China drops visa requirement for Canadian tourists

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with President of China Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — China is dropping its visa requirement for Canadian tourists and business visitors, a move that has boosted the spirits of Vancouver travel agents following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to put relations with Beijing on a better footing.

China’s Foreign Ministry says Canadians will no longer be required to get visas for 30-days stays, starting Tuesday until at least the end of this year.

A month ago, during his visit to Beijing, Carney said Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to visa-free access for Canadians, which China never confirmed.

For most Canadian tourists, entering mainland China currently requires a lengthy application process and roughly $140 in fees. Canadians can already enter the Chinese regions of Hong Kong, Macau and Hainan province without a visa.

Glynnis Chan, president of Vancouver-based Happy Times Travel and Tour Ltd., said many of her Canadian clients are cheering the news.

Chan said some have roots in China, and it’s not convenient for them to visit relatives because of the “long and troublesome” visa application process.

“I have been running a travel agency for so long, some of my roles include helping Canadian clients to apply for Canadian tourist visas. This work gave me a headache since the whole process is extremely complicated,” said Chan.

She said applicants are required to provide additional information, such as plane tickets, their family information, destination and booked hotels in China.

But Chan said she is relieved the process will be much easier now, and Canadians can travel whenever flight tickets are available, skipping the application process, which usually takes several days.

Margaret Liu, owner of Vancouver-based Formosa Travel Ltd., also welcomed the move.

But Liu, who has more than 30 years of experience in the B.C. tourism industry, said she also doesn’t expect to see a surge of Canadian tourists heading to China immediately.

Liu said the high travel expenses in China could limit the demand.

“I feel many Canadians might only visit China twice in their lifetime at most, since the flight tickets, accommodations, and travel fees could be pricey altogether,” said Liu.

But she said the new policy could help China’s local economy, which has been slowing down following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Liu said she hopes the new policy will also encourage China to open more direct flights to Vancouver and Toronto.

“I hope it can bring more waves of Chinese tourists to Canada.”

China has dropped visa requirements for other western nations in recent years as it tries to boost tourism following the pandemic. Yet Beijing maintained a visa for Canadians and restricted how many Chinese tourism groups could visit Canada during a years-long diplomatic spat.

In August 2023, China lifted a pandemic ban on group tours to numerous countries but kept its tourists effectively barred from group visits to Canada. It lifted those restrictions last November.

The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa said at the time this measure was in response to a spike in anti-Asian discrimination and the federal government having “hyped up” the issue of foreign interference. China lowered its visa fee for Canadians in 2024.

Carney visited Beijing last month -- the first visit by a Canadian prime minister to China in eight years -- pursuing what he called a “recalibrated” relationship. The move brought relief to trade irritants but raised concerns from human rights activists, particularly after the conviction of pro-democracy Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai.

Flights between both countries have increased very gradually since the pandemic. The delay in ramping up flights was caused in part by Canada’s demand that arriving flights not cross Russian territory -- so that foreign airlines would not gain an advantage over Canadian airlines forbidden from Russian overflights due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a memorandum signed last month during Carney’s visit to Beijing, the two sides agreed to have their national tourism boards collaborate on promotional campaigns focused on nature in both countries, in sister cities and at events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

By Dylan Robertson and Nono Shen

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2026.