China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) will switch its arrival-card system to fully digital platforms on 20 November, allowing most foreign travellers to complete the health and arrival declaration before they board the aircraft. Forms can be submitted on the NIA website, the Government Service Platform, the “NIA 12367” app, and newly released WeChat/Alipay mini-programs. Paper cards and on-site tablet kiosks will remain as a fallback, but airlines have been told to start directing passengers to the QR code that links to the mobile form.
The change is part of a wider package of ten exit-entry facilitation measures the NIA unveiled this month. For business travellers the headline item is an expanded 24-hour visa-free air-side transit, now available at ten additional airports including Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan and Kunming. Travellers who remain in the international zone can connect without passing border inspection. At the same time, Guangdong’s 240-hour visa-free transit scheme has been widened to five new ports such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, giving eligible foreigners up to 10 days to move around the Greater Bay Area without a visa.
![China to Roll Out Online Entry Forms and Expand Visa-Free Transit Options from 20 November]()
The digital arrival card removes one of the last “analogue” steps international visitors still faced at Chinese airports and seaports. Corporate mobility managers say the ability to pre-file information will shave 5-10 minutes off each arrival, reduce data-entry errors and allow them to track employee movements centrally through API integration. Carriers that rely on tight connection windows—particularly the “Silk Road” hubs of Xi’an, Ürümqi and Chengdu—expect fewer missed connections once the paper queue disappears.
Multinational employers should review their traveller communication: passengers who cannot present a generated QR code may be asked to step aside at e-gates, causing delays for entire groups. Travel management companies are advising clients to add the NIA mini-program links to their trip-approval workflows and to remind transferees that seven traveller categories (e.g., permanent-residence-permit holders and 24-hour air-transit passengers) remain exempt from any form requirement.
Longer-term, the NIA has hinted that the online platform will become the backbone for future e-visa renewals and real-time exit-entry analytics. Combined with the extended unilateral visa-free policy that now runs until 31 December 2026 for 45 countries—and will add Sweden on 10 November—the digital card is a clear signal that Beijing wants to make inbound mobility as frictionless as possible while still retaining granular data visibility.
The change is part of a wider package of ten exit-entry facilitation measures the NIA unveiled this month. For business travellers the headline item is an expanded 24-hour visa-free air-side transit, now available at ten additional airports including Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan and Kunming. Travellers who remain in the international zone can connect without passing border inspection. At the same time, Guangdong’s 240-hour visa-free transit scheme has been widened to five new ports such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, giving eligible foreigners up to 10 days to move around the Greater Bay Area without a visa.
The digital arrival card removes one of the last “analogue” steps international visitors still faced at Chinese airports and seaports. Corporate mobility managers say the ability to pre-file information will shave 5-10 minutes off each arrival, reduce data-entry errors and allow them to track employee movements centrally through API integration. Carriers that rely on tight connection windows—particularly the “Silk Road” hubs of Xi’an, Ürümqi and Chengdu—expect fewer missed connections once the paper queue disappears.
Multinational employers should review their traveller communication: passengers who cannot present a generated QR code may be asked to step aside at e-gates, causing delays for entire groups. Travel management companies are advising clients to add the NIA mini-program links to their trip-approval workflows and to remind transferees that seven traveller categories (e.g., permanent-residence-permit holders and 24-hour air-transit passengers) remain exempt from any form requirement.
Longer-term, the NIA has hinted that the online platform will become the backbone for future e-visa renewals and real-time exit-entry analytics. Combined with the extended unilateral visa-free policy that now runs until 31 December 2026 for 45 countries—and will add Sweden on 10 November—the digital card is a clear signal that Beijing wants to make inbound mobility as frictionless as possible while still retaining granular data visibility.
