China recorded 11.6 million foreign arrivals in the third quarter, with visa-free trips accounting for more than three-quarters as total cross-border travel reached 192 million.
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) released the figures Oct. 20. The inbound trip count was 15.6% higher than in the same period of 2025. In the wider border tally, foreign nationals made 23.27 million trips.
Visa-free entries totaled 8.99 million, up 24.1% from a year earlier, and represented 77.5% of foreign arrivals. In August, China added Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam to its 240-hour visa-free transit program, bringing the number of eligible countries to 57.
The NIA linked rising cross-border travel to measures intended to facilitate exchanges between Chinese and foreign nationals, including visa-free policies. It did not quantify the contribution of any single measure to the increase.
Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and the United States were the five leading origins for foreign arrivals. Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia completed the top 10, which together accounted for 63.9% of arrivals.
Travel also grew in the outbound direction. Mainland residents made 48.5 million trips abroad during the quarter, up 7.5% year over year. The 192 million total border crossings were up 7.9%; mainland residents accounted for 95.96 million, and residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan for 73.14 million.
The NIA issued 5.34 million ordinary passports and handled 28.79 million requests for mainland residents' permits and endorsements to visit Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Foreign nationals received 603,000 visas and other entry documents; the agency also issued 473,000 mainland travel permits to residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
