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What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

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Country All countriesAQAntarcticaAUAustraliaBRBrazilCACanadaCNChina (Mainland)EGEgyptFRFranceDEGermanyHKHong KongIEIrelandITItalyJPJapanMXMexicoMAMoroccoNLNetherlandsNZNew ZealandPTPortugalSGSingaporeZASouth AfricaKRSouth KoreaESSpainAEUnited Arab EmiratesGBUnited KingdomUSUnited States
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In force 3 Jul 2025
In force Residency

ATCM 47 held in Milan, Italy (June–July 2025)

The 47th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Milan, Italy from 23 June to 3 July 2025. Continued development of the Antarctic tourism management framework (begun formally in 2022), adoption of several measures on site-specific guidelines and station-management, and admission of new observers to the ATCM process.

Who it affects: All ATS participants; continued tourism-framework discussions.

Antarctic Treaty System Secretariat ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 30 May 2024
In force Residency

ATCM 46 held in Kochi, India (May 2024)

The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Kochi, India from 20–30 May 2024 — India's first time hosting after becoming a Consultative Party. Delegates from 56 nations and 10 observer organisations attended. Key topics: tourism framework development (no consensus reached), environmental protection enhancements, and seven new Historic Sites and Monuments.

Who it affects: All ATS participants; particularly relevant for tourism-management framework development.

Antarctic Treaty System Secretariat ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 7 Feb 2024
In force Residency

China opens Qinling Station — fifth Chinese Antarctic base

China's fifth Antarctic station, Qinling, opened on Inexpressible Island in the Ross Sea on 7 February 2024. Designed to accommodate 80 expeditioners in summer, 30 in winter. Materially expands the Chinese Antarctic programme's geographical reach. Part of the broader expansion of Antarctic research capacity by rising-powers' national programmes.

Who it affects: Research and support staff of the Chinese Antarctic programme (CHINARE); broader geopolitical context of Antarctic research.

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

Announced 1 Jun 2022
Announced Residency

Antarctic Tourism Framework — multi-year negotiation ongoing

ATCPs launched a multi-year process to develop a comprehensive framework for regulating Antarctic tourism in 2022, following post-pandemic visitor-volume recovery. Progress has been slow — ATCM-46 (2024) revealed major hurdles on consensus around visitor caps, site-specific rules, and operator-accreditation frameworks. ATCM-47 (2025) continued discussions without binding outcomes. IAATO continues to provide data and operational input as an observer.

Who it affects: IAATO-member tour operators; future independent expedition planning.

Antarctic Treaty System Secretariat ↗ · International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators ↗ · verified 2026-04-19