In the first quarter of 2025, the number of people entering and leaving mainland China through Beijing’s border ports exceeded 4.7 million, with a year-on-year increase of almost 23%. Among them, the number of foreigners who entered and left mainland China exceeded 1.1 million, which represents a year-on-year growth of 44%.
As of March 31, Beijing’s General Border Inspection Station has processed a total of more than 580,000 foreign citizen entries this year, of which more than 260,000 entered under visa waiver regimes, representing 45% of total foreign entries, with a year-on-year growth of approximately 140%.
Likewise, temporary entry permits of 240 hours have been issued to about 18,000 foreign travelers who met the entry requirements, which represents a year-on-year increase of approximately 13.8% before the enactment of the policy. Foreigners who entered mainland China did so mainly for reasons of tourism, business and family visits.
As for tourism, the Great Wall of China, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, is one of the most visited places in the country.
According to Beijing Daily, the Beijing General Border Inspection Station continuously improves the efficiency and experience of the passenger passage. In this context, at Beijing-Capital International Airport and Beijing-Daxing International Airport, a test is being carried out to optimize the process of issuing temporary entry permits, adding an exclusive channel for these permits on the basis of existing facilities.
In Terminal 3 of Beijing-Capital International Airport, which registers a high passenger flow, inspection channels and waiting areas have been added and a “double row of parallel inspection” model has been implemented, effectively improving the efficiency of the passage. In addition, the use of electronic boarding passes for customs clearance by airlines is being promoted and the automatic printing of entry cards for foreigners is being tested.