Chinese embassies abroad to temporarily reduce visa fees
From December 11, 2023 to December 31, 2024, Chinese embassies and consulates abroad will reduce visa fees to 75 percent of the current rates, according to a statement published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official social media account.
Local Chinese diplomatic and consular missions are available for more information, the statement said, noting that after the downgrade of COVID-19 to a Class B infectious disease on January 8 this year, the Chinese government has kept optimizing visa and entry policies to promote people-to-people exchange.
Today, the Chinese embassy in Thailand released a notice on the adjustments to Chinese visa application fees.
According to the notice, from December 11, 2023 through December 31, 2024, Chinese embassy and consulates in Thailand would reduce the application fee for visas to China. For applications submitted before December 11 this year, fees would be charged as standard.
The Chinese embassy in Malaysia also issued a similar notice on the reduction of visa fees today, with a revised visa fee schedule attached.
On December 7, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the finance minister, made the announcement of a 30-day visa-free policy between China and Singapore during the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation in Tianjin.
Last month, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that in order to further facilitate personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries, China had decided to expand the scope of its unilateral visa-free nations on a trial basis to France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.
From December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024, average passport holders from those countries who come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transit for no more than 15 days, can enter China without a visa.
