Shanghai’s immigration authority says the city welcomed nearly 700,000 foreign arrivals between 1 January and 23 February 2026, a 20.9 percent increase on the same period last year and the strongest start-of-year performance since the pandemic. Of these, 452,000 travellers—or almost two-thirds—entered under China’s various visa-free schemes, including the broadened 24-hour and 144-hour transit waivers and the 30-day unilateral visa-free access that was expanded to Canadian and UK passport holders on 17 February.
Travelers and corporate mobility teams hoping to leverage these visa-free policies—or to obtain traditional visas for longer assignments—can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which provides step-by-step online applications, document checks and courier support for Chinese visas: https://www.visahq.com/china/
Traffic peaked during the nine-day Spring Festival break, when Shanghai’s two airports and cruise terminals processed 1.16 million cross-border movements. Pudong and Hongqiao airports alone handled 1.09 million passenger trips, while the Wusongkou cruise port logged 66,000. Daily flows hit a record 160,000 on 22 February, beating the previous single-day high set in late 2025.
![Shanghai Reports 20 % Jump in Inbound Arrivals as New Visa-Free Rules Take Hold]()
Officials credit faster e-gates, online arrival-card pre-submission and a round-the-clock multilingual hotline (12367) for reducing average clearance times to below five minutes for most foreign nationals. Business visitors also benefit from dedicated counters that recognise APEC Business Travel Cards and multinational headquarters letters of guarantee.
For companies moving talent into the Yangtze River Delta, the surge offers mixed implications. On the upside, fuller flights and hotel occupancy signal a return of live conferences and supplier audits. However, HR teams should plan for tighter seat availability around trade shows such as Auto Shanghai in April. Mobility advisors also warn that hotel blocks now require earlier deposits, and that the spike in transit-visa usage highlights the need for airtight onward-ticket documentation to avoid denied boarding at origin.
Looking ahead, municipal authorities plan to pilot a 60-day stay for select business delegations later this year, alongside a digital residence permit for expatriates. These initiatives, if approved by the National Immigration Administration, would further cement Shanghai’s status as China’s most accessible entry hub for foreign investors and mobile professionals.
Travelers and corporate mobility teams hoping to leverage these visa-free policies—or to obtain traditional visas for longer assignments—can simplify the process through VisaHQ, which provides step-by-step online applications, document checks and courier support for Chinese visas: https://www.visahq.com/china/
Traffic peaked during the nine-day Spring Festival break, when Shanghai’s two airports and cruise terminals processed 1.16 million cross-border movements. Pudong and Hongqiao airports alone handled 1.09 million passenger trips, while the Wusongkou cruise port logged 66,000. Daily flows hit a record 160,000 on 22 February, beating the previous single-day high set in late 2025.
Officials credit faster e-gates, online arrival-card pre-submission and a round-the-clock multilingual hotline (12367) for reducing average clearance times to below five minutes for most foreign nationals. Business visitors also benefit from dedicated counters that recognise APEC Business Travel Cards and multinational headquarters letters of guarantee.
For companies moving talent into the Yangtze River Delta, the surge offers mixed implications. On the upside, fuller flights and hotel occupancy signal a return of live conferences and supplier audits. However, HR teams should plan for tighter seat availability around trade shows such as Auto Shanghai in April. Mobility advisors also warn that hotel blocks now require earlier deposits, and that the spike in transit-visa usage highlights the need for airtight onward-ticket documentation to avoid denied boarding at origin.
Looking ahead, municipal authorities plan to pilot a 60-day stay for select business delegations later this year, alongside a digital residence permit for expatriates. These initiatives, if approved by the National Immigration Administration, would further cement Shanghai’s status as China’s most accessible entry hub for foreign investors and mobile professionals.
