BEIJING – The government of China has announced to allow 144-hour visa-free entry to the country for citizens from Norway after which they can proceed to any other country.
“China has decided to include Norway on the list of countries that qualify for 72 or 144 hours of visa-free transit on arrival,” China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in a briefing in Oslo.
China has had this type of agreement with as many as 53 countries in the past and Norway has joined the list to enjoy visa-free travel.
The caveat in this visa-free access is that in order to benefit from the facility, visitors must go to a third country after leaving China and if they are not continuing travel to a third country, it will be considered an illegal entry.
Authorities in both countries have hailed the agreement inked for visa-free transit. Meanwhile, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang elaborated that Beijing appreciates Norway’s firm adherence to the one-China policy and lauds that both countries respect and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns.
“We welcome more Norwegian friends to China,” Qin added.
The following countries including the Schengen countries are currently benefiting from the 144-hour visa-free transit policy for internationals, according to China Briefing:
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Germany
France
Hungary
Greece
Italy
Iceland
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Malta
Portugal
Poland
Sweden
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
Russia
United Kingdom
Ireland
Cyprus
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine
Serbia
Croatia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro
Macedonia
Albania
Monaco
Belarus
Argentina
United States
Brazil
Canada
Mexico
Chile
Australia
New Zealand
South Korea
Japan
Singapore
Brunei
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Under the 144-Hour visa-free entry, Norwegians will be eligible to travel to Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang (Hebei province), Qinhuangdao (Hebei province), Shanghai, Hangzhou (Zhejiang province), Ningbo (Zhejiang province) and Nanjing (Jiangsu province) among others.
The eligibility for availing the facility is to have a passport or another travel document valid for more than three months from the arrival date, an interline ticket, as well as a landing card for internationals.
