Starting from Jan 1, 2019, Qingdao and other four cities in China will carry out the 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign visitors from 53 countries, National Immigration Administration said on Thursday.

The other four cities are Xiamen of Fujian province, Wuhan of Hubei province, Chengdu of Sichuan province and Kunming of Yunnan province.

With valid international travel documents and tickets to a third country within 144 hours, foreigners can enjoy the visa-free access to China from the five cities and stay for up to 144 hours, according to the administration.

The visa-free period will be increased from the 72 hours in 2013 to 144 hours next year, aiming to provide more convenience for foreigners to enter and leave China for short-term tourism or business visits, it said.

The transit visa-free policy applies to the list of countries:

Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Monaco, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Belarus, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the UAE, Qatar.

View of check-in counters at the Terminal 3 building at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan city, central China's Hubei province, March 16 2017. [Photo/IC]