Starting November 20, 2025, you will use a new digital arrival card to enter China. This change ends the use of the old paper form that travellers used to fill out on the plane. The digital arrival card is part of a larger plan to make travelling to and through China easier and more efficient. This new system aims to make your visit as smooth as possible.
The paper form is no longer needed. This change greatly improves your experience. Now, you can log your entry before you even leave home using several options:
- The National Immigration Administration (NIA) official website
- The “NIA 12367” mobile app
- WeChat or Alipay mini-programs
This is a smart move. Instead of making visitors download a new app just for one use, the system will work directly within the “super-apps” that many international business travellers and tourists already have on their phones.
For those who forget or can’t do this in advance, digital kiosks and QR codes will be available at all major airports. Paper forms will still be available for a short time, but the message is clear: the future is digital.
This digital card is just the first step. The real importance lies in the details: China is expanding its visa-free transit policies significantly. This is a two-part plan to make China a key destination for travel and business. To fully understand this, you need to know the difference between the two types of transit.
1. The 24-Hour “Airport Hub” Policy
This is the one that’s being expanded to ten new international airports, including major hubs like Tianjin, Dalian, Wuhan, and Chongqing. Let’s be very clear about what this is: this is the “sterile transit” or “hub” policy.
This policy allows a traveller from Country A (say, Nigeria) to fly into one of these Chinese airports, transfer, and fly out to Country C (say, Japan), all within 24 hours. The most important part? You do not leave the international restricted area of the airport. You don’t pass through immigration.
- Why does this matter? It’s a direct move to compete with super-hubs like Dubai, Amsterdam, and Istanbul. It makes it frictionless for airlines to route their global traffic through China, allowing passengers to transfer to their next flight without needing any visa or paperwork. This is a massive boost for China’s airline industry and its airport-based economies.
2. The 240-Hour (10-Day) “Go Explore” Policy
This is the real game-changer for tourists and business travellers. This policy (which was previously 72 or 144 hours in different zones) has been expanded and, in this case, extended to a far more useful 10 days. It allows eligible travellers from 55 countries (including many in Europe, the Americas, and Asia) to leave the airport and explore.
This isn’t just a small change; it’s a direct invitation. The five new entry points are hyper-specific and incredibly strategic, all focused on the “Greater Bay Area”:
- Guangzhou Pazhou Ferry Terminal (connects to Hong Kong)
- Hengqin Port (connects to Macao)
- Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge Port
- Zhongshan Passenger Port
- West Kowloon Station (the high-speed rail terminus from Hong Kong)
This move is designed to seamlessly blend Hong Kong and Macao, which are already visa-free for many, with the economic powerhouse of Guangdong province. A business traveller can now attend a trade show in Hong Kong, take the high-speed train to Shenzhen, visit a factory in Guangzhou, and meet with partners in Macao, all on a single 10-day, visa-free stopover.
It turns a simple layover into a 10-day mini-vacation or multi-city business trip, all without the cost or hassle of applying for a visa.
Why This Is All Happening Now
This isn’t just about convenience. It’s a pragmatic, coordinated push to boost China’s post-pandemic economy. After years of isolation, international travel and tourism have been slow to recover. This new “10-point plan” from the NIA is a clear signal that Beijing is serious about rolling out the digital and bureaucratic “welcome mat.”
By making it simple to enter (with the digital card) and nearly effortless to visit (with the expanded transit), China is making a powerful play to recapture its status as an indispensable global centre for both tourism and trade.
