China sees first-quarter foreign arrivals surge on visa-free boost
Foreign arrivals to China jumped in the first quarter as Beijing expanded visa-free entry and eased cross-border travel procedures
China saw a strong rise in foreign arrivals in the first quarter of the year, as Beijing’s expanded visa-free policy and a wider push to ease cross-border travel helped bring more overseas visitors back into the country.
Spokesperson for China’s National Immigration Administration said on Friday, April 10, that China recorded 185 million cross-border trips in the first quarter, up 13.5% from a year earlier. The increase, he said, reflected the impact of broader visa-free access and a range of measures introduced to make international travel more convenient. The National Immigration Administration is commonly referred to in English as the NIA.
Of the total, foreign nationals made 21.33 million trips into China, a rise of 22.3% year on year. That growth outpaced the increase in travel by mainland Chinese residents and by travellers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Mainland residents accounted for nearly 91.67 million trips, up 14.2%, while travellers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan made nearly 72.5 million trips, up 10.3%.
Visa-free entry accounted for a significant share of the increase. During the same period, nearly 8.32 million foreign visitors entered China without a visa, up 29.3% from a year earlier.
The Spokesperson said foreign arrivals had continued to rise after China began a pilot scheme in March allowing online temporary residence registration for foreign nationals staying outside hotels. The pilot covers Chongqing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Zhejiang and Sichuan.
China’s immigration authorities have also cut paperwork for entry and exit documents and improved processing efficiency. In the first quarter, authorities issued 406,000 visas and other documents for foreign nationals.
In November 2025, China said it would extend its unilateral visa-exemption arrangements for 45 countries until December 31, 2026. The scheme covers countries including France, Germany and Spain, and allows holders of ordinary passports to enter China for business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit for up to 30 days without a visa.
The increase comes as China continues to widen visa-free access as part of a broader effort to revive inbound tourism, restore activity in the travel sector and encourage greater international engagement after years of strict Covid-19 controls.
