People from countries with diplomatic relations with China can visit the southern island province of Hainan visa-free for 144 hours via tour groups registered in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, said the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday.

China has applied unilateral visa-free policy to a number of countries to facilitate international personnel exchanges. These countries include New Zealand, Australia, Poland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Malaysia, Brunei, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. 

Under the 144-hour visa-free transit policy in Guangdong, foreigners from 54 countries holding valid international travel documents (valid for at least three months) as well as connecting tickets with confirmed dates and seats for the third countries (regions) within 144 hours (including airline tickets, ship tickets, train tickets, and bus tickets to Hong Kong and Macao) can choose to enter through any of the following ports (Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, Jieyang Chaoshan Airport, Nansha Port and Shekou Port), and exit through any of the 36 exit-entry ports providing passenger transport services within the province.

Foreign tourist groups, comprising two or more individuals, arriving by cruise ship and organized and received by China's domestic travel agencies can enter China visa-free through any coastal cruise port and stay for up to 15 days.

The tourist groups must travel together on the same cruise ship to the next port when the cruise leaves China. The activity area is limited to the coastal provinces, municipalities, and Beijing.

The visa-free entry ports include 13 national cruise ports located in Tianjin, Dalian in Liaoning province, Shanghai, Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, Wenzhou and Zhoushan in Zhejiang province, Xiamen in Fujian province, Qingdao in Shandong province, Guangzhou and Shenzhen in Guangdong province, Beihai in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Haikou and Sanya in Hainan province.

The southern Chinese city of Guilin, a top tourist destination known for its picturesque landscape, offers 144 hour visa-free entry to group tourists (two people or above) from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) .

Foreign citizens of countries that have diplomatic relations with China and hold ordinary passports can enter 10 cities in Guangdong Province from Hong Kong and Macao without a visa and stay for 144 hours, according to the Exit and Entry Administration of Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department.

The 10 cities include Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Zhaoqing, Dongguan, Huizhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Shantou.

These foreigners must have signed up for a tour group organized by a travel agency legally registered in Hong Kong and Macao, and the tour group must include two or more people.

Entry and exit ports should be within the 10 cities mentioned above. Foreigners are allowed to stay for 144 hours (6 days) and are required to enter or leave the port in tour groups.

Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports, who have urgent needs to enter China but do not have enough time to apply for visas at Chinese embassies or consulates abroad, can apply for port visas for entry. Foreign nationals applying for port visas can submit applications in advance to the port visa authorities by themselves or through inviting parties, or apply on site upon arrival at ports in China.

To facilitate the applications, it is recommended that foreign nationals submit their applications in advance to the port visa authorities in the intended destinations, obtain preliminary approval from the port visa authorities, and then go to the corresponding ports for applying for visas. For foreign tourist groups applying for port visas, the Chinese travel agencies responsible for the reception should apply for them in advance at the port visa authorities.

As of now, port visa services have been provided at 99 ports in 72 cities nationwide with a large number of international flights and a high volume of foreign nationals entering China.