From 15 October 2024, Cypriot citizens will be able to visit China without a visa for up to 15 days. This was announced by the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Lin Chan. The visa-free regime applies to tourist trips, business visits, visiting relatives and transit through China to other countries.
Pilot program
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has included Cyprus in the list of countries for which a visa-free regime has been introduced. In addition to Cyprus, this list also includes Greece, Portugal and Slovenia. Lin Chan said the decision was made to "further promote cross-border travel." The program is a pilot and will run from October 15, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
Visa concessions for Chinese citizens
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman also stressed that, in the spirit of cooperation, China calls on these countries to ease the visa regime for Chinese citizens. This will allow developing bilateral relations and strengthening tourism and business ties between states.
Visa-free opportunities for Cypriots
The inclusion of China in the list of countries with which Cyprus has a visa-free regime expands opportunities for Cypriot citizens. China has become the 179th country with which the Republic of Cyprus has a visa-free or simplified visa regime. In 2024, the Cypriot passport was ranked 13th in the world passport rankings, sharing this position with Monaco. Malaysia was higher in the ranking with 182 countries available for visa-free entry.
The text was prepared based on materials from the publications Politis and Henley&Partners
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On July 11, 2024, Parliament ratified an interstate agreement between Cyprus and the United States on the exchange of travel information. This decision was a precondition for the country's inclusion in the visa waiver program. Details in the article “Deputies warned about the risks of visa-free travel with the United States.”
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