China has announced that starting next month, nationals from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain will be exempt from the need for entry visas, thus extending visa-free access to all states within the Gulf Cooperation Council. This follows a similar initiative that was introduced for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar back in 2018.
The new visa-free policy is set to be effective from June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026, and will be trialed for passport holders from these four Gulf nations. This policy permits them to remain in China for up to 30 days for various purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, exchanges, and transit, as stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a daily press briefing.
Read more | Visa-free travel to the UAE: A comprehensive overview
Mutual visa exemptions in GCC
When asked about the decision made during a recent three-way summit involving the GCC, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China in Malaysia, Mao indicated that the initiative aims to facilitate increased cross-border travel. She noted that “other GCC member states — the UAE and Qatar — also enjoy comprehensive mutual visa exemption with China starting from 2018. China has granted visa-free status to all GCC countries.”
Mao further expressed a welcoming sentiment, stating, “We welcome more friends from GCC countries to visit China anytime.”
It remains uncertain whether the four countries will implement a reciprocal system for Chinese passport holders. Currently, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain still require entry visas for Chinese nationals, with duration limits varying by country: stays of up to 90 days in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and up to 30 days in Oman and Bahrain. However, it is worth mentioning that Bahrain permits holders of China’s diplomatic or state passports to remain in the country without a visa for a period of 90 days.
In 2018, China established two distinct visa exemption agreements with the UAE and Qatar, which allow nationals from these countries to enter without a visa and stay for up to 30 days.
