Singapore and China to Implement Mutual Visa Exemption Policy
Starting from February 9, 2024 (Lunar New Year's Eve), Singapore and China will implement a mutual visa exemption policy for holders of ordinary passports. This new policy will allow citizens to engage in tourism, family visits, and business activities in each other's countries, with a stay not exceeding 30 days.
The decision was reached through the "Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the People's Republic of China on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Ordinary Passports," signed in Beijing on January 25th by representatives of both governments.
Under the agreement, citizens who wish to engage in activities requiring prior approval, such as employment or journalistic work, or plan to stay in the other country for more than 30 days, must obtain the necessary visas before entry.
With this development, China has now signed mutual visa exemption agreements covering different types of passports with 157 countries and has simplified visa procedures with 44 countries. Among these, comprehensive mutual visa exemption has been achieved with 22 countries, including Singapore, Maldives, and Kazakhstan.
Additionally, over 60 countries and regions offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival conveniences to Chinese citizens, significantly enhancing the convenience of international travel for Chinese citizens and the "gold content" of the Chinese passport.
In an exclusive interview with CCTV reporters, Wu Xi, Director-General of the Consular Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the series of measures recently introduced by China to facilitate personnel exchanges demonstrate the country's determination to promote a high level of openness to the outside world. He welcomed people from all over the world to travel, do business, invest, and study in China, and expressed hope that friends from China and abroad would respect local laws and regulations as well as bilateral agreements to jointly maintain good order in international personnel exchanges.
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