China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) reported on 29 January that it handled 697 million inbound and outbound movements in 2025, a 14.2 % jump over 2024 and the highest tally on record. Of these, foreign nationals made 82 million trips—26 % more year-on-year—with 30 million entering visa-free, up 49.5 %.(en.people.cn)
The surge follows a cascade of mobility reforms rolled out last year: China expanded unilateral visa-free access to 48 countries, extended its 240-hour transit-visa scheme to 65 ports and piloted online passport renewals in 50 mainland cities. Indonesia also joined the 240-hour program, and five additional Guangdong land- and sea-ports were authorised for transit entries.
Travellers and corporate mobility teams eager to take advantage of these streamlined rules can save time by using VisaHQ’s self-service portal, which tracks real-time policy changes and provides end-to-end assistance for Chinese visas, residence permits and transit authorisations. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/china/
![China Processed Record 697 Million Border Crossings in 2025, Visa-Free Entries Up 50 %]()
Mainland residents logged 335 million crossings (-15 %) while travellers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made 280 million crossings (-10 %), signalling that domestic pent-up demand and cross-border family visits are recovering almost to pre-pandemic levels.
For corporations, the numbers translate into faster onboarding of expatriates and more predictable supply-chain movement. HR departments should expect shorter processing times at major airports but remain alert to congestion at secondary ports during the Spring Festival peak.
Looking ahead, officials said the NIA will “continue to optimise immigration policies” in 2026, hinting at further mutual visa-exemption treaties and an expansion of the electronic travel authorisation pilot now being tested in Hainan.
The surge follows a cascade of mobility reforms rolled out last year: China expanded unilateral visa-free access to 48 countries, extended its 240-hour transit-visa scheme to 65 ports and piloted online passport renewals in 50 mainland cities. Indonesia also joined the 240-hour program, and five additional Guangdong land- and sea-ports were authorised for transit entries.
Travellers and corporate mobility teams eager to take advantage of these streamlined rules can save time by using VisaHQ’s self-service portal, which tracks real-time policy changes and provides end-to-end assistance for Chinese visas, residence permits and transit authorisations. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/china/
Mainland residents logged 335 million crossings (-15 %) while travellers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made 280 million crossings (-10 %), signalling that domestic pent-up demand and cross-border family visits are recovering almost to pre-pandemic levels.
For corporations, the numbers translate into faster onboarding of expatriates and more predictable supply-chain movement. HR departments should expect shorter processing times at major airports but remain alert to congestion at secondary ports during the Spring Festival peak.
Looking ahead, officials said the NIA will “continue to optimise immigration policies” in 2026, hinting at further mutual visa-exemption treaties and an expansion of the electronic travel authorisation pilot now being tested in Hainan.
