Visa-Free for Canada and the UK by China, But Nepali Citizens Still Stuck in the Same Cumbersome Process

Kathmandu, Fagun 4: China has revised its visa policy, deciding to grant visa-free access to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom. According to a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this policy will come into effect from February 17, 2026, and will remain in place until December 31, 2026. Under this, citizens of Canada and the UK will be able to enter China without a visa for up to 30 days for purposes such as business, tourism, family visits, and transit.

However, this very policy has raised a complex question in the context of Nepali citizens. Why has China not granted visa-free facility to Nepali citizens? This is despite Nepal providing Chinese citizens with on-arrival visa facilities upon arrival at the international airport. According to data from the Nepal Department of Immigration, Chinese citizens holding diplomatic and official passports receive a 30-day visa exemption in Nepal, while ordinary passport holders can obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport.

But when Nepali citizens travel to China, they are compelled to go through a cumbersome process. Currently, to travel to China, Nepali citizens must mandatorily book a visa appointment through an agency or by themselves, after which only they can submit a visa application. Obtaining a visa typically takes about a week, and various fees have to be paid for this. According to the Chinese Embassy, while visa fees have been waived, service fees still have to be paid.

China has already granted visa-free facilities to citizens of more than 40 countries worldwide, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. The recent addition of Canada and the UK has further expanded this list.

But Nepal is not on this list. Nepali tourism entrepreneurs and travelers have commented that this is not in line with the expectations of bilateral relations. Stakeholders say that Nepali tourists and businesspeople are not encouraged to visit China due to Nepal not being on China’s visa-free list. The Government of Nepal has also been raising this issue in bilateral talks, but no concrete achievement has been made so far.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal has stated that it has taken various steps to further simplify the visa process. The embassy has waived visa fees and has also launched an online application system. However, the unavailability of visa-free facilities so far has raised questions about the true picture of Nepal-China relations.

According to analysts, China determines its visa policy based on its national security strategy and diplomatic priorities. Granting visa-free facilities to countries like Canada and the UK indicates China’s desire to improve relations with Western nations. However, not providing this facility to a neighboring friendly nation like Nepal raises questions about the practical aspects of the bilateral relationship itself.

The difficulties and costly process that Nepali citizens have to face in obtaining visas have also impacted the number of Nepali tourists traveling to China. While it is easy for Chinese tourists to come to Nepal, the difficulties for Nepali tourists to go to China have created an imbalance in the promotion of bilateral tourism.

In the coming days, it is expected that the Government of Nepal will raise this issue through diplomatic initiatives and pressure China to facilitate visas for Nepali citizens as well. But as China’s recent policy shows, even when expanding visa facilities, China tends to keep its national interests and diplomatic priorities at the center, as a result of which Nepal is still waiting.