bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

China has eased entry restrictions for visitors from 36 European countries, months after thousands were left stranded when the country closed its borders and slashed flights to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Almost all foreign nationals were forbidden from entering the country when Beijing imposed the measures in March, even those with Chinese work or residence permits or family living in the country.
But this week Beijing said it would relax some of the requirements for Europeans hoping to re-enter.
The new rules will allow European passport holders from 36 countries – including Britain, France and Germany – with a valid residence permit to apply for a visa without an invitation letter, the Chinese embassy in Berlin said in a statement on Wednesday.


Everyone returning to China has to reapply for their visa, as travel documents issued before the pandemic have been nullified.
China earlier allowed a small number of skilled foreign workers to return with special official invitation letters – a process which proved slow.
China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that European passport holders who qualified would be allowed to “apply for a Chinese visa free of charge”.
Beijing’s ban on foreign travellers comes into force
However, anyone coming from abroad is still subject to Covid-19 tests and a 14-day quarantine – and will still have to find a plane ticket, after Beijing ordered a drastic reduction in international air links at the end of March, and prices soared.
Some of the strict flight quotas are also being lifted, with Air France allowed to operate three weekly flights between China and France from the end of this month.
China has largely brought the spread of Covid-19 under control after the disease first emerged there late last year, but there has been a series of local clusters in recent months.



China’s Wingtech faces setback as Dutch court keeps Nexperia CEO suspended, orders probe

Cold shoulder? China and EU in diplomatic stand-off ahead of Munich showdown

Beijing dominant partner in Russia-China relationship, US congressman Fallon says

French finance minister urges caution as Paris agency proposes 30% China tariff

China-EU relations

Coronavirus: China eases travel restrictions for visitors from Europe

China has relaxed its entry restrictions for European travellers. Photo: EPA-EFE

Coronavirus found on frozen seafood packaging in Chinese port city

Yantai authorities say the coronavirus was detected on frozen seafood packaging. Photo: Shutterstock

WHO will start its investigation into coronavirus origins in Wuhan but says case zero may be elsewhere

The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan city was a common denominator in early cases of the new coronavirus. World Health Organisation research into the origins of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 will start in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province. Photo: SCMP/Simon Song

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme Director Michael Ryan talks during a daily press briefing on COVID-19 virus at the WHO headquaters on March 11, 2020 in Geneva. - WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on March 11, 2020 that the new coronavirus outbreak can now be characterised as a pandemic. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

News

China

Diplomacy

People & Culture


Passport holders from 36 countries, including Britain, France and Germany, with a valid residence permit can apply for a visa without an invitation letter
But anyone coming from abroad is still subject to Covid-19 tests and a 14-day quarantine



Passport holders from 36 countries, including Britain, France and Germany, with a valid residence permit can apply for a visa without an invitation letter.


Coronavirus China

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories