Belgian business travellers and tourists received welcome news on 11 November 2025 when China’s Consulate-General announced that the country’s unilateral 30-day visa-free entry programme has been prolonged for another year, running until 24:00 (Beijing time) on 31 December 2026. The decision, published in an official notice, keeps Belgium on a list of 46 countries whose ordinary-passport holders may enter China without applying for a visa for trips of up to 30 days covering business, tourism, family visits, transit and cultural exchanges.
The extension is designed to “further facilitate people-to-people exchange” as China looks to rebuild inbound travel volumes and revive commercial ties after almost six years of pandemic-driven restrictions. For Belgian corporates with supply-chain operations or joint ventures on the Chinese mainland, the move eliminates one of the last administrative frictions—saving an average of €140 in visa fees per traveller and cutting processing time by two to three weeks. Airlines serving the Brussels–Beijing and Brussels–Shanghai routes are already reporting a spike in winter bookings, according to local travel management companies.
![China Extends Visa-Free Entry for Belgian Travellers Until 31 December 2026]()
From a compliance perspective, companies should still remind employees that the visa waiver is capped at 30 consecutive days per entry and does not permit paid work on the Chinese payroll. Travellers who need to remain in China beyond 30 days must convert to the appropriate stay permit at a Public Security Bureau exit-entry office before the deadline. Failure to do so can incur daily fines of CNY500 and possible exit bans. Tax teams must also track day-counts carefully: under the Belgium–China tax treaty, physical presence exceeding 183 days in any 12-month period can trigger Chinese income-tax liability.
Immigration advisers in Brussels recommend updating travel policies immediately and working with airline partners to automate passport-nationality checks at the time of booking. HR teams should also circulate guidance explaining that the visa-free regime applies only to standard Belgian passports; holders of refugee travel documents or diplomatic passports must still obtain visas in advance. Finally, insurers should verify that policies remain valid for visa-exempt travel, as some corporate travel-risk contracts link coverage to possession of an entry visa.
The extension is designed to “further facilitate people-to-people exchange” as China looks to rebuild inbound travel volumes and revive commercial ties after almost six years of pandemic-driven restrictions. For Belgian corporates with supply-chain operations or joint ventures on the Chinese mainland, the move eliminates one of the last administrative frictions—saving an average of €140 in visa fees per traveller and cutting processing time by two to three weeks. Airlines serving the Brussels–Beijing and Brussels–Shanghai routes are already reporting a spike in winter bookings, according to local travel management companies.
From a compliance perspective, companies should still remind employees that the visa waiver is capped at 30 consecutive days per entry and does not permit paid work on the Chinese payroll. Travellers who need to remain in China beyond 30 days must convert to the appropriate stay permit at a Public Security Bureau exit-entry office before the deadline. Failure to do so can incur daily fines of CNY500 and possible exit bans. Tax teams must also track day-counts carefully: under the Belgium–China tax treaty, physical presence exceeding 183 days in any 12-month period can trigger Chinese income-tax liability.
Immigration advisers in Brussels recommend updating travel policies immediately and working with airline partners to automate passport-nationality checks at the time of booking. HR teams should also circulate guidance explaining that the visa-free regime applies only to standard Belgian passports; holders of refugee travel documents or diplomatic passports must still obtain visas in advance. Finally, insurers should verify that policies remain valid for visa-exempt travel, as some corporate travel-risk contracts link coverage to possession of an entry visa.
