Beijing General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection reported that passenger movements through the capital’s air, rail and land ports broke the 20-million mark on 8 December, already surpassing full-year 2024 totals. Foreign nationals accounted for roughly 6 million of those trips and, significantly, 60 % of foreigners – 1.86 million people – entered visa-free under China’s expanding waiver and 240-hour transit-exemption schemes.
Officials attributed the jump to three policy levers introduced over the last quarter: (1) the unilateral extension of 30-day visa-free entry for 45 countries until end-2026; (2) the enlargement of the 240-hour transit programme to 65 ports; and (3) the 20 November roll-out of an online arrival-card system that allows travellers to pre-file details on a mobile app and scan a QR code on arrival. Border sources say the e-card has shaved an average eight minutes off clearance times, easing congestion at both Beijing Daxing and Capital airports.
For multinational employers the data confirm that North China’s gateways are regaining pre-pandemic strength faster than expected. Travel departments may need to bolster meeting-room and hotel allocations during peak trade-fair windows, while airlines have begun lobbying CAAC for additional night-time slots in summer 2026.
![Visa-free arrivals fuel 34 % surge in foreign border crossings at Beijing airports]()
Companies grappling with this new mix of visa waivers and transit allowances can lean on VisaHQ’s dedicated China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) to verify eligibility, pre-check passports and file any required documentation in advance, ensuring travellers take full advantage of the latest entry facilitations without administrative slip-ups.
The numbers are also a barometer of policy stability. Analysts warn that growth could stall if technical glitches in the e-card system persist; Golden Week saw isolated outages that triggered social-media complaints. The National Immigration Administration says a patch will be deployed before the Spring Festival rush.
Practically, firms should ensure travellers download the official “Immigration 12367” app rather than third-party sites – a wave of spoof portals charging fees has already surfaced. HR teams are advised to update China travel policies to record waiver eligibility and retain screenshots of successful arrival-card submissions in case of spot checks.
Officials attributed the jump to three policy levers introduced over the last quarter: (1) the unilateral extension of 30-day visa-free entry for 45 countries until end-2026; (2) the enlargement of the 240-hour transit programme to 65 ports; and (3) the 20 November roll-out of an online arrival-card system that allows travellers to pre-file details on a mobile app and scan a QR code on arrival. Border sources say the e-card has shaved an average eight minutes off clearance times, easing congestion at both Beijing Daxing and Capital airports.
For multinational employers the data confirm that North China’s gateways are regaining pre-pandemic strength faster than expected. Travel departments may need to bolster meeting-room and hotel allocations during peak trade-fair windows, while airlines have begun lobbying CAAC for additional night-time slots in summer 2026.
Companies grappling with this new mix of visa waivers and transit allowances can lean on VisaHQ’s dedicated China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) to verify eligibility, pre-check passports and file any required documentation in advance, ensuring travellers take full advantage of the latest entry facilitations without administrative slip-ups.
The numbers are also a barometer of policy stability. Analysts warn that growth could stall if technical glitches in the e-card system persist; Golden Week saw isolated outages that triggered social-media complaints. The National Immigration Administration says a patch will be deployed before the Spring Festival rush.
Practically, firms should ensure travellers download the official “Immigration 12367” app rather than third-party sites – a wave of spoof portals charging fees has already surfaced. HR teams are advised to update China travel policies to record waiver eligibility and retain screenshots of successful arrival-card submissions in case of spot checks.
