Visa-free transit policies spur surge of foreign visitors

Some 40.6 million foreign nationals entered China via various ports nationwide over the past year, marking a year-on-year increase of 27.2 percent, according to statistics released by the National Immigration Administration on Wednesday.

Notably, the number of travelers availing themselves of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy soared by 60.8 percent year-on-year compared with the period prior to the policy optimization. First rolled out on Dec 17, 2024, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy applied to citizens of 55 eligible countries, covering 65 open ports across 24 provinces.

As key national entry hubs, the ports in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong province, have witnessed outstanding growth in both the scale and rate of inbound foreign passenger flow. Beijing's ports recorded over 3.4 million foreign arrivals, with 55 percent of these travelers enjoying the visa-free convenience. Shanghai saw nearly 5.35 million inbound foreign visitors, 56 percent of whom benefited from the policy, while Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport handled more than 3.2 million foreign entries, with over 57 percent of passengers opting for the visa-free transit service.

To further facilitate the implementation of the 240-hour visa-free transit policy, major hub ports including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have launched a series of supportive measures — including dedicated clearance lanes, one-stop processing services, and online declaration systems. Shanghai has additionally deployed self-service terminals for electronic form-filling, complemented by multilingual assistance and on-site inquiry services.

In addition to these three major hub ports, other regional ports have also seen significant growth of visa-free inbound foreign visitors. Ports in Xiamen of Fujian province, saw a more than threefold increase in the number of foreign visitors using the 240-hour visa-free transit policy. Ports in Liaoning province reported a 570 percent year-on-year rise. For ports in Changsha and Zhangjiajie in Hunan province, the volume of visa-free foreign arrivals exceeded the combined total of the preceding nine years.