SINGAPORE, 29 January 2024: China and Singapore have green-lighted 30-day visa-free entry for their citizens, starting 9 February 2024, a day before the Golden Week holidays.
The bilateral visa-free entry policy extends to both leisure and business travellers. Still, Singapore’s visa-free agreement with China should boost inbound travel from China to reach pre-pandemic levels this year.
The mutual 30-day visa-exemption arrangement between Singapore and China PRC follows their agreement at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting on December 7, 2023. It was subsequently affirmed through an exchange of diplomatic notes between Singapore and the PRC, setting the stage for a launch on 9 February.
Holders of ordinary passports issued by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be exempted from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in Singapore. There will be no refund of the visa processing fee for those who applied earlier.
Holders of ordinary passports issued by Singapore will be exempted from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in the PRC.
In a statement released last week, a leading business travel firm, FCM Travel Asia, said it “foresees an increase in business travel as China and Singapore” once the 30-day visa-free entry agreement takes effect on 9 February.
FCM Greater China general manager Calvin Xie commented: “It has been a year since China, one of the top markets in the world for business travel spending, re-opened its borders since the pandemic.
“We have been looking forward to easing visa requirements between China and Singapore as China has been Singapore’s largest trading partner since 2013, with bilateral trading volume at USD55.6 billion for the first half of 2023.
“Chinese companies are also expanding their footprints globally with notable success in Southeast Asia, and with Singapore known as a regional tourism hub for both companies and tourists, we foresee an increase in business travel,” Xie concluded.
