Canadians now can visit Beijing for up to 144 hours (six days) without holding a visa.
China extended its visa-free period Thursday for people transiting through Beijing from 72 hours to 144 hours. It also added neighboring Hebei Province and Tianjin City to the program.
Citizens from Canada and 52 other countries, including the UK, the U.S. and Russia, can enjoy the 144-hour visa exemption.
Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from any of the airports, train stations, ports in the area and move around the three places.
If one has to go to other cities or can't leave within 144 hours, he or she needs to go to a nearby Public Security Bureau to apply for a visa.
The 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit policy was first adopted in China by Shanghai and two neighbouring provinces, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, in January 2016. It is expected to also take effect in Guangdong Province.
6 Steps to Apply for 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit:
1. Inform the carrier when boarding
2. Fill in an Arrival/Departure Card
3. Apply for the 144-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival
4. Claim your luggage
5. Go through customs
6. Leave the airport
List of 53 Qualified Countries
Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates and Qatar
