China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) used a 24 July press briefing in Beijing to sketch the next stage of the country’s post-pandemic border reopening. Vice-minister of public security Lin Wenru told reporters that the NIA is drafting regulations to • extend and consolidate the current 72- and 144-hour visa-free transit schemes, • introduce additional unilateral visa-free entry programmes for selected countries, and • migrate more arrival and departure formalities to a single mobile platform that will issue QR-code entry permits and integrate customs and health declarations. According to Lin, a pilot of the fully digital “Smart Entry Card”—already being tested at Beijing-Capital and Shanghai-Pudong airports—will be rolled out to 15 further ports before the National Day holiday in early October. Foreign passengers will be able to complete immigration and quarantine declarations in advance, pay applicable port fees online and pass through an automated gate that combines biometric verification with customs risk-profiling. “Processing time for eligible travellers will drop from today’s average of eight minutes to under three,” Lin claimed. Policy makers also signalled that the list of countries enjoying 15-day visa-free entry for business and tourism could grow beyond the current 15 European and Asian markets. Talks are reportedly under way with South Korea, Australia and several Gulf Cooperation Council states. The NIA repeated data released earlier this month showing that visa-free arrivals topped 17.8 million in the first half of 2026, a 30.6 % year-on-year jump and 77.7 % of all foreign entries. Officials argue that the simplified regime, together with a weak renminbi, has helped restore inbound visitor numbers to 83 % of 2019 levels. For corporate mobility managers the announcement offers three take-aways. First, transit windows are likely to lengthen, giving executives more flexibility to schedule meetings in multiple mainland cities without a visa. Second, the coming digital permit will require travellers to upload biometric data and itinerary details at least 24 hours before departure—information that many companies currently keep confidential. Third, the promised expansion of visa-free entry lists could significantly reduce lead times for project deployments, especially if Australia and the Gulf States are included. Immigration advisors recommend that firms integrate the new pre-clearance API once specifications are released in August and start updating policy manuals to reflect the requirement for QR-code “Smart Entry Cards” in pilot locations. Companies with high volumes of crew rotations should also review data-privacy compliance, given that employees will be asked to share facial images and health information directly with Chinese border agencies.
Source: The Peninsula (Qatar)
