China’s Department of Consular Affairs has announced that it will resume the issuance of visas for foreigners as of Wednesday.
According to a notice issued Tuesday morning, the entry function of visas issued before 28 March 2020 – when visas were first suspended due to COVID – will be restored, and visa authorities will resume issuing visas for foreigners to travel to China.
Authorities will resume the issuance of visas for all types of entry port that meet the legal requirements. These will include visa-free entry to Hainan, visa-free cruise to Shanghai, visa-free entry to Guangdong for groups of foreigners from Hong Kong and Macau, and visa-free entry to Guangxi Guilin for ASEAN tours.
The issuance of visas for foreigners represents another major step forward since Beijing dropped most border control measures on 8 January.