China has unveiled a new digital arrival card system and expanded visa-free transit options in a major move to simplify international travel and attract more foreign visitors as the country accelerates its post-pandemic tourism recovery.
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced that the digital arrival card, set to take effect on November 20, 2025, will allow travelers—regardless of visa status—to submit their entry details online before traveling, eliminating the need for traditional paper forms.
According to the NIA, seven categories of travelers will be exempt from completing the new form, including foreign permanent residents, Hong Kong and Macao residents with valid Mainland Travel Permits, cruise passengers arriving and departing on the same vessel, and international transit passengers who do not leave the airport. Crew members of international transport vehicles and those in group entry or collective visa programs are also exempt.
The digital arrival card is part of ten new measures designed to modernize China’s border management and strengthen its commitment to “high-level opening up.” Among these initiatives is the expansion of visa-free transit arrangements to encourage business and leisure travel.
Starting November 5, 2025, China’s 24-hour visa-free transit policy will extend to ten more international airports, including Tianjin, Dalian, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Nanning, Haikou, Chongqing, and Kunming.
Additionally, the 240-hour (10-day) visa-free transit scheme will cover five new entry points in Guangdong Province—Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal, Hengqin Port, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge Port, Zhongshan Passenger Port, and the West Kowloon Station Port of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed rail.
The program, now spanning 65 ports across 24 provinces, allows eligible travelers from 55 countries to enter China visa-free for business, tourism, or family visits.
In a related reform, mainland residents visiting family in Hong Kong and Macao will now be able to renew their travel permits directly through China Travel Service offices in the two Special Administrative Regions, without returning to the mainland..
