Immigration

China | New regulation on exit and entry administration (State Council Order No. 841)

Summary

On July 22, 2026, China’s State Council issued the “State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration” (State Council Order No. 841), which will take effect on September 15, 2026. Developed under the existing Exit and Entry Administration Law, the regulations further refine China’s exit and entry management framework, with a focus on strengthening safety risk prevention for Chinese citizens travelling abroad, tightening verification of application materials, and increasing oversight of the exit and entry intermediary services industry.

The detail

Safety risk prevention for outbound travel

Relevant State Council departments will issue overseas safety alerts in a timely manner. Chinese citizens should monitor these alerts and avoid high-risk destinations. Immigration authorities will also remind travelers of relevant risks and, where necessary, discourage travel to high-risk areas.

Stricter exit and entry application requirements

The purpose stated in any exit or entry application must be genuine and lawful. Applicants, and any entities or individuals providing invitation letters or supporting documents, are responsible for the accuracy of the information submitted and must cooperate with investigations. False materials or statements may result in refusal of travel documents or denial of exit or entry by immigration authorities.

Enhanced exit and entry control measures

• Chinese citizens who fraudulently obtain documents, illegally enter or exit a country, commit offenses abroad, or are involved in circumstances that may endanger national industrial or technological security—including breaches of export control regulations—may be restricted from leaving China for 6 months to 3 years, or prohibited from exiting altogether.
• Foreign nationals who provide false materials, have received criminal penalties for obstructing border management, or appear on relevant restriction lists may be banned from entering China for 1 to 5 years. Where other laws provide otherwise, those provisions will apply.

Regulation of exit and entry intermediary services

• The regulations introduce, for the first time at the administrative regulation level, a filing system for intermediary service providers. Entities and individuals providing services such as exit and entry policy advice or document processing must file within 15 days of establishment. Existing providers must file within 90 days after the regulations take effect.
• Service providers must be legally established, have no criminal record, employ qualified professionals, and maintain robust internal management systems.
• Foreign institutions are not permitted to provide intermediary services in China.
• The regulations identify six prohibited practices, including false advertising, assisting with false materials, leaking confidential information, operating outside the approved scope, organizing illegal cross-border activities, and conduct that harms national security or disrupts administrative order.
• Penalties include fines, confiscation of illegal gains, and license revocation.

What this means

Since taking effect on July 1, 2013, the Exit and Entry Administration Law has underpinned China’s exit and entry framework, helping safeguard national sovereignty, security social order, supporting international exchange. As China continues to open and global risks become more complex, the existing framework now faces several practical challenges:

• Increasing overseas safety risks for Chinese citizens, including conflict, instability, natural disasters and disease outbreaks.
• Gaps in foreign national entry management, including provision of false information or fraudulently obtained documents which may disrupt immigration order and potentially affecting national security.
• Rapid growth in intermediary service providers, driving increased demand for application oversight and increasing the risk of irregular practices.

The new regulations clarify compliance expectations for exit and entry activities and reinforce the seriousness of the regulatory framework. They should not create blanket travel restrictions on movement for compliant travellers. The regulations also increase focus on industrial and technological security. Importantly the threshold trigger appears to have shifted from “confirmed illegal conduct” to whether conduct “may” endanger national industrial or technological security, without requiring prior penalties. In sensitive sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and biomedicine, we expect authorities across multiple departments may use automated checks during document issuance and border inspection to apply the new outbound controls.

The regulations are intended to strengthen administration, manage risk, improve travel safety and protect legitimate travellers, rather than arbitrarily restrict lawful travel. Business travel, corporate assignments, tourism and family visits should not be adversely affected provided travellers provide truthful, complete materials and comply with applicable inspection processes.

Recommendations

Travellers, corporate clients and management teams should understand and fully comply with exit and entry requirements. False information or improper methods used to obtain visas or immigration documents may result in refusals, penalties, reputational damage and impact future travel eligibility.

Companies engaging exit and entry service providers should choose partners with strong compliance records, good reputations and appropriate professional qualifications to protect the company protect and its employees.

Companies in sensitive technology sectors should also review outbound travel controls, including approval processes, travel processes, purpose verification and standardized record retention, to manage risk under the anticipated heightened scrutiny.

Contact us

For a deeper discussion on the above, please reach out to your Vialto Partners point of contact, or alternatively:

Jacky Chu
Partner, China Leader

Sheree Cang
China Immigration Partner

Vanessa Li
China Immigration Partner

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