China to resume 15-day visa-free entry for Singapore, Brunei citizens

BEIJING — China will resume 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Singapore and Brunei from Wednesday (July 26), its embassies in the two countries said, more than three years after the visas were suspended to stop the spread of Covid-19.

Visa-free entry to China will be available for citizens of Singapore and Brunei with ordinary passports travelling for business, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, and in transit, the embassies said in notices on their websites.

China lifted many of its zero-Covid measures in December but only began issuing tourist visas again in March.

China has also been seeking visa-free travel for its citizens to Singapore.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it welcomes China’s announcement on the reinstatement of the 15-day visa-free arrangement for Singaporeans travelling to China.

"This will facilitate people and business flows between our countries and pave the way for deeper bilateral cooperation, especially following the upgrade in Singapore-China relations to an All-Round High-Quality Future-Oriented Partnership earlier this year during PM Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Beijing," the ministry said. 

During Mr Lee's six-day visit which began in late March, he said that with the upgrade in relations between Singapore and China, both countries were going to “take the next step forward”.

He said then that Singapore was in the process of restoring both civil aviation services and connectivity back to where they were pre-Covid. AGENCIES