After consulting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the General Administration of Customs, the National Immigration Administration, following the approval by the State Council, has decided to implement a visa-free entry policy for foreign tourist groups traveling to China's coastal provinces by cruise ships. The announcement is detailed below:

Effective immediately, any foreign tourist group consisting of two individuals or more arriving on a cruise ship for a trip organized and handled by a Chinese travel agency may enter as a whole into China without visas at one of the cruise ports located in the 13 following cities from May 15, 2024: Tianjin, Dalian (Liaoning Province), Shanghai, Lianyungang (Jiangsu Province), Wenzhou and Zhoushan (Zhejiang Province), Xiamen (Fujian Province), Qingdao (Shandong Province), Guangzhou and Shenzhen (Guangdong Province), Beihai (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), and Haikou and Sanya (Hainan Province). All foreign tourist groups under this circumstance are obliged to continue their journey to the next scheduled port and depart from China by the same cruise ship as scheduled. Visitors may remain in China for a maximum of 15 days. In addition, foreign tourist groups are permitted to travel within the coastal provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and Beijing.

To promote cruise tourism, China has expanded the coverage of its visa-free transit policy to include seven new cruise ports located in Dalian, Lianyungang, Wenzhou, Zhoushan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beihai, streamlining the transit process for eligible foreign passengers by cruise ships.