BEIJING – Authorities in China confirmed simplifying the visa application processing with an aim to attract more visitors from abroad.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that applicants now need to list where they have traveled in the past year rather than five years.
Moreover, as per the new changes, the educational background section requires only the highest level reached by the applicant.
“Applicants will spend much less time filling in the forms and expect a more streamlined visa application process,” it said in a statement.
The ministry will always “facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries to promote China’s high-quality development and opening up.”
Meanwhile, at a briefing, the foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the often drawn-out visa process has been an obstacle for many people wanting to travel to China.
The country has managed to recover domestic travel above pre-COVID levels, but the challenge lies with restoring international travel.
The development comes days after China relaxed the visa requirements for Indians, providing them with much relief to travel to the country.
The Chinese government announced implementing temporary changes to visa regulations which will remain in effect until December 31, this year.
According to the new guidelines, eligible Indian applicants seeking visas for various purposes, including tourism, business, short-term family visits, and transit, will no longer be required to provide biometric data.
The government of China is taking multiple steps to help the country take benefit from the recovery of travel and tourism. Once inaccessible during the pandemic, the country has opened up to the outside world and has even removed the need for quarantine and testing, vindicating that the Corona Virus has largely subsided.
