Beijing’s border check points have passed another milestone only four months into the year. According to the Beijing General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection, total exits and entries at the capital’s airports, rail and road crossings exceeded 7 million at 08:00 on 26 April—-13 percent higher than the same period last year. Of these, more than 2.28 million were foreign nationals, a 34 percent jump year-on-year. Border officials say the growth is being driven by China’s rapidly expanding unilateral visa-free programme (now covering 50 countries) and its 240-hour transit-without-visa (TWOV) policy for 55 countries. In response, Beijing Capital International Airport and Daxing International Airport have unveiled a “one-stop” counter that lets eligible passengers obtain a temporary entry permit, complete border inspection and receive multi-lingual guidance on the digital arrival card in a single queue. The desk operates 24 hours and is staffed by English, Japanese, Korean and French-speaking officers.
![Beijing Cross-Border Traffic Tops 7 Million as One-Stop 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Desk Debuts]()
Companies looking for extra assurance before departure can simplify the process through VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), which provides up-to-date entry rules, eligibility checks for the visa-free and TWOV programs, and concierge assistance for any travellers who still require a traditional visa—helping mobility teams stay compliant while capitalising on the new flexibility.
The capital is also trialling real-time passenger-flow analytics that match staffing to live queue lengths. Additional e-channels and mobile passport readers have been deployed at Terminal 3, while airlines have been asked to stagger check-in cut-off times to flatten peaks. Travellers using the 240-hour TWOV are now given a QR code that links to a city-services mini-app with hotel registration, police reporting and tourist information. For global mobility managers the message is clear: visa-free and transit-without-visa entry is becoming a mainstream option for short-term business travel to China. Companies should, however, remind staff that TWOV entrants cannot convert their status in-country and must still register their address with police within 24 hours. The ability to complete all procedures at a single desk should shorten air-side connection times, but early arrival—-especially during upcoming Labour-Day peaks—-is still recommended. Beijing’s experience will act as a blueprint for other major Chinese gateways; Shanghai Pudong is scheduled to open its own integrated desk before the summer holidays, and Guangzhou Baiyun is testing the model with cruise passengers.
Companies looking for extra assurance before departure can simplify the process through VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/), which provides up-to-date entry rules, eligibility checks for the visa-free and TWOV programs, and concierge assistance for any travellers who still require a traditional visa—helping mobility teams stay compliant while capitalising on the new flexibility.
The capital is also trialling real-time passenger-flow analytics that match staffing to live queue lengths. Additional e-channels and mobile passport readers have been deployed at Terminal 3, while airlines have been asked to stagger check-in cut-off times to flatten peaks. Travellers using the 240-hour TWOV are now given a QR code that links to a city-services mini-app with hotel registration, police reporting and tourist information. For global mobility managers the message is clear: visa-free and transit-without-visa entry is becoming a mainstream option for short-term business travel to China. Companies should, however, remind staff that TWOV entrants cannot convert their status in-country and must still register their address with police within 24 hours. The ability to complete all procedures at a single desk should shorten air-side connection times, but early arrival—-especially during upcoming Labour-Day peaks—-is still recommended. Beijing’s experience will act as a blueprint for other major Chinese gateways; Shanghai Pudong is scheduled to open its own integrated desk before the summer holidays, and Guangzhou Baiyun is testing the model with cruise passengers.
