On October 20, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) held a press conference to release key immigration management data for the third quarter of 2026.

In the third quarter, China’s border inspection agencies nationwide handled 192 million inbound and outbound passenger trips, up 7.9 percent year on year. These included 95.96 million trips by Chinese mainland residents, 73.14 million by residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 23.27 million by foreign nationals, representing year-on-year increases of 7.4 percent, 6.4 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively. Outbound trips by Chinese mainland residents reached 48.51 million, up 7.5 percent year on year, with the top 10 destinations being Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia. Foreign entries reached 11.60 million, up 15.6 percent year on year, including 8.99 million entries made under visa-free policies, which accounted for 77.5 percent of total foreign entries, up 24.1 percent year on year. The top 10 source countries of foreign travelers were Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia, together accounting for 63.9 percent of total foreign entries.

In the third quarter, China’s border inspection agencies nationwide inspected 10.96 million inbound and outbound means of transportation, representing a 10.6 percent year-on-year increase. These included 259,000 aircraft movements, roughly flat compared with the same period last year; 28,000 train trips, up 3.7 percent; 117,000 vessel trips, up 2.6 percent; and 10.55 million motor vehicle trips, up 11 percent. Immigration authorities issued 5.34 million ordinary passports and 28.79 million travel permits and endorsements for mainland residents traveling to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and 473,000 travel permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents entering the mainland. They also issued 603,000 visas and related documents to foreign nationals.

During the quarter, the NIA government service platform processed 22.86 million inquiries and other government services for Chinese and foreign travelers, and provided 12.27 million free identity verification services to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents as well as overseas Chinese. The 12367 service platform of the NIA handled 2.03 million inquiries from users in more than 100 countries and regions, achieving an average satisfaction rate of 99.03 percent.