China worldwide, including Bangladesh reduces 75pc of visa fees

Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide, including in Bangladesh, decreased visa fees to 75 percent of the current rates, effective from December 11, 2023, to December 31, 2024.

A statement in this regard was published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official social media account on Friday.

Local Chinese diplomatic and consular missions are available for more information, the statement said, noting that after the downgrade of Covid-19 to a Class B infectious disease on January 8 this year, the Chinese government has kept optimising visa and entry policies to promote people-to-people exchange.

The Chinese embassy in Thailand released a notice on the adjustments to Chinese visa application fees on Friday.

According to the notice, from December 11, 2023 through December 31, 2024, the Chinese embassy and consulates in Thailand would reduce the application fee for visas to China. For applications submitted before December 11 this year, fees would be charged as standard.

The Chinese embassy in Malaysia also issued a similar notice on the reduction of visa fees today, with a revised visa fee schedule attached.

For visa applications submitted before 11th December 2023, the Embassy would charge according to the original standard.

Besides, the Chinese embassy in Bangladesh issued a notice today, announcing a new standard for Chinese visa fees from December 11, 2023, to December 31, 2024, aimed at enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

On December 7, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is also the finance minister, made the announcement of a 30-day visa-free policy between China and Singapore during the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation in Tianjin.

Last month, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that to further facilitate personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries, China had decided to expand the scope of its unilateral visa-free nations on a trial basis to France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia.

From December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024, average passport holders from those countries who come to China for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, or transit for no more than 15 days, can enter China without a visa.