Six-day visa-free transit policy starts in 5 more Chinese cities for Ukrainians

From January 1, 2019, a 144-hour visa-free transit policy has been launched in Qingdao, a major port city in Shandong; Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province; Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province; Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province; and Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The visa-free transit policy approved by the State Council, applies to people from 53 countries including Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

Passengers are required to carry effective international travel certificates and have definite onward travel within 144 hours, when entering those five cities.

Previously, a 72-hour visa-free transit policy was adopted in the cities. In the new move, passengers can enter and exit Qingdao and Xiamen through their air and sea ports. Those who transit through Qingdao are allowed to stay elsewhere in Shandong during the 144-hour period, according to Li Zhuqun, deputy head of the Shandong Provincial Public Security Department.

Since 2013, the State Council has approved the 72-hour visa-free transit for eligible international travelers across 18 cities and later extended the period to 144 hours in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Shanghai and the neighboring provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, as well as the cities of Shenyang and Dalian in Liaoning Province, according to the National Immigration Administration.