On March 31, the South Korean Embassy in China said it began implementing changes the day before to relax the criteria for issuing multiple-entry visas to Chinese nationals and to extend their validity. Under the new policy, Chinese nationals who have previously visited Korea can now obtain multiple-entry visas valid for five years.
For residents of major Chinese cities, the embassy has extended multiple-entry visa validity from five years to ten years.
The affected cities are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Nanjing, Qingdao, Chongqing, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Changsha and Wuhan — 14 cities in total. The embassy says the eased visa rules should boost people-to-people exchanges and help revive tourism and business ties between Korea and China.
Officials say the move aims to stimulate demand among Chinese tourists as travel rebounds after COVID-19.
In particular, longer multiple-entry visas are intended to encourage repeat visits and make travel more convenient for business and frequent travelers.
