China’s State Council has released a comprehensive Exit-Entry Risk Prevention Regulation that will take effect on September 15, 2026. The 19-article measure, published late on July 31, is the first standalone regulation devoted to safeguarding citizens and regulating service intermediaries throughout the entire overseas travel process. It comes as the country’s border crossings rebound sharply—official data cited by experts show a record 697 million inbound and outbound trips in 2025—and as new geopolitical flashpoints and health threats complicate international mobility. Under the rules, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism must issue timely security alerts and destination-specific risk warnings based on wars, civil unrest, public-health emergencies, natural disasters and other hazards. Chinese embassies and consulates will assume a frontline role in disseminating updates and assisting nationals in distress. Immigration officers at home will be required to remind passport and visa applicants of elevated risks before travel and may advise postponing or cancelling trips to destinations under China’s highest-level warning. For both outbound Chinese nationals and inbound foreign visitors, documentation standards have been tightened. Applicants must provide truthful information and cooperate with purpose-of-travel verifications; immigration authorities are empowered to refuse documents or deny departure/entry if materials are fraudulent or if the traveller appears on Chinese sanctions or “unreliable entity” lists. Individuals who have been punished for document fraud, illegal border crossings, or offences endangering national security can be barred from leaving or entering the country. A new filing system will also govern commercial visa agencies, study-abroad consultancies and travel-document service companies. Such intermediaries must register with local immigration bureaus within 15 days of establishment (or within 90 days of the regulation’s start date for existing firms). They must maintain qualified staff and adequate capital, refrain from exaggerated marketing, and are strictly forbidden from helping clients secure documents through false statements. Overseas companies cannot offer such services directly on the mainland unless registered through approved foreign-invested entities under Chinese law. Policy analysts say the regulation reflects Beijing’s twin priorities of high-level opening-up and “holistic national security.” By erecting clearer compliance guardrails, it seeks to spur confidence among China’s growing cohort of international business travellers and tourists while deterring illicit brokers and reducing reputational damage from high-profile incidents abroad. Multinational mobility teams should update travel-risk assessments, ensure that invitation letters contain verifiable information, and audit any third-party visa vendors operating in China before the September 15 enforcement deadline.
Source: China Daily
