According to data released by China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Wednesday, the country’s border inspection agencies handled a record-breaking 697 million cross-border trips in 2025—a 14.2% increase from the previous year.
Chinese mainland residents made up the largest share of travelers, with 335 million outbound trips, marking a 15.1% rise compared to 2024. Meanwhile, residents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan took 279 million cross-border trips, an increase of 10.1%.
Foreign nationals also contributed significantly to the growth, with 82.035 million entries into China, up 26.4% year-on-year. Notably, 30.08 million of these travelers entered the country without a visa, representing 73.1% of all international arrivals and reflecting a substantial 49.5% surge from 2024.
The NIA reported that in 2025, it further improved the efficiency of its immigration services. A total of 20.897 million standard passports were issued to Chinese citizens, and 2.02 million visas were granted to foreign visitors.
To support greater international exchange, China broadened a trial initiative enabling mainland residents to renew or reissue their travel documents completely online. The number of cities offering this service expanded to 50. In addition, Indonesia was added to the 240-hour visa-free transit program, and five new ports in Guangdong Province became part of the scheme, bringing the total number of eligible entry points to 65.
A new visa exemption policy was also introduced for ASEAN tourist groups visiting Xishuangbanna, located in Yunnan Province in southwestern China.
In line with its commitment to facilitate global mobility, China increased the number of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free access to 48, raised the count of nations with which it has mutual visa-waiver agreements to 29, and is working to expand the list of countries allowed unilateral visa-free entry to 28, as confirmed by the NIA.
