China will temporarily exempt citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia from needing visas to visit the world's second-largest economy in a bid to give a boost to post-pandemic tourism.
When you get a visa to travel, some countries make it easy and some require fees and a whole waiting period. Like, speaking as an American, going to a lot of places doesn’t require a visa. A lot of places do require one but it’s basically automatic and they just charge a fee — some places even just charge a fee when you enter. China has a more restrictive process where you have to visit a consulate or mail in your passport.
Tourist visas are more expensive the more entries you need or the longer in duration. So, if you’re going to China with a side trip to Mongolia, you’d want a multi-entry Chinese visa. For some countries, China does offer a 10 year multi-entry visa option — so basically the rest of the time you have your passport — so an American who regularly visits grandparents in China can do that. But it’s obviously more expensive than a standard tourist visa.
The fees also vary by nationality and it’s usually reciprocal. So, Americans tend to have to pay more because the U.S. charges more. That just depends on what your diplomats negotiate.
Sorry, what does that mean?
When you get a visa to travel, some countries make it easy and some require fees and a whole waiting period. Like, speaking as an American, going to a lot of places doesn’t require a visa. A lot of places do require one but it’s basically automatic and they just charge a fee — some places even just charge a fee when you enter. China has a more restrictive process where you have to visit a consulate or mail in your passport.
Tourist visas are more expensive the more entries you need or the longer in duration. So, if you’re going to China with a side trip to Mongolia, you’d want a multi-entry Chinese visa. For some countries, China does offer a 10 year multi-entry visa option — so basically the rest of the time you have your passport — so an American who regularly visits grandparents in China can do that. But it’s obviously more expensive than a standard tourist visa.
The fees also vary by nationality and it’s usually reciprocal. So, Americans tend to have to pay more because the U.S. charges more. That just depends on what your diplomats negotiate.
Thank you for explaining it!