China expands visa-free policy Middle East

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Conference on expansion of visa-free policy to Middle Eastern countries. To further facilitate cross-border travel, China decided to include more countries in its visa waiver programme and extend visa-free policies to ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain on a trial basis on the June 9th of 2025 to June 8th of 2026. 

Ordinary passport holders from these four countries can be exempt from visa to enter China and stay for no more than 30 days for business, tourism, visits, exchange and transit purposes. With the UAE and Qatar, who also enjoy visa exemption from China starting 2018, China has so far extended visa-free policies to all GCC countries.