China now grants Norwegian citizens visa-free entry for up to 15 days. Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, announced the new policy after his meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in Beijing. The change is expected to simplify travel for Norwegian tourists, businesspeople, and diplomats. Norwegian media outlet NRK reported the announcement.
While Norway is the only Scandinavian country with a 15-day visa-free entry, China has also launched a broader initiative to boost tourism. Jyllands-Posten reports that this initiative allows travelers to stay in the country for up to 144 hours (six days) without a visa. The program has led to a significant rise in visitor numbers. Official Chinese data reveals that 17 million foreign tourists visited China in the first seven months of 2024. This figure marks a 130% increase compared to the previous year. Of these visitors, 8.5 million took advantage of the visa-free option during the first half of the year.
Norwegians in China already had 144 hours visa-free days. This was already in place in November last year.
