BANGKOK: China will introduce stricter controls on people entering and leaving the country from September 15, 2026, under new State Council regulations covering travel applications, entry and exit restrictions and immigration-related intermediary services.
The 19-article State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration were approved at a State Council executive meeting on June 29 and signed by Premier Li Qiang under State Council Decree No 841 on July 22. The regulations were published on July 31.
Under the rules, the stated purpose of an application to enter or leave China, or to stay or reside in the country, must be truthful and lawful.
Immigration and visa authorities may question applicants and require them to present or provide documents, materials and electronic data while their identity and stated purpose are being checked. False documents or statements may result in the refusal of travel documents or permission to enter or leave China.
Exit restrictions for Chinese citizens
Chinese authorities will strengthen warnings for citizens planning to visit countries or areas facing serious risks from armed conflict, crime, natural disasters, major accidents or infectious-disease outbreaks.
Immigration authorities may advise citizens to exercise caution and, when necessary, discourage them from travelling to destinations under the highest risk classification or places experiencing a surge in incidents that seriously threaten personal safety. The regulations do not state that a risk warning alone automatically results in an exit ban.
Chinese citizens who have received administrative detention for fraudulently obtaining entry or exit documents, or for entering or leaving a country illegally, may be barred from leaving China for between six months and three years after completing their punishment.
Those who undertake illegal or criminal activities overseas that harm China’s national security or interests may face the same restriction for six months to three years after returning to the country.
Authorities may also prevent Chinese citizens from leaving if they have violated export-control or technology import-export rules in ways that could endanger national industrial or technological security.
Foreign nationals face entry bans of up to five years
Foreign nationals who provide false documents or statements when applying for a Chinese visa overseas or seeking entry at a border checkpoint may be barred from entering China for between one and five years.
A ban of the same duration may be imposed on foreigners who have received criminal punishment for offences obstructing border administration, or administrative punishment for fraudulently obtaining travel documents or entering or leaving the country illegally. The period would begin after the punishment had been completed.
Individuals and organisations issuing invitation letters or other application documents must take responsibility for their accuracy.
An individual providing false invitation or application documents may be fined between 5,000 and 10,000 yuan, while an organisation may be fined between 10,000 and 50,000 yuan. Illegally obtained income may also be confiscated, and responsible managers or staff may face separate fines.
Immigration intermediaries must register
Businesses and individuals providing services such as immigration-policy advice, document applications or assistance with entry and exit procedures will be subject to a registration system.
New intermediary businesses must register with their local immigration authority within 15 days of being established. Businesses already operating when the regulations take effect will have 90 days from Sept 15 to complete the process.
The regulations prohibit intermediaries from publishing false information, using exaggerated or misleading advertising, providing fraudulent documents, helping clients improperly obtain visas or passports, leaking personal information or organising cross-border illegal or criminal activities.
Businesses that fail to register or meet the required conditions may be ordered to correct the violation and fined. Serious or repeated offences may lead to the suspension of operations or the revocation of a business licence, while conduct amounting to a criminal offence may result in prosecution.
No blanket mobile-phone search rule stated
The published regulations do not establish a blanket system of random mobile-phone inspections for tourists or other ordinary travellers.
They allow immigration and visa authorities to request electronic data when verifying a traveller’s identity or the purpose of an application. The text does not state that every traveller’s phone will be searched or list specific categories of mobile-phone content that would automatically trigger an inspection.
The regulations also do not revoke China’s separate visa-free entry programmes. Official guidance currently lists 50 countries under the unilateral visa-free scheme, allowing eligible ordinary-passport holders to stay for up to 30 days for approved purposes.
China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy separately covers nationals of 55 countries travelling through China to a third country or region. Eligible passengers may remain in designated areas for up to 10 days, although work, study and news reporting require the appropriate visa or prior approval. - The Nation/ANN
