LIANYUNGANG - China recorded 61.287 million foreign-national entry and exit crossings in the first eight months of 2026, up 19.5% year on year.
The National Immigration Administration said the January-August figures were released Sept. 10 at the immigration-management cooperation sub-forum of the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province.
Its latest border statistics show border inspection authorities handled 499 million passenger crossings overall during the period, an increase of 8.7% from a year earlier.
Mainland Chinese residents accounted for 242 million crossings, up 10%, while residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan accounted for 196 million, up 8.9%. Foreign-national crossings recorded the fastest year-on-year growth among the three groups reported by NIA.
Visa-free entries by foreign nationals reached 23.72 million and accounted for 77.6% of all foreign-national entries during the eight months, the agency said. The border statistics count entry and exit movements rather than unique travelers, so a person crossing the border more than once can appear multiple times in the totals.
The latest figures extend growth recorded in the first half of 2026. NIA’s first-half statistics showed 45.906 million foreign-national entry and exit crossings from January through June, up 20.6% year on year.
Foreign-national entries totaled 22.914 million during that period, including 17.815 million visa-free entries, or 77.7% of the inbound total.
China currently grants unilateral visa-free entry to ordinary-passport holders from 50 countries.Eligible travelers may stay for up to 30 days for purposes including business, tourism, visits to relatives or friends, exchanges and transit, according to the Foreign Ministry’s current visa-free entry guidance.
A separate 240-hour visa-free transit policy covers nationals of 57 countries traveling through China to a third country or region.
Eligible travelers with ordinary passports and confirmed onward tickets can enter through 65 designated ports across 24 provincial-level regions and remain in permitted areas for up to 10 days. Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam were added to the transit program on Aug. 20, raising the number of eligible countries to 57.
Under the transit rules, travelers may undertake activities including tourism, business and visits, while work, study and news reporting require prior approval and the appropriate visa.
