Mobility: Immigration
alert
December 2022
China Mainland
Executive summary
Effective 8 January 2023, China Mainland will resume issuing
Chinese passports and Exit-Entry Permits and reimplement the
24/72/144-hour visa-free transit policy, among other measures.
Background
The Chinese government began implementing travel restrictions
in March 2020 to restrict the spread of COVID-19 and continued
updating them as the pandemic evolved. In recent months,
China Mainland has relaxed several restrictions, including
lifting the requirement for inbound travelers to obtain PU letters
prior to travel, reopening borders to certain travelers and
relaxing and eliminating certain testing and other requirements.
Key developments
Effective 8 January 2023, China Mainland will resume:
• Processing applications for, and issuing, Chinese ordinary
passports for the purpose of tourism and visiting friends
and family abroad.
• Processing endorsements for Chinese Mainland residents to
visit the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) for
tourism and business purposes.
• Issuing People's Republic of China Exit-Entry Permits and
Exit-Entry Permits for border control areas.
• Issuing port visas, re-implement the 24/72/144-hour
visa-free transit policy and resume issuing Temporary Entry
Permits in accordance with the law.
China Mainland to lift additional COVID-19-related restrictions on 8 January 2023
• Processing non-Chinese individuals' applications to: (1)
extend, renew and re-issue Ordinary Visas, (2) issue, renew
and re-issue Stay Permits, and (3) issue, extend, renew and
re-issue Residence Permits. In urgent cases, individuals
may apply for expedited processing of their applications.
• Expedited immigration inspections at fast channels in ports
adjacent to the Hong Kong and Macao SARs for holders
of Hong Kong and Macao Travel Permits for Mainland
Residents and Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and
Macao Residents.
Impact on employers
These measures are expected to facilitate the deployment of
Chinese employees to overseas entities and enable employers
to expedite the hiring of non-Chinese individuals seeking to
work in China Mainland.
Key steps
EY will continue to monitor these developments. Should you
have any questions, we encourage you to contact one of our
immigration professionals.
