It’s been a big year for travel from Australia to China, with the Asian nation now ranking among the top five overseas destinations for Aussies. This surge in travel frequency is largely thanks to a policy introduced last year, allowing Australian citizens to go to China without a visa for up to 30 days. In good news for those looking to go, China has just extended this visa-free scheme through to the end of 2026.
China’s visa-free travel scheme was first introduced as a 15-day trial on July 1, 2024. The stay length was doubled to 30 days from November 2024, with the scheme originally set to end on December 31, 2025.
The policy was introduced to boost travel between Australia and China. In the last financial year, China became the fifth-most-visited overseas destination for travellers from Australia, climbing two spots to overtake Thailand and the United Kingdom. Travel to China also surpassed pre-Covid levels, with outbound trips increasing from 520,200 travellers in 2023-24 to 652,960 in 2024-25.
China has now extended its visa-free travel policy for 45 countries – including Australia – effective from now through December 31, 2026. To be eligible, you must be an Australian citizen holding an ordinary passport and travelling for business, family visits, exchanges or transit purposes. Most of the other countries included in the visa scheme are in Europe and Asia, while the United States, Canada and Britain are excluded.
Where do people explore in China? In Beijing, you can walk the Great Wall of China, explore the Forbidden City and eat your way through the bustling Wangfujing Snack Street. Just a two-hour flight away, Shanghai has a futuristic skyline, trendy bars and the bustling Nanjing Road shopping strip. In Fujian, there are the World Heritage-listed Wuyi Mountains; and in Sichuan, the Jiuzhaigou Valley.