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InterPore2024 welcomes attendees from all around the world and looks forward to seeing you in Qingdao in May.
Until 30 November 2024, ordinary passport holders from the following countries can do business or travel in China without a visa for up to 15 days:
- Austria (effective 14 March 2024)
- Belgium (effective 14 March 2024)
- France
- Germany
- Hungary (effective 14 March 2024)
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Luxembourg (effective 14 March 2024)
- Malaysia
- The Netherlands
- Singapore
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Thailand
A full list of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption for several countries can also be found at the bottom of this page. Others may be qualified to travel on Qingdao's visa-free policy. For those participants who will need visas, more information can be found in the visa section below.
144-hour visa-free transit policy
Qingdao has a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for travelers from a large number of countries. Passengers are required to carry valid international travel documents and have definite plans for travelling onward within 144 hours when entering Qingdao.
Important notes：
- Visa-free transit foreigners can stay within the administration area of Shandong province for no longer than 144 hours (six days).
- Visa-free transit foreigners must enter Qingdao directly from abroad (so they cannot travel to Qingdao via another Chinese city).
- They must leave China via Qingdao airport to another country (THIS MUST NOT BE THE SAME ONE FROM WHICH THEY ENTER CHINA.) Example: On the way to China (or on the way back home) a stopover could be made in Seoul. This stopover usually does not have a big effect on travel costs and is often more or less the same price as a direct flight. Sometimes, it is cheaper to purchase an “open-jaw” ticket (or a multi-destination ticket) i.e., flying into Qingdao and returning from another city, e.g., Seoul, and then purchase a one-way ticket Qingdao-Seoul.
List of the Qualified Countries:
25 European Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
15 Other European Countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, Monaco
6 American Countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
2 Oceania Countries: Australia, New Zealand
6 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
Travelers planning on visiting Qingdao with a visa exemption are advised to confirm their eligibility with their local Chinese embassy/consulate before departure. The nature of the traveler’s itinerary and other factors may influence eligibility to qualify for a visa exemption. The information provided is for guidelines only. InterPore is not responsible for any inaccuracies.
It is advisable to check with the relevant authorities or your airline to ensure compliance with the transit visa regulations.
Chinese Visas
If you are not a passport holder as described in the List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption below or you do not qualify for the visa-free policy, you will need to obtain a visa for entry into China, here is the website of Chinese Visa Application Service Center，you can refer to the information of the website.
For conferences and meetings in China, participants should apply for a F-type visa. The F-visa requires fewer documents than the simplified L-visa and therefore, it is advisable for U.S. experts attending conferences in China to apply for the F-visa.
If needed, a visa letter from InterPore can be downloaded here. Please complete the fields and return to secretary@interpore.org for a signature.
InterPore has procured the services of CIBT to assist in obtaining visas for travel to China. Please click on the link of your country of residence below for more information on CIBT's services and fees. Note that this list will be continually updated to add more countries.
List of Agreements on Mutual Visa Exemption
Between the People’s Republic of China and Foreign Countries
( In alphabetical order of foreign countries )
| Foreign Country | Passport Categories Covered by Agreement on Visa Exemption | Date of Entry into Force YYYY.MM.DD | Note |
| Armenia | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports, passports for public affairs and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Armenia | 1994.08.03 | |
| Ordinary passports | 2020.01.19 | ||
| Azerbaijan | Diplomatic,service passports and passports for public affairs | 1994.02.10 | |
| Ordinary passports/international travel documents (when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 1994.05.01 | ||
| The Bahamas | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs and ordinary passports of China;diplomatic, official and ordinary passports of the Bahamas | 2014.02.12 | |
| Bangladesh | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,official passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Government Affairs” or “Free of Charge” of Bangladesh | 1989.12.18 | |
| Barbados | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,official passports of Barbados | 2014.08.02 | |
| Ordinary passports | 2017.06.01 | ||
| Belarus | Diplomatic, service passports;ordinary passports or international travel documents (when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 1993.03.01 | |
| Ordinary passports | 2018.08.10 | ||
| Benin | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports with “public affairs certificate” attached of Benin | 1993.11.06 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports of Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1980.01.09 | *1 |
| 2017.10.04 | |||
| Ordinary passports | 2018.05.29 | ||
| Dominica | Diplomatic,service passports and passports for public affairs of China; diplomatic,official passports of Dominica | 2014.03.29 | |
| Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs,ordinary passports of China; diplomatic,official,service,ordinary passport for public affairs of Dominica | 2022.09.19 | ||
| Ecuador | Diplomatic,service passports of China;diplomatic, official passports of Ecuador | 1987.07.11 | |
| Passports for public affairs of China;special passports of Ecuador | 1988.12.25 | ||
| Ordinary passports | 2016.08.18 | ||
| Fiji | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs,ordinary passports | 2015.03.14 | |
| Georgia | Diplomatic,service passports and passports for public affairs;ordinary passports/international travel documents ( when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 1994.02.03 | |
| Grenada | Diplomatic,service passports of China; diplomatic, official passports of Grenada | 2010.01.17 | |
| Passports for public affairs,ordinary passports | 2015.06.10 | ||
| Laos | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China; diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports with effective visas for public affairs of Laos | 1989.11.06 | |
| Macedonia | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China; diplomatic, service passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Macedonia | 1994.07.19 | |
| Malaysia | Diplomatic,service passports of China;diplomatic, official passports of Malaysia | 2011.05.18 | |
| Maldives | Diplomatic,service passports | 1984.11.27 | |
| Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs,ordinary passports or Travel Document of China; diplomatic,official passports,ordinary passports,Temporary Travel Document or Emergency Travel Documents (Certificate of Identity) of Maldives | 2022.05.20 | ||
| Mauritius | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs and ordinary passports | 2013.10.31 | |
| Moldova | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Moldova;ordinary passports/international travel documents (when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 1993.01.01 | |
| Qatar | Diplomatic,service,passports for public affairs and ordinary passports of China;Diplomatic,service, special and ordinary passports of Qatar | 2018.12.21 | |
| Russia | Ordinary passports/international travel documents (when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 2000.12.01 | |
| Diplomatic and service passports;trainmen/aircrew/ seafarers (travelling with seafarer’s passports) onboard for public affairs | 2014.04.26 | ||
| San Marino | Diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports | 1985.07.22 | |
| Serbia | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Serbia | 1980.01.09 | *1 |
| Ordinary passport | 2017.01.15 | ||
| Seychelles | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs and ordinary passports | 2013.06.26 | |
| Tajikistan | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China; diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Tajikistan | 1993.06.01 | |
| Tonga | Diplomatic,service passports and passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,official passports of Tonga | 2012.11.10 | |
| Ordinary passports | 2016.08.19 | ||
| Turkmenistan | Diplomatic,service passports,passports for public affairs of China;diplomatic,service passports and ordinary passports marked with “For Public Affairs” of Turkmenistan;ordinary passports/international travel documents (when traveling in tour groups organized by authorized travel agencies of both countries) | 1993.02.01 | |
| United Arab Emirates | Diplomatic passports | 2012.03.21 | |
| Service passports,passports for public affairs | 2016.01.11 | ||
| Ordinary passports | 2018.01.16 |
Note:
*1. The agreement signed between China and the former Yugoslavia is applicable.
*2. The agreement signed between China and the former Czechoslovakia is applicable.
*3. <AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THE SHORT-STAY VISA WAIVER FOR HOLDERS OF DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS> is applicable.
Exemption of visa requirements does not mean permission to stay and reside in the other contracting country for an indefinite period of time. According to the agreements, holders of valid specified passports are permitted to stay for less than 30 days upon entry into the other contracting country. If a passport holder intends to stay for over 30 days, he or she should go through residence formalities with the local authorities according to relevant regulations as soon as possible.
Please read the following information carefully:
- InterPore recommends that you consult the website of Embassy of China in your country for the updated Chinese Visa requirements as soon as possible to be informed about the visa application process for your country. A visa application process can be lengthy and it is strongly recommended that you start a few months prior to the conference if possible.
- Make an appointment with your local Embassy or Consulate of China to arrange for submitting your visa application.
- If needed, a visa letter from InterPore can be downloaded here. Please complete the fields and return to secretary@interpore.org for a signature.
All information found on this page is provided for guidelines only. InterPore is not responsible for any inaccuracies. Please consult the Chinese embassy or consulate in your country for specific directions and obligations for travel to China.
