Business travel to China will become markedly smoother after 20 November 2025 thanks to a package of ten facilitation measures released by China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) and confirmed on 8 November. Chief among them is the scrapping of the paper arrival card: most foreign passengers – including Australian nationals – will be able to complete health and immigration declarations online before boarding, using new WeChat and Alipay mini-programs or the ‘NIA 12367’ app. Airlines have been instructed to display QR codes at check-in and gate areas, although tablet kiosks will remain as a back-up.
The reforms also expand China’s 24-hour visa-free airport transit to ten additional gateways such as Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan and Kunming, bringing the total to 44. This is a boon for Australian executives who hub through the mainland on their way to projects in North Asia or Europe, and for freight forwarders routing high-value goods via Chinese cargo mega-hubs. The move complements Beijing’s earlier decision to extend 30-day visa-free entry for Australians until end-2026.
![China streamlines entry: digital arrival card and wider 24-hour visa-free transit from 20 November]()
Travel suppliers have reacted quickly. Flight Centre reports a 12 % week-on-week jump in China-bound bookings since the announcement, and several airlines are evaluating capacity increases for the southern summer schedule. Australian chambers of commerce in Beijing and Shanghai say the digital arrival card will remove a persistent pain point for frequent flyers, cutting airport processing times by an estimated 15–20 minutes.
Companies should update pre-trip briefing material to include the online declaration process and confirm that their travel-management systems capture point-of-sale data required for China’s electronic customs checks. Travellers transiting on a single ticket will continue to bypass immigration entirely, but those with separate tickets or checked luggage must ensure their itinerary falls within the expanded list of eligible airports.
Taken together with the visa-free stay extension, the NIA’s measures signal China’s determination to revive inbound business travel – good news for Australian firms seeking to re-engage suppliers and clients on the ground after several years of pandemic-related friction.
The reforms also expand China’s 24-hour visa-free airport transit to ten additional gateways such as Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan and Kunming, bringing the total to 44. This is a boon for Australian executives who hub through the mainland on their way to projects in North Asia or Europe, and for freight forwarders routing high-value goods via Chinese cargo mega-hubs. The move complements Beijing’s earlier decision to extend 30-day visa-free entry for Australians until end-2026.
Travel suppliers have reacted quickly. Flight Centre reports a 12 % week-on-week jump in China-bound bookings since the announcement, and several airlines are evaluating capacity increases for the southern summer schedule. Australian chambers of commerce in Beijing and Shanghai say the digital arrival card will remove a persistent pain point for frequent flyers, cutting airport processing times by an estimated 15–20 minutes.
Companies should update pre-trip briefing material to include the online declaration process and confirm that their travel-management systems capture point-of-sale data required for China’s electronic customs checks. Travellers transiting on a single ticket will continue to bypass immigration entirely, but those with separate tickets or checked luggage must ensure their itinerary falls within the expanded list of eligible airports.
Taken together with the visa-free stay extension, the NIA’s measures signal China’s determination to revive inbound business travel – good news for Australian firms seeking to re-engage suppliers and clients on the ground after several years of pandemic-related friction.
