Nearly 700 Million Border Crossings in 2025 Set a Record High; Visa-Free Foreign Entries Surpass 30 Million
In 2025, border inspection authorities nationwide processed 697 million inbound and outbound trips, a record high; foreign nationals accounted for 82.035 million trips, including 30.08 million visa-free entries, or 73.1%.
2025 was a year of comprehensive recovery and record highs for China's inbound and outbound passenger flow. The full-year data paints a picture of close exchanges and abundant vitality.
Annual core data
- National immigration management agencies inspected a total of697 million person-times of inbound and outbound travelers, up 14.2% year on year,a record high;
- mainland residents accounted for 335 million person-times, up 15.1% year on year;
- Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents made 279 million trips, up 10.1% year on year;
- foreign nationals made 82.035 million trips, up 26.4% year on year.
Visa-free entries surpass 30 million
In 2025,visa-free entries by foreign nationals reached 30.08 million, accounting for 73.1% of all foreign entries, up 49.5% year on year. The growth rate for foreign nationals was significantly higher than the overall figure, making the visa-free policy one of the most powerful engines driving inbound tourism.
Policy Progress Over the Year
This year, measures to facilitate travel to China were rolled out intensively:
- The pilot program of "fully online processing" for renewing and reissuing exit-entry documents for mainland residents was expanded, bringing the total to 50 cities;
- Indonesia was added as a country eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, and 5 new ports were added in Guangdong, bringing the total number of eligible ports to 65;
- The visa-free policy for tourist groups from ASEAN countries entering Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, was implemented;
- In coordination with this, the number of countries under unilateral visa exemption was increased to 48, and the number of countries under mutual visa exemption was expanded to 29;
- Pilot electronic port visas in Shanghai, promote online filling of foreign arrivals' entry cards, and expand the use of smart facial-recognition clearance.
Easier travel to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan
In serving personnel exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, policies such as expanding the scope of talent endorsements for travel to Hong Kong and Macao and implementing the "one trip per week" and "multiple entries with one endorsement" arrangements for travel to Macao in Zhuhai and Hengqin have been rolled out one after another, making cross-regional movement of people more efficient and smooth.