China Extends Visa-Free Travel to Thailand & Singapore

By Billy Jiang, January 29, 2024

On January 28, China and Thailand signed a visa-exemption agreement in Bangkok, further facilitating travel between the two nations.

The China-Thailand agreement is set to come into effect on March 1, 2024.

This development follows another significant agreement signed on January 25 between China and Singapore in Beijing, which grants visa exemptions for holders of ordinary passports.

The Singapore-China agreement is scheduled to take effect on February 9, 2024, coinciding with the eve of the Lunar New Year.

As of now, China has entered into comprehensive visa exemption agreements with 22 countries, covering various types of passports.

The visa exemptions are expected to boost travel between the nations, especially during the ongoing Spring Festival travel season, known as Chunyun (春运), the largest annual human migration in the world.

In anticipation of increased outbound travel from China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has announced the addition of 2,500 international flights to various destinations in Asia, including Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea.

Between January 26 and March 5, there will be an additional 600 flights from China to Thailand.

Post-March, a substantial increase in flight frequencies and a corresponding adjustment in prices is anticipated.

This surge in Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand, accompanied by increased flights, indicates a tangible trend at the beginning of 2024.

With a growing list of countries being offered visa-free entry to China, there might be questions about the visa policies:

For more China travel stories and information, stay tuned to our WeChat official account, ThatsGBA.

[Cover image by Billy Jiang/That's]