[Quick News] 4 Improvements to China's Immigration Policies

China's Making It Easier to Swing Through – or Stay a Minute

Big news for anyone with a passport not issued here: getting in and moving around China is about to get a whole lot smoother. The National Immigration Administration just rolled out a fat list of upgrades to make crossing the border less bureaucratic and more… thank God this is becoming smoother.

#1 More Airports Gain 24hr Visa Free Transit Status

Starting November 5, ten more airports – names like Tianjin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Kunming – will let you do the 24-hour international transit shuffle without touching immigration. Think layover to layover, no stamp, no questions, just don't miss your flight.

Here's the full list:

• Tianjin Binhai International Airport 天津滨海国际机场
  
• Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport 大连周水子国际机场
  
• Nanjing Lukou International Airport 南京禄口国际机场
  
• Fuzhou Changle International Airport 福州长乐国际机场
  
• Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport 青岛胶东国际机场
  
• Wuhan Tianhe International Airport 武汉天河国际机场
  
• Nanning Wuxu International Airport 南宁吴圩国际机场
  
• Haikou Meilan International Airport 海口美兰国际机场
  
• Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport 重庆江北国际机场
  
• Kunming Changshui International Airport 昆明长水国际机场
  

#2 The 10 Day Visa-Free Policy Expands to 5 New Ports in Guangdong

For the longer-haul global trotters, the 240-hour (that's 10 days, folks) visa-free transit program keeps expanding. It now covers 65 ports. New additions in Guangdong include:

• Guangzhou Pazhou Passenger Port 广州琶洲客运港口岸
• Hengqin Port 横琴口岸
• Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge 港珠澳大桥口岸
• Zhongshan Port 中山港口岸
• West Kowloon Station (Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Rail) 广深港高铁西九龙站口岸

This increases the total number of 10-day visa free ports to 65.

If you're from one of 55 lucky countries, you can breeze in, eat some dim sum, sign a couple contracts, post a Bund photo, and fly onward – no visa run required.

#3 Goodbye Paper Form, Hello QR Code

November 20 brings another milestone: ditching that little white arrival slip that always disappears in your passport. No more hunger games trying to snatch pens from other tired travelers. You'll be able to submit it online via:

• NIA website

• "Immigration 12367" app (we'll give this one a try)

Or scan a QR code when you land. Cruise passengers, permanent residents, and 24-hour transit folks? You're excused. Everyone else: your thumbs are now part of the entry process.

Here are a few exceptions to the entry card rules:

Exemptions apply to:

• Foreign permanent residents in China
  
• Hong Kong and Macau residents (non-Chinese nationals) with Chinese Mainland Travel Permits
  
• Holders of group visas or those entering under group visa-free arrangements
  
• Transit passengers within 24 hours who do not leave the restricted port area
  
• Cruise passengers entering and exiting on the same vessel
  
• Travelers using fast-track channels
  
• Foreign crew members on international transport vehicles
  

#4 Gates With Faces, Not People

To keep things moving, China's also rolling out more facial-recognition e-gates at 12 big ports and airports. Step up, blink politely, and hope you look like your passport photo. The goal: faster lines, fewer grumpy travelers, more "wow, that was easy."

Unfortunately, these new doo-dads will be implemented for the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong residents. But step by step.

Here is where the face-id gates will be rolled out:

• Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport 上海虹桥机场口岸
  
• Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport 厦门高崎机场口岸
  
• Xiamen Wutong Passenger Terminal 五通码头口岸
  
• Guangzhou Pazhou Passenger Port 广州琶洲客运港口岸
  
• Guangzhou Nansha Passenger Port 南沙客运港口岸
  
• Shenzhen Huanggang Port 深圳皇岗口岸
  
• Shenzhen Futian Port 深圳福田口岸
  
• Shenzhen Luohu Port 深圳罗湖口岸
  
• Shenzhen Liantang Port 深圳莲塘口岸
  
• Shenzhen Wenjindu Port 深圳文锦渡口岸
  
• Zhuhai Hengqin Port 珠海横琴口岸
  
• Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Port 港珠澳大桥口岸
  

All in all, some welcome expansions for visa free travel, and a welcome improvement for those arrival cards. We'll save tree's, and we can fill it out on the go!

Service Information

Hotline: 12367 (English and Chinese support available)

Official Website: National Immigration Administration (NIA) https://www.nia.gov.cn/