Beijing General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection reports that, as of 8 December, passenger movements through the capital’s air, rail and land checkpoints have crossed the 20-million mark for 2025, already eclipsing the full-year 2024 total. Foreign nationals account for roughly six million of those crossings, and 60 percent—about 1.86 million people—entered visa-free under China’s expanding 30-day waiver and 240-hour transit schemes.
Officials attribute the surge to three recent measures: (1) extension of unilateral 30-day visa waivers to 45 countries; (2) expansion of the 240-hour visa-free transit programme to 65 ports; and (3) introduction of a national online Arrival Card that allows travellers to pre-file details and scan a QR code on arrival, cutting inspection times by two-thirds. Airlines say faster throughput has reduced tarmac delays, particularly for wide-body evening arrivals that previously risked missing curfew slots.
![Visa-free travellers drive record 34 % jump in foreign arrivals at Beijing ports]()
Tourism boards are seizing the momentum. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce plans a January shopping festival aimed at short-stay visitors, while conference organisers report higher delegate conversions now that attendees can finalise trips within a week. In the corporate sphere, relocation firms note that assignees arriving on scouting trips can pack more meetings into a 72-hour window thanks to shorter immigration queues.
Mobility teams should integrate the Arrival-Card QR link into pre-trip approvals and update briefing packs to highlight passport-stamp requirements—foreigners entering visa-free must still collect a landing-slip and carry it during their stay. Companies with group-travel policies may also need to re-negotiate airport transfer times with suppliers, given the sharper variability in peak-hour processing speeds.
Officials attribute the surge to three recent measures: (1) extension of unilateral 30-day visa waivers to 45 countries; (2) expansion of the 240-hour visa-free transit programme to 65 ports; and (3) introduction of a national online Arrival Card that allows travellers to pre-file details and scan a QR code on arrival, cutting inspection times by two-thirds. Airlines say faster throughput has reduced tarmac delays, particularly for wide-body evening arrivals that previously risked missing curfew slots.
Tourism boards are seizing the momentum. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce plans a January shopping festival aimed at short-stay visitors, while conference organisers report higher delegate conversions now that attendees can finalise trips within a week. In the corporate sphere, relocation firms note that assignees arriving on scouting trips can pack more meetings into a 72-hour window thanks to shorter immigration queues.
Mobility teams should integrate the Arrival-Card QR link into pre-trip approvals and update briefing packs to highlight passport-stamp requirements—foreigners entering visa-free must still collect a landing-slip and carry it during their stay. Companies with group-travel policies may also need to re-negotiate airport transfer times with suppliers, given the sharper variability in peak-hour processing speeds.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
