Foreign arrivals in China continue to surge in H1 via visa-free expansion

BEIJING -- Foreign nationals made 38.05 million cross-border trips to and from China in the first half (H1) of 2025, up 30.2 percent year on year, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on Wednesday.

Visa-free entries continued to rise sharply, with 13.64 million foreigners entering China without a visa in the first six months of the year. This category accounted for 71.2 percent of total foreign entries and represented a 53.9-percent year-on-year increase.

Overall, immigration authorities across China had processed 333 million inbound and outbound trips from January to June, marking a 15.8-percent rise year on year, the NIA said at a press conference.

This figure included 159 million trips by mainland residents and 136 million made by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan -- up 15.9 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively.

The NIA noted that immigration authorities across the country are steadily advancing openness and improving service efficiency.

As part of ongoing policy changes, China recently added Indonesia to its 240-hour visa-free transit policy, bringing the total number of eligible countries to 55. This policy allows travelers from these countries to transit through China without a visa for up to 240 hours.

A new regional visa-free policy has also been introduced, allowing tourist groups from ASEAN countries to enter Xishuangbanna in Southwest China's Yunnan province without a visa.

China has further expanded its visa exemption arrangements, signing new mutual agreements with Uzbekistan, Malaysia and Azerbaijan, and extending unilateral visa-free entry to nine more countries -- Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.