China Grants Visa-Free Access to Canada and the United Kingdom, Effective from Lunar New Year on 17 February 2026

China has waived visa requirements for citizens of Canada and the United Kingdom, both for tourist and business visits of up to 30 days, effective from Lunar New Year on 17 February 2026.

“To further facilitate cross-border travel, China has decided to, from 17 February 2026, extend its visa-free policy to holders of ordinary passports from Canada and the United Kingdom,” stated the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website on Sunday, 16 February 2026.

“Holders of ordinary passports from both countries may enter China visa-free and stay for up to 30 days for business, tourism, family and friend visits, exchanges, and transit purposes. This policy will remain in effect until 31 December 2026.”

The visa-free policy for British citizens had previously been announced during Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China from 28–31 January 2026, when he met President Xi Jinping. However, the effective date of the visa waiver had not been disclosed at that time.

A month ago, during his visit to Beijing, Prime Minister Mark Carney said President Xi Jinping had committed to visa-free access for Canadian citizens. During the meeting between Carney and Xi Jinping, an agreement was reached to allow the entry of 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into Canada annually at a tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.

In return, Beijing would reduce tariffs on Canadian agricultural exports, including canola oil, from 85 per cent to 15 per cent.

China has already established mutual visa-free agreements with 29 countries and maintains a unilateral visa-free policy offering entry to citizens of 48 countries.

Indonesia also benefits from a 10-day visa-free transit arrangement for Indonesian citizens, in effect since 12 June 2025. In Southeast Asia, reciprocal visa-free agreements are already in place for citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore.

China has also announced visa-free policies for six Gulf states that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, China has granted visa-free access to holders of ordinary passports from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.