Beijing now offers six-day visa-free transit

That's plenty of time to check off your Beijing bucket list

Good news travellers, China's just extended the visa-free period for visitors transiting through Beijing. Officially put in place yesterday, the updated visa-waiver scheme allows transit air, train and ship passengers travelling through Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei to stay in the region for 144 hours visa-free before heading off to another destination.

This change in policy is similar to the six-day visa-free transit policy already introduced in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang early last year. By doubling the visa-free period from 72 to 144 hours, it's hoped that the scheme will boost tourism in Tianjin and Hebei by giving foreign visitors more time to travel without the need for multiple visa applications.

Visitors hoping to make use of the extended visa-free period need to have proof of outgoing travel tickets as well as be from one of 53 countries named under the new scheme, which includes the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, France and Japan.

Got any family and friends wanting to visit you in the capital? Looks like it's time to start ticking off that Beijing bucket list.

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