China Launches 5-Year Multi-Entry ‘ASEAN Visa’ for 11 Nations
China introduces a new 5-year multi-entry ‘ASEAN Visa’ for business travelers from 11 ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste, facilitating up to 180-day stays and promoting regional connectivity.
China has officially announced the launch of a “visa ASEAN” for the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with Timor-Leste, an observer country. The initiative was announced on 3 June by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian.
Under the new programme, eligible travelers from the 11 affected countries—including businesspeople, their spouses and dependent children—can apply for a multi-entry visa valid for five years. Each authorized stay in China may last up to 180 days.
Lin Jian said the visa draws on existing mutual visa-exemption arrangements with countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, and complements the earlier “Lancang-Mekong” visa that facilitated travel among the Mekong-river riparian states. The spokesperson stressed that the measure “further enhances the convenience of cross-border travel” across the region.
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The initiative aims to strengthen ties between China and ASEAN. Lin Jian said it aligns with ongoing efforts to build a “China-ASEAN community with a shared future,” which has already delivered advances in peace, prosperity, environmental harmony and friendship. Easing personnel exchanges, he added, is a shared aspiration for China and its Southeast Asian partners.
The “visa ASEAN” announcement follows other recent relaxations of China’s visa policy. Since 1 June, China has been running a pilot programme granting unilateral 30-day visa-free entry to five Latin American nations—Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. It has also extended visa-free access to all member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Together, these steps raise the total of countries whose nationals may enter China without a visa to 43. |
Lin Jian emphasised that “steadily expanding the list of visa-exempt countries demonstrates China’s firm commitment to high-standard opening-up.” Optimising entry policies is part of China’s concrete contribution to a more open global economy.
To highlight the growing openness, he noted that more than 9 million foreign nationals entered China in the first quarter of 2025, up more than 40 % year-on-year, and that over 18,000 foreign-invested enterprises were established in the first four months of the year, an increase of 12.1 % compared with the same period in 2024.
Lin closed by reaffirming that China will continue to optimise entry policies, expand visa-exemption coverage and provide more streamlined services. The goal is to promote shared prosperity through deeper opening-up and international cooperation. Travelers with further questions are invited to contact Chinese diplomatic and consular missions in their respective countries.
