Starting from Mar 14, ordinary passport holders from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, are available to do business or travel in China without a visa for up to 15 days.

A traveler from Austria who entered Hangzhou on Mar 14 with visa-free said that he used to apply for business visas to visit China, which was relatively complicated, but now it is more convenient under the visa-free policy.

Last year, China granted unilateral visa-free treatment to five European countries including France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain and the policy will last to Nov 30, 2024. At the same time, China also signed mutual visa exemption agreement with several countries to further expand the international trips. Since Dec 1 last year, more than 17,000 people from the first batch of six unilateral visa-free countries have enjoyed the visa-free policy to visit China via Hangzhou port, a year-on-year increase of more than 4.2 times.

In addition, about 30 countries have set their Visa Application Centers in Hangzhou to provide convenience to locals. The new Joint Visa Application Center for France, the Netherlands, and Cyprus officially opened in Hangzhou on Feb 29. Germany Visa Application Center in Hangzhou has resumed operations since Mar 1. Applicants can now schedule appointments for submission at the visa application centers and plan trips to these countries in Hangzhou. However, the Cyprus Visa Application Center in Hangzhou will close after Mar 22 and the visa applications should thereafter be delivered directly to the embassy.

It is expected to see the increasing number of inbound and outbound passengers at Hangzhou Port in 2024 benefiting from the new exit-entry policies, which will continuously enhance international communication between Hangzhou and the world.