Beijing, China – China has confirmed that passport holders from the United Kingdom and Canada will be allowed to travel to mainland China without a visa for up to 30 days starting from 17 February. The visa-free arrangement will cover tourism, business trips, and visits to family and friends, and is set to remain in place initially until 31 December.
China’s foreign ministry said the decision is aimed at strengthening people-to-people exchanges. The announcement follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official visit to China last month, where he met President Xi Jinping and agreed on easing travel rules between the two countries.
Starmer described the agreement as a boost for British businesses seeking to expand operations in China. However, critics have argued that efforts to reset ties with Beijing risk overlooking concerns related to human rights and national security. The new policy aligns UK and Canadian travellers with citizens of around 50 other countries — including France, Germany, Italy, Australia and Japan — who already benefit from similar visa-free access.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics, about 620,000 British nationals travelled to China in 2024, suggesting that hundreds of thousands could benefit from the relaxed entry requirements. The visit by Starmer — the first by a British prime minister since Theresa May in 2018 — also included discussions on expanding cooperation in services, healthcare, green technology and finance, though no comprehensive free trade deal was announced.
