Spain Tourist Visa From Hong Kong

[Brian Bezdicek]

Spainis one of the most popular European countries for a majority of Asian tourists, which include Hong Kongers. However, thanks to a new rule going into effect in [date_etias], Hong Kong citizens traveling to Spain should stay up to date about the ETIAS.

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS for short, was developed by the European Union in order to better secure the EU borders and improve the safety of Europeans and travelers.

The best part about applying for the ETIAS is that the process takes less than 20 minutes and most travelers will get approved for their ETIAS authorization instantly. Likewise, the ETIAS Spain for Hong Kongers gives travelers the chance to stay in the European Union for a maximum of 90 days at a time. The ETIAS is valid for a total of 3 years, and Hong Kong citizens who have an ETIAS are allowed to visit other Schengen countries without having to apply for separate visas or authorizations.

The process to apply for the ETIAS to visit Spain from Hong Kong is very easy and should only take applicants a few minutes to do so. What is even better is it only takes a few minutes to process the ETIAS authorization. However, in some cases it may take up to 3 business days (72 hours) if there is high demand or if it is during the popular tourist season.

The first step towards obtaining an ETIAS for Spain is for travelers to fill out the online application form. The form will ask applicants a few simple questions about their personal details (including their full name, contact details, and date of birth), their travel itinerary, passport information (such as the passport number and date of issue/expiry), as well as security questions (including criminal record and previous travel to Europe). This information will be checked against multiple security databases in Europe, such as Interpol, to make sure that all travelers that enter the Schengen area are deemed safe.

After reaching the end, we recommend going through the application one more time to make sure that all of the information is correct and accurate. This is very important because even one small mistake or typo may cause the entire ETIAS application to be rejected, and the applicant will need to start over again.

Mainland China nationals residing in Mainland China must obtain appropriate entry permits and exit endorsements from the relevant Mainland China authorities prior to traveling to Hong Kong SAR. They can apply through an authorized travel agent in Mainland China if visiting Hong Kong SAR on group tours. Mainland China residents from certain provinces may also directly apply through relevant Mainland China authorities to visit Hong Kong SAR under the Individual Visit Scheme.

Alternatively, Mainland China nationals traveling on Mainland China passports through Hong Kong SAR to and from another country may be granted a stay of seven days without the need to obtain a prior entry visa to Hong Kong SAR or entry permit and exit endorsement from Mainland China, if the usual immigration requirements are met, including possession of a valid entry visa for the destination country and a confirmed onward booking.

Citizens of over 160 countries do not need a tourist visa or business visitor visa if they are visiting Hong Kong SAR for a limited period. Their permitted period of stay depends on their country of citizenship. For example, citizens of the following countries may visit Hong Kong SAR visa-free for the period of stay shown below:

Foreign nationals seeking to enter Hong Kong SAR, other than as tourists or business visitors, should consider applying for one of the following visas based on the eligibility criteria described below (please note that special guidelines apply to Mainland China nationals):

China offers multiple visa-free travel policies to foreigners, enabling people from a wide range of countries to visit China on a short-term basis. In this article, we provide an overview of all of the China visa-free travel policies currently available and explain who is eligible to enjoy them.

UPDATES (June 25, 2024): Chinese President Xi Jinping and Polish President Andrzej Duda met in Beijing on June 24, 2024, to discuss enhancing cooperation between China and Poland. During the meeting President Xi also announced that China will remove the visa requirement for Polish citizens, allowing them to enter the country without a visa for stays of up to 15 days.

UPDATES (June 17, 2024): Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that China will include Australia and New Zealand in the list of unilateral visa-free countries (up to 15 days). Li made the remarks separately during a joint press meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and during talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

UPDATES (March 7, 2024): According to official news, China will expand its unilateral visa-free travel policy to six additional European countries including Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg, during the period from March 14 to November 30, 2024. Ordinary passport holders from the above countries may enter China visa-free for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, and transit for no more than 15 days.

UPDATE (January 25, 2024): China and Singapore have officially agreed to implement a visa-free entry policy for their citizens, allowing stays of up to 30 days. Starting from February 9, individuals holding ordinary passports and traveling for tourism, family visits, or business purposes will benefit from this new agreement. The agreement, signed in Beijing, marks a significant step in creating closer ties between the two nations and facilitating smoother travel for their citizens.

UPDATE (January 8, 2024): China and Thailand have agreed to a permanent visa-free policy starting March 2024, fostering diplomatic relations and stimulating economic activity in their respective tourism sectors. Click here for more information regarding this mutual free-visa agreement between China and Thailand.

UPDATE (December 7, 2023): China and Singapore are seeking to establish a mutual 30-day visa-free travel arrangement to boost people exchanges between the two countries, according to Reuters. At the time of writing, no further details have been released regarding the timeline or the eligibility, requirement, and application procedures of this new arrangement. Click here for more information regarding this mutual 30-day visa-free travel between China and Singapore.

After almost three years, China has finally reopened its borders to international travelers and tourists, and in March 2023, it resumed issuing all types of visas to foreigners. This means China has begun permitting people with valid travel documents that allow visa-free entry back into the country and has once again started issuing its short-stay entry permits that are available on arrival for citizens of certain countries.

China has also signed agreements on mutual visa exemption with over 150 countries, which enables certain citizens to travel to China without a visa. However, for the majority of countries, visa-free arrangements apply only to diplomatic or official passports.

A few countries do enable visa-free travel to China for citizens holding ordinary passports. Citizens from these countries are allowed to travel to China without a visa for up to 30 days for the purposes of tourism, travel, business, and visiting family or friends.

In the past, citizens with a valid ordinary passport from Japan, Brunei, and Singapore have been permitted to travel to China for a period of up to 15 days without applying for a visa for the purposes of tourism, business, visiting relatives and friends, or transiting to a third country. However, this policy was suspended since the end of COVID-19 restrictions in China. On July 26, 2023, the 15-day visa-free travel to China policy was resumed for citizens of Brunei and Singapore, the latter of which has been upgraded to a 30-day visa-free travel since February 2024, as introduced earlier.

Additionally, as of now, the resumption date of this policy for Japanese citizens has not been announced. Consequently, Japanese nationals are required to obtain a tourist, business, or other types of visa for entry into China at present.

China allows eligible travelers from certain countries to enter and stay in certain areas of China for 24, 72, and 144-hour periods without prior application for a visa when transiting to a third country.

Under the 144-hour visa-free transit policy, foreign travelers can apply for a six-day entry permit to certain Chinese cities upon arrival at the port of entry, provided they hold a passport from one of the 54 eligible countries. They also must show that they are traveling to a third country after leaving China, which means they must show a connecting ticket to a third country when arriving in China. This is a great option for people who want to make a short stop-over to explore various areas of the country.

Eligible travelers can only apply for the 144-hour visa-free transit if they enter through one of the 37 designated ports. In addition, travelers are only allowed to travel within a certain area on the entry permit and exit the country through designated ports as well. People who travel outside the permitted area and exit the country through a non-designated port may face certain penalties.

For more information on eligibility requirements, permitted ports of entry and exit, and permitted scope of travel, see our dedicated article: 144-hour Visa-Free Transit Policy for Foreigners.

Travelers from the 54 countries that are eligible for the 144-hour entry permit are also eligible for the 72-hour visa-free policy. However, there are currently only three entry ports in China that offer 72-hour visa-free entry, as the majority of ports that previously offered it now offer the 144-hour permit instead. The ports are Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, Harbin Taiping International Airport, and Changsha Huanghua International Airport.

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