa Exemption

China and Singapore have reached an settlement to grant visa-free entry to one another’s residents for stays of as much as 30 days, efficient from 9 February 2024. This coverage applies to holders of bizarre passports touring for tourism, household go to or enterprise functions.

An identical settlement has been reached between China and Thailand on mutual visa exemption. Ranging from 1 March 2024, residents of Thailand can enter China and not using a visa for a single keep of as much as 30 days (with a complete of not more than 90 days each 180 days), and vice versa. This coverage applies to Chinese language holders of service passports and bizarre passports, and Thai holders of bizarre passports.

With these agreements in place, China now has full mutual visa exemption preparations with a complete of 23 nations, together with Thailand, Singapore, the Maldives, and the United Arab Emirates.

Unilateral Visa Exemption

Ranging from 1 December 2023 till 30 November 2024, China is implementing a trial coverage of unilateral visa exemption for six nations: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia. Residents holding bizarre passports of those nations can get pleasure from visa-free entry into China for enterprise, tourism, household visits, and transit for as much as 15 days.

Moreover, China has introduced plans to increase unilateral visa exemptions to Switzerland and Eire.

In a reciprocal transfer, Malaysia has introduced that from 1 December 2023 to 31 December 2024, Chinese language residents can get pleasure from visa-free entry into Malaysia for stays of as much as 30 days.

New Measures to Facilitate Worldwide Visits

To facilitate worldwide travellers coming to China for enterprise, examine, and tourism functions, the Nationwide Immigration Administration (NIA) has carried out 5 new measures efficient from 11 January 2024, together with:

1. easing the port visa utility necessities for worldwide guests. International nationals who urgently want to go to China for non-diplomatic or non-official actions, equivalent to enterprise cooperation, funding, household visits, or private issues, can apply for a port visa upon arrival by presenting invitation letters and different related supporting paperwork to the port visa authorities.
2. 24-hour direct transit at main airports. A 24-hour direct transit coverage, exempting overseas nationals from border inspection procedures, has been carried out at 9 worldwide airports. These embody Beijing Capital, Beijing Daxing, Shanghai Pudong, Hangzhou Xiaoshan, Xiamen Gaoqi, Guangzhou Baiyun, Shenzhen Bao’an, Chengdu Tianfu, and Xi’an Xianyang. Which means passengers with worldwide connecting tickets inside 24 hours, transiting by means of any of those airports to a 3rd nation or area, can get pleasure from visa-free transit with out border inspection procedures.
3. handy visa extension, renewal and reissue on the nearest location. International nationals in China for short-term non-diplomatic or non-official actions, who’ve legitimate causes to increase their keep, can conveniently apply for visa extension, renewal, or reissue on the native public safety bureau.
4. re-entry visa for a number of exits and entries. International nationals in China who must exit and re-enter a number of instances for legitimate causes can apply for a multiple-entry visa on the public safety bureau, supplied they’ve an invite letter or different related documentation.
5. simplified visa utility course of. The visa utility course of has been simplified for overseas nationals. If their info equivalent to lodging registration information, enterprise licenses may be verified by means of info sharing, they’re exempted from offering the related paper proof. For brief-term household reunion visas, a declaration of kinship by the inviter can substitute the proof of kinship.

New International Everlasting Resident ID Card

The NIA has introduced that the brand new model of the International Everlasting Residence Identification Card, also called the “5-Star Card”, has been formally put into use from 1 December 2023. The up to date 5-Star Card options an optimised info storage technique, incorporates superior anti-counterfeiting expertise, and provides enhanced private info safety and information safety.

The 5-Star Card is a authorized identification doc issued by the NIA to foreigners who meet the standards for everlasting residence in China. This card can be utilized independently as a private identification doc, eliminating the necessity for cardholders to current their overseas passports in most conditions the place identification verification is required.

At current, overseas everlasting residents in China can use their 5-Star Card to conveniently buy flight and prepare tickets, verify into lodges, deal with monetary companies equivalent to banking, securities, and overseas alternate, register for communication companies, together with cell phone and broadband, and deal with tax, social insurance coverage, property registration, public safety and visitors administration, customs, and different authorities companies. They will additionally simply register and use web platforms equivalent to Alipay, WeChat, and JD.com.

On a associated word, the Ministry of Commerce has issued the Information for International Enterprise Personnel Working and Dwelling in China (2024 Version) (the Information). This doc serves as a complete information for overseas nationals who reside or work in China for prolonged intervals. The Information is split into 4 sections: Precautions, Each day Life Providers, Residency Providers in China, and Related Social Providers.

The Information reminds overseas nationals to register their short-term lodging upon arrival in China. It supplies clear directions on find out how to deal with or use companies equivalent to SIM playing cards, financial institution playing cards, cellular funds, overseas foreign money alternate, transportation, and lodging. Moreover, it provides a abstract of related insurance policies on social insurance coverage and particular person revenue tax funds for overseas people carrying on enterprise in China.

Key Takeaways

We anticipate that China will proceed to broaden its visa-free association and preferential visa insurance policies. Moreover, extra measures to facilitate enterprise journey for worldwide guests and overseas residents will possible be launched. These developments are notably helpful for multinational corporations working in China, as they are going to ease the executive processes round enterprise journeys, foster cross-border exchanges, and simplify relocation procedures for employees.

中国：出入境与移民政策更新

中国相关部门近几个月颁布了一系列移民新政，从开放免签入境到启用新版永居证，旨在进一步促进贸易、旅游与国际交流。本次更新对这些新政策的要点进行了总结。

签证政策

互免签证

中国与新加坡达成协定，自2024年2月9日起双方公民可免签入境对方国家停留不超过30日。该政策适用于两国旅游、探亲或商务出差的持普通护照人员。

中国与泰国也达成类似协定，自2024年3月1日起，双方公民可免签入境对方国家单次停留不超过30日（每180日累计停留不超过90日）。该政策适用于中方持公务普通护照、普通护照人员和泰方持普通护照人员。

至此，中国同包括泰国、新加坡、马尔代夫、阿联酋在内的23个国家实现全面互免签证。

单方面免签

自2023年12月1日起至2024年11月30日，中国对法国、德国、意大利、荷兰、西班牙、马来西亚等六个国家试行单方面免签政策。这些国家持有普通护照的公民来华经商、旅游观光、探亲访友和过境不超过15天，可免签入境。

除此以外，中国还宣布将给予瑞士和爱尔兰单方面免签的待遇。

作为回应，马来西亚宣布自2023年12月1日起至2024年12月31日，中国公民可免签入境马来西亚停留不超过30天。

便利国际旅客来华的新措施

为便利国际旅客来华经商、学习、旅游，国家移民局自2024年1月11日起施行五项新措施，包括：

1. 第一，放宽来华外籍人员申办口岸签证条件。急需来华从事商贸合作、投资创业、探望亲属及处理私人事务等非外交、公务活动的外籍人员，可在到达时凭邀请函件等相关证明材料向口岸签证机关申办口岸签证入境。
2. 第二，枢纽空港口岸24小时直接过境。外籍人员可在九个国际机场享受24小时直接过境免办边检手续的政策。这九个机场包括：北京首都、北京大兴、上海浦东、杭州萧山、厦门高崎、广州白云、深圳宝安、成都天府和西安咸阳。这意味着持24小时内国际联程机票的出入境旅客，经上述任一机场过境前往第三国或地区，可以免办边检手续，直接免签过境。
3. 第三，就近办理签证延期换发补发。短期来华从事非外交、公务活动的外籍人员，有正当合理事由需继续在华停留的，可就近向停留地公安机关申请签证延期换发补发。
4. 第四，多次出入境可申办再入境签证。在华外籍人员因正当合理事由需多次出入境的，可凭邀请函件等相关证明材料，向公安机关出申请换发多次入境有效签证。
5. 第五，简化签证申办手续。外籍人员申办签证证件的程序得到了简化。如外籍人员的住宿登记记录、企业营业执照等信息可以通过信息共享进行查询，则可免予查验相关纸质证明材料。在华外籍人员办理亲属短期探亲团聚类签证的，可凭借邀请人亲属关系声明替代亲属关系证明。

新版外国人永久居留身份证

国家移民局宣布自2023年12月1日起正式启用新版外国人永久居留身份证，又名“五星卡”。新版五星卡优化了证件信息存储方式，采用了更为先进的防伪技术，增强了个人信息保护和数据安全性。

五星卡是国家移民管理局对符合条件的外国人批准其在境内永久居留后，为其签发的法定身份证件。该卡作为个人身份证件可单独使用，持卡人在绝大多数需要证明个人身份的场合无须再出示其外国护照。

目前，在华永居外籍人员持五星卡可以便利购买飞机票、火车票，办理宾馆旅店入住手续，办理银行、证券、外汇等金融业务，办理移动电话和宽带入网等通信业务，办理税务、社保、财产登记、公安交管、海关等政务服务事项，并在支付宝、微信、京东等互联网平台便利注册使用。

相关地，商务部发布了《外国商务人士在华工作生活指引（2024年版）》（“《指引》”），为来华长期生活、工作的外籍人士提供必要的生活指南。《指引》分为注意事项、日常生活服务、在华停居留服务、相关社会服务四个部分。

《指引》提醒外籍人员来华后办理临时住宿登记，明确了通信卡、银行卡、移动支付、外汇兑换、交通出行、住宿等方面服务的办理或使用方式，还特别对外国商务人士在华缴纳社保、个税的相关政策进行了总结。

要点总结

我们预计中国将继续扩大免签安排和优惠签证政策。此外，便利国际旅客和外国居民在华进行商务活动的措施也可能将越来越多。这些变化对在中国开展业务的跨国公司尤其有利，因为它们将简化商务旅行程序，促进跨境交流，并简化员工迁移的手续。

Key Contacts