The National Immigration Administration (NIA) estimates that China’s ports will handle an average of 2.15 million inbound and outbound passenger movements per day during the National Day break, with peaks likely on 1 and 4 October and a single-day ceiling of 2.4 million. To cope, the agency has ordered border-inspection units nationwide to extend counter hours, deploy mobile inspection teams and publish real-time wait-time alerts via social media. The NIA’s circular also singles out freight corridors. At the Khorgos road port on the Kazakh border—scheduled to close temporarily from 22:00 on 30 September to 10:00 on 4 October—local officers have been told to stage trucks to avoid bottlenecks once the crossing re-opens. For travellers, the main message is preparation. The NIA urges Chinese nationals to double-check passport and visa validity—particularly for countries that have modified health-entry rules—and to print backup copies of eVisas to speed inspections. Foreign visitors are reminded that the 144-hour visa-free transit schemes at Shanghai and Guangdong airports remain in force but require confirmed onward tickets. Corporate travel managers should note that the predicted surge will coincide with the launch of the NIA’s upgraded e-channel facial-recognition system at the Beijing Capital Airport’s T3, promising to cut average processing times by 30 percent. However, early adopters last week reported sporadic glitches, so allowing extra dwell time is prudent. With China’s outbound travel now back to 80 percent of its 2019 level, the effectiveness of these measures will be closely watched as a barometer of the country’s ability to manage post-pandemic mobility at scale.
Source: 财湃新闻
