Beijing’s border checkpoints have passed another post-pandemic milestone. According to data released on 17 June by the Beijing General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection, the capital’s two airports and railway terminals handled more than 10 million exit-entry movements between 1 January and 15 June 2026—ten days earlier than the same threshold was reached in 2025 and 10.5 percent higher year-on-year. Foreign nationals accounted for 3.44 million of the crossings, up 31.5 percent, as China’s unilateral 30-day visa-free regime—now covering 50 countries—and the 240-hour transit waiver continued to stimulate demand. The sharpest growth is being recorded at Beijing Capital International Airport, where the immigration hall in Terminal 3 has introduced “dual-lane parallel inspection” counters and extended staffed lanes during peak periods. Border officers report that average queuing times for both Chinese and foreign passport holders have fallen by roughly one-third compared with the first quarter. For eligible travellers using the 240-hour transit programme, applications for the temporary entry permit are now completed at a single window that combines document check and biometric capture, cutting processing to under five minutes. Outbound volumes are rising just as quickly.
For travellers still navigating whether they qualify for Beijing’s expanding visa-free policies—or who need a standard entry visa—VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets individuals and corporate mobility teams verify eligibility, assemble required documents, and submit applications online while tracking real-time status updates, ensuring that everyone arrives with the correct paperwork and fewer surprises at the border.
More than 6 million Mainland residents have already left the country through the capital this year, with South Korea, Thailand and Singapore the three most-popular destinations. Travel-management companies say multinationals are reinstating regional rotation schemes that were suspended during the pandemic, and meetings-and-events demand has rebounded strongly since the spring Canton Fair. Industry analysts point to two wider implications. First, Beijing’s numbers confirm that recent policy moves—most notably the February extension of visa-free entry to Canada and the United Kingdom—are translating quickly into traffic. Second, the capital’s ability to maintain 30-percent shorter wait times despite double-digit volume growth suggests that the National Immigration Administration’s push for smart-border technology is beginning to deliver tangible efficiency gains. For corporate mobility managers, the message is clear: China’s largest business gateway is once again operating at scale, with faster processing for both short-term visitors and transiting assignees. Companies planning regional conferences or rotational assignments can expect smoother arrivals, but should still encourage staff to carry printed hotel confirmations and be ready for on-arrival fingerprinting if they are first-time entrants.
For travellers still navigating whether they qualify for Beijing’s expanding visa-free policies—or who need a standard entry visa—VisaHQ offers a convenient one-stop solution. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets individuals and corporate mobility teams verify eligibility, assemble required documents, and submit applications online while tracking real-time status updates, ensuring that everyone arrives with the correct paperwork and fewer surprises at the border.
More than 6 million Mainland residents have already left the country through the capital this year, with South Korea, Thailand and Singapore the three most-popular destinations. Travel-management companies say multinationals are reinstating regional rotation schemes that were suspended during the pandemic, and meetings-and-events demand has rebounded strongly since the spring Canton Fair. Industry analysts point to two wider implications. First, Beijing’s numbers confirm that recent policy moves—most notably the February extension of visa-free entry to Canada and the United Kingdom—are translating quickly into traffic. Second, the capital’s ability to maintain 30-percent shorter wait times despite double-digit volume growth suggests that the National Immigration Administration’s push for smart-border technology is beginning to deliver tangible efficiency gains. For corporate mobility managers, the message is clear: China’s largest business gateway is once again operating at scale, with faster processing for both short-term visitors and transiting assignees. Companies planning regional conferences or rotational assignments can expect smoother arrivals, but should still encourage staff to carry printed hotel confirmations and be ready for on-arrival fingerprinting if they are first-time entrants.
