Beijing has given another jolt of momentum to the country’s post-pandemic reopening by waiving visas for ordinary passport-holders from the United Kingdom and Canada. The new measure, confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 February 2026, allows Britons and Canadians to enter mainland China for up to 30 days for tourism, business meetings, family visits, cultural exchanges or transit. It runs on a trial basis until 31 December 2026, but officials hinted it could be made permanent if visitor flows rebound as hoped. (apnews.com)
The move expands China’s unilateral visa-free roster to 79 countries—up from just 15 when the border reopened two years ago—and follows back-to-back state visits by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month. Analysts view the timing as a diplomatic olive branch designed to thaw relations that cooled during the pandemic and to accelerate trade talks stalled since 2020. Both London and Ottawa have spent the past year lobbying for easier access for their exporters and investors.
For multinationals, the practical upside is immediate: employees travelling on short notice will bypass the sometimes weeks-long consular process and avoid the roughly US $140 application fee. Airlines are already capitalising: Air China, British Airways and Air Canada all added extra frequencies on Shanghai and Beijing routes within hours of the announcement. Travel-management companies told Global Mobility News that seat requests for March and April incentive trips doubled overnight.
![China Adds UK and Canada to 30-Day Visa-Free Entry List]()
For travellers who still need traditional visas—whether because they exceed the 30-day limit, plan to work, or hold passports from countries not on the waiver list—specialist agencies like VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork and appointment scheduling. Their China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers up-to-date requirements, digital application tools and courier options that can cut processing time for both individuals and corporate mobility teams.
The policy still carries caveats. Visitors must carry proof of onward travel and may not exceed 30 consecutive days per entry; work activities requiring remuneration remain prohibited without a separate Z-visa. Moreover, Washington, Jakarta and several other large markets are conspicuously absent from the waiver list, meaning many regional itineraries will still require transit visas. Even so, industry groups such as the Global Business Travel Association praised the decision as “a significant step toward restoring Asia-Pacific mobility.” Corporates with offices in China should update travel policies immediately and brief travellers on health-declaration QR codes that remain mandatory at airports.
If the trial succeeds, insiders expect Beijing to court the United States and India next, though observers caution that negotiations could be slower given geopolitical headwinds. For now, UK and Canadian firms have gained a first-mover advantage: executives can again fly in, meet suppliers, and close deals without the red tape that has dogged China trips since 2020.
The move expands China’s unilateral visa-free roster to 79 countries—up from just 15 when the border reopened two years ago—and follows back-to-back state visits by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this month. Analysts view the timing as a diplomatic olive branch designed to thaw relations that cooled during the pandemic and to accelerate trade talks stalled since 2020. Both London and Ottawa have spent the past year lobbying for easier access for their exporters and investors.
For multinationals, the practical upside is immediate: employees travelling on short notice will bypass the sometimes weeks-long consular process and avoid the roughly US $140 application fee. Airlines are already capitalising: Air China, British Airways and Air Canada all added extra frequencies on Shanghai and Beijing routes within hours of the announcement. Travel-management companies told Global Mobility News that seat requests for March and April incentive trips doubled overnight.
For travellers who still need traditional visas—whether because they exceed the 30-day limit, plan to work, or hold passports from countries not on the waiver list—specialist agencies like VisaHQ can streamline the paperwork and appointment scheduling. Their China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers up-to-date requirements, digital application tools and courier options that can cut processing time for both individuals and corporate mobility teams.
The policy still carries caveats. Visitors must carry proof of onward travel and may not exceed 30 consecutive days per entry; work activities requiring remuneration remain prohibited without a separate Z-visa. Moreover, Washington, Jakarta and several other large markets are conspicuously absent from the waiver list, meaning many regional itineraries will still require transit visas. Even so, industry groups such as the Global Business Travel Association praised the decision as “a significant step toward restoring Asia-Pacific mobility.” Corporates with offices in China should update travel policies immediately and brief travellers on health-declaration QR codes that remain mandatory at airports.
If the trial succeeds, insiders expect Beijing to court the United States and India next, though observers caution that negotiations could be slower given geopolitical headwinds. For now, UK and Canadian firms have gained a first-mover advantage: executives can again fly in, meet suppliers, and close deals without the red tape that has dogged China trips since 2020.
