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Introduction
If you have a U.S. visa, expired or not, and you want to travel during your vacation, are you? For Chinese passport holders, visas can be a headache. This article summarizes visa-free tourist destinations that students can enter. If no visa is needed, you can still buy a ticket and go have fun.
First, it is recommended that your Chinese passport remain valid for at least 6 months before returning to the U.S. Many visa-exempt countries may not allow entry for people whose passport is about to expire.
Expired U.S. visa: Returning to the U.S.
Before you go out, think about how you will return to the U.S. For people whose U.S. visa has not expired, this is naturally not a problem. For people whose U.S. visa has already expired, don’t be discouraged. If this is a single trip:
- You only traveled to Canada or Mexico. For F or J visas: only Canada, Mexico, and nearby islands (excluding Cuba) such as Saint Pierre, Miquelon,
Cuba, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bermuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, The Windward and Leeward Islands, Trinidad, Martinique and other British, Dutch, and French islands in the Caribbean, and - The trip is no longer than 30 days.
you can return to the U.S. with an already expired visa under the famous Automatic Visa Revalidation Policy (8 CFR 214.1 (b), 22 CFR 112 (d)). For holders of expired work visas of any type (H1, L1, or O1), unfortunately it is different: only Canada and Mexico are available. If you want to travel and do not want to go back to your home country for a reissue, then renewal can only be done in Canada or Mexico.
Mexico
With a valid, unexpired U.S. visa, you can enter Mexico visa-free and stay for 180 days. If your U.S. visa is expired, do not try to force entry—there are many cases of travelers being denied entry after trying to go to Mexico that way. A famous travel city in Mexico is Cancun, a very U.S.-style coastal resort city with not much of a local Mexican feel, featuring a well-known hotel zone full of lots of resort hotels. It is ideal for escaping the winter cold, though there are also many American visitors. If you want to see more human and cultural landmarks, visit Mexico City.
Caribbean Cruises
Taking a Caribbean cruise is also a relaxed way to travel. Expired F/J visa holders can still return to the U.S., while holders of other expired visas cannot travel. Most Caribbean cruise destinations fall under the “nearby islands” defined by the Revalidation Policy above. F/J holders with expired visas should carefully check their itinerary before buying tickets to ensure it meets Revalidation Policy requirements. All cruise terminals can be entered without a visa (note that this only applies to cruise passengers; arriving by plane to the same country does not always mean visa-free entry).
Caribbean cruises usually depart from Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Orlando in Florida, and those departure cities are tourist destinations too. Major cruise operators include Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, Holland America and Disney.
Caribbean Region (Direct Entry, No Cruise)
For U.S. visa holders, the Dominican Republic (The Dominican Republic) offers a 30-day visa-free benefit, while Bermuda offers 180 days visa-free. There are also Dutch territories, such as Sint Maarten and similar destinations. In theory, expired F/J visas should not be an issue. At Princess Juliana Airport (SXM) in Sint Maarten, the runway is right next to the beach, and a KLM 747 landing there is very spectacular—an airport-viewer must-visit spot.
Many countries offer visa-free stays for Chinese passports regardless of whether you have a U.S. visa. The Bahamas, Haiti, and Turks and Caicos Islands each offer 90 days visa-free. Jamaica, Cuba, and Antigua and Barbuda offer 30 days, but you cannot travel directly to Cuba from the United States—you must go through Canada or another country. Note: Air China now has flights from Beijing (PEK) to Havana (HAV) via Montreal (YUL), so you can fly to Cuba from Canada.
U.S. Territories and Commonwealth
U.S. overseas territories also have many valuable travel destinations. Well-known places include Puerto Rico and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). CNMI includes the famous tourist destination of Saipan. Of course, there is also the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Guam closer to Japan, and American Samoa, far to the west of Australia. No matter what visa you hold, you can fly directly from the U.S. to most U.S. territories without any extra visa, and return to the U.S. without issues (remember to bring your passport, visa, and supporting documents such as an F1 I-20 or H1 I-797). However, if you connect through another country, or if you step onto another country’s territory for any reason, returning to the U.S. requires a new visa. For those with expired visas, make sure your ticket does not connect through another country, or you will need to re-enter the U.S. again with a valid visa. The good news is that almost all of these places can be reached directly from U.S. territory, and even faraway American Samoa in Oceania can be reached via a connection in Honolulu (HNL) without leaving U.S. territory.Central and South America
Chile, Bolivia, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama all offer visa-free benefits for U.S. visa holders.
Oceania
Most places in Oceania are small island destinations that are suitable for vacations. Chinese passport holders can enter the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, and Palau visa-free. In addition, there is the former U.S.-administered Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), which is also an island country. Interestingly, there is a United Airlines route (formerly Continental) from Honolulu (HNL), stopping at 5 small FSM islands on the way to Guam (GUM), known as the FSM Island Hopper, operated with a 737.[caption id="attachment_2272" align="aligncenter" width="440"]
UA154
Transit + Travel
Many countries and regions offer long visa-free stopover times for transit passengers, and with good planning they can be put to real use for travel.
South Korea
Asiana (OZ) and Korean Air (KE) return tickets are often very cheap, and Asiana tickets can be redeemed with United MileagePlus miles. If you hold a U.S. visa, you can transit through Korea with a visa-free stay of 30 days, whether inbound or outbound. Thirty days is enough to do a lot in Korea—you can shop in Myeongdong, ski in Gangwon Province, take in the scenery on Jeju Island, or even stop by Apgujeong for cosmetic treatment (random detour)—you'd still be fine.
Hong Kong and Macau
If you’ve redeemed a Cathay Pacific award ticket, why not use the opportunity to stop in Hong Kong and Macau? Transit in Hong Kong (with just a Chinese passport, no Hong Kong-Macau Pass needed) gives you 7 days of visa-free stay. While in Hong Kong, you can also take a jet ferry to Macau (if you have enough miles, you can take the 15-minute helicopter service), and you can enter with a Chinese passport as well. Legal routes: Mainland China-Hong Kong-Macau-Hong Kong-U.S., Mainland China-Hong Kong-U.S., U.S.-Hong Kong-Mainland China, U.S.-Hong Kong-Macau-Hong Kong-Mainland China
Singapore
If you plan to transit via Singapore on your way home to China, Singapore launched a program called Visa Free Transit Facilities (VFTF) in 2009. It allows Chinese passport holders to stay for up to 96 hours if all of the following are met:
- Hold a visa for Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States, or the UK that is valid for at least one more month.
- If you are on a return trip to China, you must fly directly from Singapore to China.
- Be able to present your onward ticket (a printed copy is acceptable).
- Have not used VFTF for entry before.
Since Singapore is not very big, four days should be plenty of time for sightseeing. A ride on the giant wheel and a trip to Sentosa are both good choices. Even if you don’t meet these requirements, you may still be able to transit visa-free in Singapore. Also, thanks to "Leifeng" for the reminder: this policy can no longer be found on the ICA (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority) website, but can be found in the IATA visa database. Although the author has successfully entered under VFTF before, there is no guarantee everyone will be approved by ICA. If your departure date is far away, applying for a visa may be the safer option.
Asia
The Philippines allows visa-free entry for holders of a U.S. visa. Thailand is visa-free for Chinese passport holders (this cannot be done departing from China, and customs may deny it).
Others
Of course, there are also some African and Asian countries that offer visa-free perks, but many of them may not be of interest and are not necessarily top travel destinations, so they are not covered here. If needed, you can click here. This article is only intended to summarize the more mainstream travel destinations. Of course, we still strongly recommend that everyone review entry requirements of the relevant country or region before booking a trip—such as passport validity or special visa restrictions—so your plans are not unexpectedly interrupted. Do you have good destination recommendations? Come share them with everyone.