In its updated travel advisory dated 21 September 2026, the German Federal Foreign Office reiterated that German citizens may enter the People’s Republic of China visa-free for stays of up to 30 days until 31 December 2026. The reminder follows Beijing’s decision earlier this month to extend its unilateral waiver for 32 European countries, including Germany. The advisory stresses that travellers staying in private accommodation—common for business visitors inspecting factories in second-tier cities—must register with the local Public Security Bureau within 24 hours of arrival. Failure to do so has recently led to fines of RMB 2,000 and exit delays. Those staying in hotels are registered automatically. The Foreign Office also highlights the possibility of exit bans on foreigners involved in civil disputes and notes continued tight security checks in Xinjiang and other sensitive regions. Companies sending staff to client sites should therefore double-check contract terms to avoid litigation risks that could trigger exit controls. For German businesses, the visa-free window lowers administrative hurdles for short sales trips and after-sales maintenance visits. However, mobility teams must still collect passport scans and travel itineraries to satisfy corporate duty-of-care obligations and to support mandatory travel insurance policies covering high-risk regions. Looking ahead, practitioners should watch whether China converts the waiver into a reciprocal arrangement or reverts to visas in 2027. Any rollback could coincide with the full launch of the EU’s ETIAS system, meaning travellers might face new pre-travel authorisations on both sides.
Source: Federal Foreign Office
