In 2024, the number of inbound and outbound trips made by individuals at Beijing's ports surpassed 18 million, reaching 18.27 million, with over 110,000 flight departures and arrivals handled, marking year-on-year increases of 90 and 76 percent, respectively. Specifically, the number of foreign nationals' exits from and entries into the Chinese mainland through Beijing was 4.84 million, indicating a year-on-year growth of approximately 125 percent.

As of December 31, 2024, Beijing's ports handled 920,000 entries by foreign nationals covered by the visa-free policies. Additionally, 144-hour and 240-hour temporary entry permits were issued to 64,000 eligible foreign travelers, representing 4.9 times and 2.2 times the numbers during the same period last year, respectively. Specifically, around 1.91 million entries by foreign nationals were recorded at Beijing Capital International Airport, with 710,000 visa-free entries. Over 28,000 trips by foreign nationals were covered by the 144-hour and 240-hour visa-free transit policies at Beijing Capital International Airport. Meanwhile, Beijing Daxing International Airport handled around 560,000 entries by foreign nationals, including 210,000 made on a visa-free basis. Over 36,000 trips by foreign nationals were covered by the 144-hour and 240-hour visa-free transit policies at Beijing Daxing International Airport.

On December 17, 2024, China fully relaxed and optimized its visa-free transit scheme by extending the permitted stay period of eligible foreign nationals from the previous 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours (or 10 days). In addition, 21 new exit-entry ports were added for travelers covered by the visa-free transit policy, and the permitted stay areas were further expanded. Driven by this new policy, the inbound tourism of Beijing has continued to thrive. According to statistics, from December 20 to 31, 2024, the number of foreign nationals' entries into China reached 108,000, marking a 43 percent increase month-on-month and a 70 percent rise compared with the same period in 2023.

To ensure the smooth implementation of these favorable exit-entry policies and provide foreign travelers with convenient and pleasant experiences from the moment they enter China, Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection has been continuously improving its services. Key measures include:

- Encouraging 17 airlines to adopt electronic boarding passes for faster and paperless exit and entry processes;

- Introducing self-service printing devices on a trial basis for Arrival Cards for foreigners to reduce congestion, long queues, and delays caused by manual form filling;

- Establishing multilingual service teams and dispatching officers proficient in foreign languages to provide on-site assistance, such as answering questions and offering guidance;

- Setting up more inspection lanes and waiting areas at high-traffic checkpoints and implementing dual-lane simultaneous inspection to improve the efficiency of exits and entries;

- Adopting an optimized model on a trial basis for issuing temporary entry permits at both Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, with three sets of special lanes for handling the applications for temporary entry permits established at each location. This enables a "one-stop" service where travelers can receive their temporary entry permits and complete border inspection procedures at a single sitting, thus enhancing their overall exit-entry experiences.

(Source: Official WeChat Account of Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection)