Shenzhen Airport sees surge in visa-free travelers as China launches new policy

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport welcomed its first visa-free inbound passenger on Friday morning, as China launched a pilot visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from nine countries.

Visitors from Slovakia, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco, Liechtenstein and South Korea can now enter China without a visa for 15 days. 

Gaute Gordon, a Norwegian traveler, was the first to benefit from the policy in Shenzhen, easily completing customs clearance and entering China visa-free at the airport's border control station.

"I'm from Norway, and I'm here mainly for business. I think this new policy is a positive development for both Norway and China," said Gordon. 

Korean Air flight KE827 from Seoul arrived at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport at 10:53 a.m. on November 8, marking the first direct flight carrying passengers to Guangdong under the new policy.

"This is my first visit here. I heard about the visa-free policy for South Korea, so I came. I'm excited to help bring more South Koreans to China," said Kim Doyeon.

From November 8, 2024, to December 31, 2025, passport holders from the nine countries may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit, for stays of up to 15 days.

To ensure smooth implementation, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection Station has opened all inspection channels and dispatched personnel with strong foreign language skills to assist with policy explanations, customs guidance and other services.

The visa-free policy was initially trialed in December 2023, leading to a significant increase in inbound foreign visitors. 

Yu Haixiao, deputy team leader at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport's Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection Station, said that in the first 10 months of this year, nearly 430,000 foreign nationals entered via Shenzhen Airport – a 132 percent rise. Visa-free entries made up 35 percent of this, six times the figure from the same period last year.