Chongqing, a city in southwest China directly administered by the central government, began offering 72-hour visa-free stays for citizens from 51 countries on December 30, 2013. Subsequently, Dalian and Shenyang in China’s northeast Liaoning Province adopted similar policies which came into effect on January 1, 2014.

In order to take advantage of these new visa-free policies, foreign travelers must hold a valid passport from one of the 51 countries named, a third country visa and tickets to depart the city to a third country or territory within 72 hours. During their layover, foreign travelers are permitted to engage in various activities such as tourism, business, and cultural communication, but are not permitted to travel beyond the administrative regions of Chongqing, Dalian or Shenyang.

Other cities with similar policies include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Foreign travelers from the following countries are eligible for the 72-hour visa-free policy:

• Schengen countries in Europe – Austria, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
• Other European countries – Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania
• Oceania countries – Australia, New Zealand
• American countries – United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
• Asian countries – South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar