Embassies of China in the United States, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, and Thailand have successively issued notices to relax the pre-travel testing requirements for people going to China.
The biggest change is that travelers from some countries will no longer have to receive any serum antibody test and cancel the lung CT, or people with previous infection history will not be required to receive the X-ray examination. Travelers from some territories are required to receive "double nucleic acid tests" within 48 hours before travel.
The return-to-China policy has now covered many countries. The details are as follows:
U.S.A:
(1) Cancel the nucleic acid test 7 days before boarding.
(2) Cancel the mandatory self-health monitoring and encourage doing it before travel.
(3) All passengers, whether vaccinated with inactivated vaccine, non-inactivated vaccine or not vaccinated, are now required to receive "double nucleic acid tests" within 48 hours before departure, and no IgM antibody test is required. In the "double nucleic acid tests", it is still necessary to cross use different laboratories. One of the tests must be closed within 24 hours before boarding.
(4) Cancel the additional isolation requirements for the ship crew members after landing, who shall be subject to the standards applicable to ordinary travelers to China.
Travelers may get on board by presenting the "blue code + original antigen test report within 12 hours".
Cambodia:
On the afternoon of May 18, the Embassy of China in the Kingdom of Cambodia released the Circular on Issuing the Remote Prevention and Control Requirements for Personnel Flying from Cambodia to China (dated May 18, 2022).
In this Circular, the Embassy will adjust the following rules for the required pre-travel tests applicable to the people going to China:
1) Cancel the nucleic acid test 7 days before boarding.
2) Cancel IgM antibody test.
3) Cancel the CT test and email declaration of previously infected persons.
4) Describe the treatment procedure of UNCERTAIN nucleic acid results before boarding in detail.
Columbia:
In the early morning of May 19, the Embassy of China in the Republic of Colombia issued the Circular on Simplifying the Requirements for Applying for a "Health Code". The Circular states:
1) All travelers from Colombia to China, whether vaccinated or not, shall be tested for "double nucleic acid tests + antigen tests" at the testing agency designated by the Embassy within 2 days before flight departure.
2) Previously infected persons must submit two certificates of negative nucleic acid test to the Embassy 14 days before boarding (the sampling interval between these tests shall be at least 24 hours). Lung image test is no longer required. Self-isolation and health status monitoring shall be carried out for 14 days from the date of passing the preliminary examination.
3) Chinese and foreign passengers flying to China from Colombia must apply for a "Health Code" from the Embassy of China in Colombia in advance.
The United Arab Emirates:
From May 18:
1) Cancel the 21/14d tests before the trip.
2) Cancel the serum LgM antibody test.
3) Cancel the X-ray/CT examination of coronavirus survivors.
4) Change the duration of pre-travel health monitoring to 10 days.
Note: People traveling to China by Etihad Airways still need to be tested for LGM antibody.
Serbia:
From May 17:
1) Cancel the serum LgM antibody test.
2) Cancel the setting of health code application for travelers who have vaccinated for shorter than 14 days.
3) Cancel the X-ray/CT examination of coronavirus survivors.
4) Cancel the nucleic acid test 7 days before the trip.
5) Enable the Blue Health Code.
Denmark:
From May 18, 2022, passengers traveling from Denmark to China who have not been vaccinated or not completely vaccinated shall be tested for "double nucleic acid tests" before boarding, and serum antibody IgM will not be tested. The requirements for specific tests are consistent with those for "double nucleic acid tests" test applicable to the people who have received the coronavirus vaccine completely.
The Netherlands:
Since May 17, all people going to China shall be tested for double nucleic acid tests before boarding, and CT/X-ray tests of coronavirus survivors are cancelled.
Spain:
1. All travelers going to China from Spain shall receive "double nucleic acid tests" and antigen test (whether vaccinated or not or what kind of vaccine is injected): one nucleic acid test shall be conducted at two different designated testing agencies in the local territory 48 hours and 24 hours before flight departure. An antigen test shall be conducted by a designated testing agency 12 hours before the flight takes off.
2. Cancel the first nucleic acid test seven days before flying to China.
3. Cancel the serum IgM antibody (including N-protein) test for travelers whether they are vaccinated or not.
4. Cancel the requirements for CT or X-ray lungs examination of persons with previous infection history (those who have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus disease or not diagnosed with the disease but have positive nucleic acid results).
5. After landing in Spain, the crew of a ship shall be tested in accordance with the requirements applicable to ordinary travelers to China and apply for a health code without a 14-day isolation.
6. Travelers to China are not necessarily required to submit a self-health monitoring form and a declaration of vaccination when applying for a health code.
7. In addition to the above changes, other requirements for applying for a health code remain unchanged.
8. At present, there are no direct flights between China and Spain. The Embassy may issue a health code to the people who travel to China from Spain via a third country, provided that they meet the transit requirements. Those who intend to take a connecting flight to China shall apply for a health code according to the latest testing requirements.
Poland:
1. All travelers flying from Poland to China (including those who have completed vaccination and those who have not completed vaccination) shall carry out two nucleic acid RT-PCR sampling tests at the testing agency designated by the Embassy within 24 hours before boarding (the two nucleic acid tests must be completed at different designated testing agencies), and one antigen sampling test shall be done at the testing agency designated by the Embassy 12 hours before boarding, in order to get the certificate of double nucleic acid negative result and the certificate of negative antigen result.
2. Cancel the mandatory serum specific IgM antibody test for those who have not completed vaccination.
3. Cancel the mandatory lung imaging test for the people with previous infection history.
4. The duration of closed-loop management requirements for enterprise personnel before boarding is changed from 21 days to 10 days.
5. The crew of a ship may not have to be isolated in Spain for 14 days, except the regular tests like ordinary passengers.
Thailand:
From the flight on June 2, 2022 (inclusive), the embassy and consulates of China in Thailand will adjust the pre-travel testing requirements for the people departing from Thailand to China, and cancel the mandatory nucleic acid tests and relevant serum antibody tests on the 14th and 7th days before boarding.
U.K.:
On the morning of May 19, the Embassy of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland issued the Circular on the Latest Provisions on the Application for Health Codes for People Traveling from the UK to China. The Circular points out that from now on, people traveling from the UK to China are exempted from receiving the first test and antibody (including N-protein) test for 7 days, no matter whether they have been vaccinated or not and what kind of vaccine they have been injected. They only need to receive the double nucleic acid tests within 48 hours. In addition, people with a history of infection are exempted from providing X-ray or CT photos for preliminary examination.
At the same time, as a reminder, some embassies have additional requirements for people with a history of infection and close contacts. Please visit the official website of the relevant embassy for details.
In addition to the relaxation in the policy of preventing imported cases at the remote end, Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Guangzhou and Chengdu have begun to tentatively shorten the centralized isolation time of inbound personnel and close contacts from "14 days of centralized isolation + 7 days of health condition monitoring at home" to "10 days of centralized isolation + 7 days of health condition monitoring at home".
