Shanghai Municipality has introduced China’s first e-visa, marking a significant step in the country’s promotion of electronic visas.
A man named Chung from Singapore, holding an e-visa issued by the Government Affairs of the Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport by plane around 1 p.m. on Friday, as reported by the bureau.
After verification by border inspection authorities, he successfully passed through the border, becoming the first foreigner to enter China using an e-visa.
Chung remarked, “The application and use of the e-visa are very convenient. I no longer have to renew a paper visa.”
The e-visa, or electronic visa, digitizes the traditional paper visa. Visa information is stored digitally and issued to the applicant as an electronic document, eliminating the need to attach a paper visa to the passport. Applicants can enter the border and stay using their passport and electronic visa.
To enhance the visa system, increase efficiency, and improve service, the National Immigration Administration has decided to pilot the issuance of e-visas in the Lin-gang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Shanghai FTZ).
According to Ye Wei, a visa official at the bureau, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau now issues e-visas for visitor, business, talent, work, and personal affairs.
An e-visa is valid for a single entry, with an entry validity of 15 days and a stay period not exceeding 30 days. E-visa holders can enter China through any of Shanghai’s open ports and exit via any open port in the country.
