Singapore and China have agreed to a 30-day mutual visa-free entry for their citizens, where the arrangement will begin on February 9, 2024.
Under the agreement, Singaporeans and Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports can enter China or Singapore without a visa for no more than 30 days if they are travelling for business, sightseeing, or visiting friends and family.
Those who plan to engage in activities that require prior approval, such as work or news reporting, or plan to stay for more than 30 days, must still secure the relevant visa before entry.
Currently, Singaporeans holding ordinary passports can enter China without a visa for 15 days for purposes like sightseeing, visiting family and business. Chinese citizens currently require a visa to enter Singapore.
Plans for the 30-day mutual visa exemption agreement were announced around two months ago, during the highest-level annual bilateral forum between Singapore and China.
“It has been a year since China, one of the top markets in the world for business travel spending, reopened its borders since the pandemic. We have been looking forward to the easing of visa requirements between China and Singapore as China has been Singapore’s largest trading partner since 2013, with bilateral trading volume at US$55.6 billion for 1H2023, said Calvin Xie, general manager of FCM Greater China.
“Chinese companies are also expanding their footprint globally with notable success in South-east Asia, and with Singapore known as a regional tourism hub for both companies and tourists, we foresee an increase in business travel,” he added.
