BEIJING, Dec. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Shanghai will allow transit passengers from 45 countries to stay in the city for up to 72 hours without a visa, following a similar announcement by Beijing.

Shanghai’s municipal authorities said the transit policy was recently approved by the State Council. The city has already been offering certain passport-holders a 48-hour visa-free transit stay. The new measure will go into effect on January 1st, 2013. Transiting passengers can enter Shanghai through the city’s two airports, Hongqiao and Pudong.

The countries on the exemption list include the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and a number of European countries.

(Source: cntv.com)