China Eases Visa Rules for Foreigners Who Get Chinese Vaccines

China will ease visa application requirements for foreigners seeking to enter the Chinese mainland from Japan and Hong Kong if they have been inoculated with Covid-19 vaccines made in China, Chinese authorities said.

The new rule will take effect on Monday to help resume “people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries in an orderly manner,” according to statements released by Chinese Embassy in Japan on Monday and the Commissioner’s Office of Chinese foreign ministry in the special administrative region on Friday, respectively.

Foreigners visiting the mainland for work will face less paperwork in visa applications if they are able to show they have received vaccines produced in China. With the vaccine certificates, these travelers will also be able to skip the requirement for a Covid-19 test or fill out a travel declaration form.

The visa facilitation measure will cover three group of foreigners, including foreign nationals and their family members visiting the mainland of China for resuming work and production in certain fields, applicants eligible for applying for a visa out of emergency humanitarian needs, and holders of valid Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business travel cards.

Applicants eligible for such visa facilitation would either have received two doses of Chinese-made vaccines with the stipulated gap in between, or have received a single-dose Chinese-made vaccine at least 14 days prior to the application and obtained the vaccination certificate, according to the statement.

For those group of applicants, a proof of a negative Covid-19 nucleic acid test result and the Health and Travel Record Declaration Form for Visa Application are no longer required, the statement said.

Caixin-Bloomberg

Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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