China's visa-free entries jump 24% as foreign arrivals reach 11.6 million

China received 11.6 million foreign arrivals between July and September 2026, an increase of 15.6 per cent year on year, as the country's expanded visa-free policies continued to draw visitors. Visa-free entries rose 24.1 per cent and made up 77.5 per cent of all foreign arrivals in the quarter, according to data released by the National Immigration Administration on Tuesday.

Key facts

• 192 million total border crossings in the third quarter of 2026, up 7.9 per cent year on year
• 11.6 million foreign arrivals, up 15.6 per cent
• Visa-free entries up 24.1 per cent, accounting for 77.5 per cent of foreign arrivals
• Top sources of foreign visitors: Russia, South Korea and Vietnam, then Malaysia, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia
• Outbound border crossings by mainland residents reached 48.5 million, up 7.5 per cent

What do the latest figures show?

Across all travellers, China logged 192 million border crossings in the July–September period. Foreign arrivals totalled 11.6 million, and the share arriving without a visa reached 77.5 per cent of that number.

Russia, South Korea and Vietnam were the three largest sources of foreign visitors, in that order. They were followed by Malaysia, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.

Why is inbound travel growing?

Lu Ning, a spokesperson for the immigration bureau, attributed the rise in cross-border travel to China's expanding "unilateral and autonomous opening-up policies" and to more countries granting visa-free access to Chinese citizens.

Beijing has granted visa-free entry to tourists from dozens of countries over the past few years, using inbound tourism as a driver for the Chinese economy. The source does not list which nationalities currently qualify.

What is China planning next?

The State Council has set a target of 190 million inbound tourist visits per year by 2030 and inbound traveller spending of more than US$150 billion per year. The immigration bureau aims to reach that by further expanding visa-free policies, improving foreign visitors' access to digital payment services — previously a major barrier — and expanding tax refunds for international tourists.

What about travel out of China?

Mainland residents made 48.5 million outbound border crossings in the third quarter, up 7.5 per cent year on year. Hong Kong and Macau were the two most popular destinations, followed by South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia.

One week after the revamped Huanggang Port reopened in Shenzhen on 12 October — the first Hong Kong–mainland border checkpoint to adopt a joint clearance system — it handled 886,000 passenger trips and 74,000 vehicle crossings. The new model cut passenger clearance times from 30 minutes to five minutes, the bureau said.

South Korea and Thailand have become popular with Chinese tourists over the past year, while travel to Japan has faced severe disruptions in recent months amid a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo.

What this means for travellers

Travellers from dozens of countries can enter China without a visa, and the share of arrivals using visa-free entry is now well above three-quarters. Anyone planning a trip should check whether their nationality is covered by the current visa-free arrangements before booking, as the source does not name the eligible countries.

Travellers crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen may find clearance faster at the rebuilt Huanggang Port, where the immigration bureau reports passenger processing has dropped to five minutes.