China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the simplification of visa application procedures in a bid to attract more foreign tourists and talents and promote the country’s economic development.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing that the optimisation includes seven main points and 15 sub-points, which are mainly related to the applicant’s education, information about family members, past travel experience and so on.

Notable changes have been made to the visa application form: they include requiring applicants to provide their travel history for the last year rather than the five previous years. In addition, in the section on education, applicants do not have to list all levels – the highest level of education at the time of filling out the form must be indicated.

According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, these changes will significantly reduce the time spent by applicants on filling out visa applications and make the whole process more efficient. The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to promoting interaction between residents of China and other countries, as reported by
Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.

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