New China exit-entry regulations effective Sept. 15, 2026, restrict foreign nationals who provide false materials or receive certain penalties, banning them for 1-5 years. Chinese citizens may face 6-month to 3-year bans.
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Source: OT-Team(G), 新华社
China will implement the Regulations on Exit-Entry Administration of the State Council (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”) from Sept. 15, 2026.
The Regulations aim to standardize exit-entry administration, protect the legitimate rights and interests of exit-entry personnel, and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests.
The Regulations contain 19 articles and mainly cover the following areas:
First, the Regulations improve the exit safety risk prevention system. Relevant authorities, including departments responsible for foreign affairs, culture, and tourism under the State Council, shall promptly release overseas safety alerts and travel destination safety risk advisories. Immigration authorities shall remind Chinese citizens to exercise caution when planning to travel to high-risk countries or regions when accepting and reviewing exit-entry document applications and conducting exit border inspections.
Second, the Regulations clarify requirements for exit-entry applications. Exit-entry personnel applying for exit-entry, stay, or residence documents must provide truthful and lawful reasons for their applications, and shall cooperate with immigration authorities and visa authorities in verifying their identities and application purposes. If applicants provide false materials or make false statements, immigration authorities and visa authorities have the right to decide not to issue exit-entry documents or refuse their departure from or entry into China.
Third, the Regulations improve exit and entry restriction measures. Chinese citizens may be prohibited from leaving China in accordance with the law if they receive administrative detention penalties for obtaining exit-entry documents through fraud or illegally entering or leaving the country, engage in illegal or criminal activities overseas that endanger national security and interests, or violate export control and technology import-export management regulations in ways that may endanger national industrial security or technological security. Foreign nationals may be prohibited from entering China in accordance with the law if they provide false materials or make false statements when applying for Chinese visas overseas or seeking entry at ports, receive criminal penalties for disrupting national or border management, or receive administrative penalties for obtaining exit-entry documents through fraud or illegally entering or leaving China.
Fourth, the Regulations regulate exit-entry intermediary services. The Regulations introduce a filing management system for agencies and personnel engaged in exit-entry intermediary services, clarify the conditions that such service providers must meet, and prohibit them from providing or assisting in providing false materials, helping others illegally obtain exit-entry documents or complete related procedures, or engaging in other activities that violate regulations.
Regulations on Exit-Entry Administration of the State Council
Article 1: Purpose of the Regulations
The Regulations are formulated to regulate exit-entry administration, protect the legitimate rights and interests of exit-entry personnel, and safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, in accordance with the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China and other relevant laws.
Article 2: Establishing an Exit Safety Risk Prevention System
China shall establish and improve a safety risk prevention system for Chinese citizens traveling abroad.
Relevant departments under the State Council responsible for foreign affairs, culture and tourism, as well as Chinese diplomatic missions overseas, shall promptly release overseas safety alerts and travel destination safety risk advisories based on security situations in relevant countries and regions, including wars or armed conflicts, public security conditions, natural disasters, accident-related disasters, and infectious disease outbreaks.
Chinese citizens shall pay attention to overseas safety alerts and travel destination safety risk advisories, and avoid traveling to or staying in high-risk countries or regions.
When accepting and reviewing applications for exit-entry documents from Chinese citizens and conducting exit border inspections, immigration authorities shall, based on notifications from relevant departments under the State Council, remind citizens planning to travel to high-risk countries or regions to exercise caution, closely monitor local security situations, enhance vigilance, strengthen preventive measures, and pay attention to personal safety.
For Chinese citizens planning to travel to countries or regions with the highest risk level, or places where serious incidents endangering personal safety occur frequently, immigration authorities shall, when necessary, advise them against traveling there.
Article 3: Requirements for Exit-Entry Applications
The reasons provided by exit-entry personnel when applying for exit-entry, stay, or residence documents shall be truthful and lawful.
When verifying the identities and application purposes of exit-entry personnel, immigration authorities and visa authorities may ask relevant questions and require applicants to present or provide documents, materials, electronic data, and other information. Exit-entry personnel shall cooperate with such verification.
Organizations or individuals issuing invitation letters or other application materials for exit-entry personnel shall be responsible for the authenticity of the invitation content and supporting information, and shall cooperate with immigration authorities and visa authorities in verifying relevant information.
If exit-entry personnel provide false materials or make false statements, immigration authorities and visa authorities have the right to decide not to issue exit-entry documents or refuse their departure from or entry into China.
Article 4: Exit Restrictions for Chinese Citizens
If Chinese citizens receive administrative detention penalties for obtaining exit-entry documents through fraud or illegally entering or leaving China, immigration authorities may decide, based on the circumstances of the violation and the need to prevent illegal activities, to prohibit them from leaving China for a period of six months to three years after completion of the penalty.
If Chinese citizens engage in illegal or criminal activities overseas that endanger national security and interests, relevant departments under the State Council, or provincial-level people’s governments where their domestic residence is located after verification through overseas diplomatic missions, may decide to prohibit them from leaving China for six months to three years from the date of their return.
If Chinese citizens violate export control, technology import-export management, or other relevant regulations and may endanger national industrial security or technological security, relevant departments under the State Council, including those responsible for commerce, may decide to prohibit them from leaving China.
Article 5: Entry Restrictions for Foreign Nationals
If foreign nationals provide false materials or make false statements when applying for Chinese visas overseas or applying for entry at ports, immigration authorities and visa authorities may decide to prohibit them from entering China for a period of one to five years.
If foreign nationals receive criminal penalties for disrupting national or border management, or receive administrative penalties for obtaining exit-entry documents through fraud or illegally entering or leaving China, immigration authorities may decide, based on the circumstances of the violation and the need to prevent illegal activities, to prohibit them from entering China for one to five years.
Where other laws provide otherwise, such provisions shall apply.
For foreign nationals included on countermeasure lists, unreliable entity lists, malicious entity lists, or those subject to countermeasures and restrictions, immigration authorities and visa authorities shall implement relevant measures, including refusing to issue exit-entry documents or refusing entry, in accordance with their respective responsibilities.
Article 6: Implementation of Exit Restrictions
For individuals who are legally prohibited from leaving China, the decision-making authority shall promptly notify immigration authorities for implementation in accordance with relevant regulations.
The decision-making authority shall inform the individual in writing of the facts, reasons, legal basis, and available remedies related to the exit restriction.
If disclosure may affect national security or criminal investigations, the individual may not be informed.
When implementing an exit restriction decision, immigration authorities shall inform the individual of relevant details according to the notification from the decision-making authority.
Article 7: Filing Management of Exit-Entry Intermediary Services
China shall implement filing management for agencies and personnel engaged in exit-entry intermediary services, including policy consultations, document applications, and related procedures for exit-entry personnel.
Organizations engaged in exit-entry intermediary services shall complete filing procedures with local immigration authorities within 15 days after establishment.
Personnel engaged in such services shall complete filing procedures through their organizations.
Organizations and individuals already engaged in exit-entry intermediary services before the implementation of the Regulations shall complete filing procedures within 90 days after the Regulations take effect.
Specific filing management measures shall be formulated by the national immigration authority together with relevant departments, including those responsible for market regulation.
Article 8: Requirements for Exit-Entry Intermediary Service Providers
Organizations engaged in exit-entry intermediary services shall meet the following requirements:
(1) They shall be legally established;
(2) Their legal representatives or persons in charge shall not have received criminal punishment for intentional crimes;
(3) They shall have staff with professional knowledge of exit-entry laws, regulations, and policies, as well as funds and premises suitable for their intermediary service activities;
(4) Personnel directly providing intermediary services shall not have received criminal punishment for intentional crimes involving national security, public security, or disruption of national or border management;
(5) They shall have sound management systems, including personnel management, education and training, document preservation, data security, and compliance management.
Organizations providing exit intermediary services shall also have established cooperation with relevant overseas service organizations or signed valid cooperation agreements.
Foreign enterprises and organizations shall not provide exit-entry intermediary services within China.
Article 9: Supervision of Exit-Entry Intermediary Services
Immigration authorities shall work together with relevant departments, including those responsible for foreign affairs, education, judicial administration, human resources and social security, commerce, culture and tourism, and market regulation, to establish and improve supervision systems.
Authorities shall strengthen supervision over whether intermediary service providers meet relevant requirements and over their business activities according to their respective responsibilities, and shall publish relevant illegal activities and records of misconduct in accordance with the law.
Relevant authorities and their staff shall keep confidential state secrets, work-related confidential information, business secrets, personal privacy, and personal information obtained during the performance of duties.
Article 10: Prohibited Activities of Exit-Entry Intermediary Service Providers
Organizations engaged in exit-entry intermediary services shall not:
(1) Publish false information or attract customers through exaggerated or misleading publicity;
(2) Provide or assist in providing false materials, or assist others in illegally obtaining visas, stay or residence documents, passports, or other exit-entry documents or procedures;
(3) Leak, sell, or illegally provide business secrets, personal privacy, or personal information obtained during intermediary activities;
(4) Engage in exit-entry intermediary services beyond their filing scope;
(5) Organize or assist others in cross-border illegal or criminal activities;
(6) Engage in other activities that endanger national security or interests or disrupt exit-entry management order.
If public officials, military personnel, or other relevant personnel entrust intermediary service providers to illegally handle foreign nationality, overseas permanent residence status, overseas residence documents, or other exit-entry documents or procedures, such organizations shall not process the applications and shall promptly report them to supervisory authorities.
Article 11: Penalties for Fraudulent Applications
Individuals who obtain visas, stay or residence documents, passports, or other exit-entry documents through fraudulent means, including providing false materials or making false statements, shall be punished by immigration authorities in accordance with the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Passport Law of the People’s Republic of China.
Individuals who issue false invitation letters or other application materials for others applying for exit-entry, stay, or residence documents shall be fined between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan by immigration authorities. Illegal gains, if any, shall be confiscated.
Organizations engaging in such activities shall be fined between 10,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan. Illegal gains, if any, shall be confiscated. Directly responsible managers and other directly responsible personnel shall be fined between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan.
Where other laws provide otherwise, such provisions shall apply.
Article 12: Penalties for Violations by Exit-Entry Intermediary Service Providers
If organizations engaged in exit-entry intermediary services violate Articles 7 or 8 of the Regulations, immigration authorities shall order them to make corrections within a specified period.
Organizations refusing to make corrections shall be fined between 5,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan. Relevant authorities may also be notified to order suspension of related business activities or business rectification.
In serious cases, organizations may be fined between 10,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan, and relevant authorities may be notified to revoke related business permits or business licenses.
Individuals who violate the Regulations by engaging in exit-entry intermediary services shall be ordered to stop the illegal activities by immigration authorities. Illegal gains shall be confiscated, and in serious cases, an additional fine of up to 5,000 yuan may be imposed.
Article 13: Penalties for Disrupting Exit-Entry Management Order
If exit-entry intermediary service providers violate Article 10 of the Regulations and disrupt exit-entry management order, immigration authorities shall order them to make corrections within a specified period.
Illegal gains shall be confiscated.
If illegal gains amount to 20,000 yuan or more, a fine ranging from one to five times the amount of illegal gains shall be imposed.
If there are no illegal gains or the illegal gains are less than 20,000 yuan, a fine ranging from 20,000 yuan to 50,000 yuan shall be imposed.
Organizations refusing to make corrections or involved in serious circumstances may be subject to suspension of relevant business activities, business rectification, revocation of relevant business permits, or cancellation of business licenses.
Directly responsible managers and other directly responsible personnel shall be fined between 10,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan.
Where other laws provide otherwise, such provisions shall apply.
Article 14: Authority for Certain Administrative Penalties
Administrative penalties exceeding 5,000 yuan or involving confiscation of illegal gains imposed by exit-entry administration agencies of public security authorities at county level or above shall be decided by the public security authorities to which they belong.
Article 15: Government Coordination
Relevant departments under the State Council shall strengthen coordination in protecting the legitimate rights and interests of exit-entry personnel, preventing overseas safety risks for Chinese citizens, and managing exit-entry intermediary services.
Article 16: Reporting Channels
Immigration authorities shall maintain accessible channels for reporting violations of exit-entry management regulations and shall handle relevant reports in accordance with the law.
Reports that do not fall within their responsibilities shall be promptly transferred to relevant authorities for lawful handling.
Article 17: Criminal Liability
Violations of the Regulations that constitute crimes shall be investigated for criminal liability in accordance with the law.
Article 18: Definitions
For the purposes of these Regulations, “immigration authorities” refer to the national immigration authority, exit-entry border inspection agencies, and exit-entry administration agencies of public security authorities of local people’s governments at county level or above.
“Visa authorities” refer to overseas visa authorities and port visa authorities.
Article 19: Effective Date
The Regulations shall take effect on Sept. 15, 2026.
For the full Chinese version of the Regulations, please visit: