The latest Government Work Report proposes to expand high-level opening up to promote mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. It aims to increase convenience for foreign individuals working, studying, and traveling in China, and to optimize payment services.

Throughout 2024, a series of measures have been introduced to facilitate the entry of foreign individuals into China and improve their work and life experiences.

VISA-RELATED POLICIES

Port visa application requirements relaxed

Foreign individuals urgently needing to engage in non-diplomatic, non-official activities such as business cooperation, visiting, investment, entrepreneurship, family reunions, or the handling of personal affairs, who are unable to obtain a visa abroad in time, can apply for a port visa upon entry by presenting relevant documents — such as an invitation letter, to the port visa authorities.

Border inspection procedures not needed for 24-hours direct transit

Foreign individuals holding international connecting flight tickets who within 24 hours are transiting through any of certain airports to a third country or region can transit visa-free without border inspection procedures. The nine relevant international airports are Beijing Capital Airport, Beijing Daxing Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, Shenzhen Bao’an Airport, Chengdu Tianfu Airport and Xi’an Xianyang Airport.

Visa extensions, renewals, or re-issuances may be obtained at nearby offices

Foreign individuals engaging in short-term business cooperation, visit exchanges, investment entrepreneurship, visiting relatives, sightseeing, or handling personal matters for non-diplomatic or non-official activities and requiring to extend their stay in China for legitimate reasons can apply for a visa extension, renewal, or re-issuance at the local public security bureau exit and entry administration office.

Multiple-entry visas

Foreign individuals in China requiring multiple entries due to legitimate reasons can apply for multiple-entry visas with relevant evidence such as invitation letters at the public security exit and entry administration.

Visa document application materials are simplified

When applying for visa documents, foreign individuals can be exempt from verifying related paper documents if their accommodation registration records, company business licenses, and other information can be verified through the information sharing system. For foreign individuals applying for short-term family reunion visas, a declaration of family relationship by the inviter can substitute for proof of family relationship.

Entry validity period of visas extended

The entry validity period of visas for foreign investment enterprise managers, technical personnel, their accompanying spouses, and minor children has been extended to two years.

One-year visa fee reduction

Chinese embassies and consulates abroad will charge visa fees for entering China at 75 percent of the current charging standards from December 11, 2023, to December 31, 2024.

VISA-FREE POLICY

China has decided to extend its visa-free policy to December 31, 2025, for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Citizens of these countries with ordinary passports will be allowed to enter and stay in China visa-free for up to 15 days for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit.

According to the relevant agreement, Chinese and Georgian citizens holding valid ordinary passports will be allowed to enter, exit, or transit through each other’s country for a single stay of no longer than 30 days and a cumulative stay of no longer than 90 days within a 180-day period, and are exempt from visa application processes.

An agreement on mutual visa exemption between China and Singapore took effect on February 9, 2024. It guarantees visa-free entry for holders of ordinary passports traveling for the purposes of tourism and visiting family members or business from respective countries for stays up to 30 days. For purposes such as working, news reporting, etc, which require prior approval upon entering the foreign country, and for stays exceeding 30 days, the corresponding visa must be obtained before entering the foreign country.

China and Thailand have signed a visa exemption agreement effective from March 1, 2024.

Starting from May 15, 2024, any foreign tourist group consisting of two individuals or more arriving on a cruise ship for a trip organized and handled by a Chinese travel agency may enter as a whole into China without visas at one of the cruise ports located in the 13 following cities: Tianjin, Dalian (Liaoning Province), Shanghai, Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), and Haikou and Sanya (Hainan Province). All foreign tourist groups under this circumstance are obliged to continue their journey to the next scheduled port and depart from China by the same cruise ship as scheduled. Visitors may remain in China for a maximum of 15 days. In addition, foreign tourist groups are permitted to travel within the coastal provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and Beijing.

ABOUT WORK AND LIFE

Guideline of living, working and payment in China

The Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, in collaboration with relevant departments, has compiled A Guide to Working and Living in China as Business Expatriates (2024 Edition). It includes four parts: Notes, Daily Life Services, Services for Stay and Residence in China, and Relevant Services for Work in China, and covers matters such as residence registration, SIM cards, bank cards, residence permits, work permits, social insurance, mobile payments, transportation, payment of individual income tax, and similar matters

The People’s Bank of China released the Guide to Payment in China, outlining the acquisition methods and usage processes for payment services, including mobile payments, bank cards, and cash.

Administration of work and residence permits in China is optimized

Streamlining the process for obtaining work permits and work-type residence permits for foreign individuals coming to work in China through a “one-window acceptance and parallel approval” is established to ensure a more efficient approval mechanism.

For foreign individuals who have continuously held work-type residence permits for one year or more and those working for renowned enterprises, or research institutions as management professionals, technical personnel, or members of research and innovation teams, the public security exit-entry administration can issue residence permits valid for up to five years, with the potential for permanent residency in China for those meeting relevant criteria.

Foreign management and professional technical personnel working in China are allowed to relocate to other regions within their respective enterprises or institutions, or to pursue degrees or to continue their education at domestic universities without reapplying for residence permits.

Optimization to better meet the needs of diversified payment services

Banks and payment institutions are accelerating upgrades of hardware and software to accept international bank cards, while advancing the development of contactless payment technology.

Cash payments and upgrading of ATM facilities to support groups such as seniors and foreign individuals in using domestic and overseas bank cards to withdraw Chinese currency will be ensured.

Foreign currency exchange facilities at airports, ports, hotels, and other locations with large flow of foreign visitors will see expansion of the range of exchangeable foreign currencies and improvement in the quality of exchange services.

Banks and payment institutions are encouraged to work with clearing houses to  upgrade their services for the convenience of seniors and overseas visitors. More services will be improved to provide higher-quality, more effective and more convenient payment services for senior citizens and foreign visitors.

Banks are encouraged to better improve their customer services, with the establishment of “green channels”, in an effort to provide more effective and more convenient payment services for senior citizens and foreign visitors.

Accounting professional qualification examination

The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security have decided to open the accounting professional qualification examination to foreign individuals who legally work and reside in the country. The same examination system as for domestic candidates will be implemented. Foreign individuals who meet the registration requirements for the accounting professional qualification examination should register based on the principle of proximity and convenience. The decision took effect on June 1, 2024.

Extended implementation of the personal income tax or preferential policies

Foreign individuals who meet the conditions for residency can choose to enjoy special additional deductions in personal income tax or preferential policies such as housing expenses, language training expenses, and education expenses for children, but cannot enjoy both simultaneously. Once chosen, foreign individuals cannot change their selection within a tax year. This policy will be effective until December 31, 2027.

To facilitate foreign business expatriates working and living in China, the State Council app jointly launched the query service of A Guide to Working and Living in China as Business Expatriates (2024 Edition) in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, providing quick solutions for foreign expatriates encountering problems. You can visit it at the “State Council app” WeChat Mini Program.

Sources: www.gov.cn, Beijing Highfliers