On September 15, 2026, a new national regulation governing how people enter and leave China took effect. Published as State Council Decree No. 841, the Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry Administration set out for the first time in one regulation how Chinese authorities verify why a foreign visitor is traveling, what happens when supporting documents are false, and who may lawfully provide visa-related services inside the country.
For most leisure travelers the impact is small: no new visa, no new arrival form and no new fee. But the regulation changes the consequences of inaccurate paperwork, and introduces a registration system for the agencies that handle Chinese visa applications. Here is what changed — and what did not.
What Is State Council Decree No. 841?
Decree No. 841 is the Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry Administration. It was adopted at the 90th executive meeting of the State Council on June 29, 2026, signed by Premier Li Qiang on July 22, 2026, published on July 31, 2026 and entered into force on September 15, 2026.
The regulation contains 19 articles covering four areas:
- Security risk prevention for Chinese citizens traveling abroad
- The requirements that apply when someone applies for entry, exit, stay or residence in China
- Exit and entry restriction measures, including the denial of entry
- Supervision of exit and entry intermediary services — the visa agents and documentation companies that assist applicants
What Has Not Changed
Decree No. 841 does not withdraw any of China's travel facilitation measures. As of September 15, 2026:
- Visa categories are unchanged, including the L visa for tourism, the M visa for business and trade, the Z visa for employment and the X visa for study.
- Unilateral visa-free entry remains in place. Holders of ordinary passports from 50 countries may enter without a visa for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit for up to 30 days, until 24:00 Beijing time on December 31, 2026. Russia's exemption runs to December 31, 2027.
- The 240-hour visa-free transit scheme remains in force. After the National Immigration Administration's August 2026 expansion, nationals of 57 countries can use it through 65 eligible ports in 24 provincial-level regions, staying up to 240 hours when traveling on to a third country or region.
- There is no new arrival form, no new fee and no new document requirement for ordinary tourists entering visa-free.
The National Immigration Administration reported 22.914 million inbound foreign nationals in the first half of 2026, up 20.4% year on year, of whom 17.815 million entered visa-free — 77.7% of the total.
Article 3: Your Reason for Travelling Must Be Truthful
Article 3 states that the reasons given by anyone applying to enter, exit, stay or reside in China must be truthful and lawful. During verification, immigration and visa authorities may ask questions and require applicants to provide documents, materials and electronic data. Applicants must cooperate.
This is not an extra form for tourists. It is a reminder that entry is a border-control decision, not an automatic right. The China Foreign Ministry recommends that visa-free visitors carry material matching the purpose they declare:
- A return or onward ticket
- Hotel booking confirmations or a host's invitation
- A simple day-by-day itinerary
- For business travel, a letter of invitation from the Chinese host organization
- For study tours, the acceptance or program documents
Article 5: The One-to-Five Year Entry Ban
Article 5 is the provision most often misreported. A foreign national who provides false materials or makes false statements when applying for a Chinese visa overseas, or when applying for entry at a Chinese port, may be barred from entering China for between one and five years. The same range applies to someone who has received criminal punishment for disrupting border administration, or an administrative penalty for fraudulently obtaining documents or crossing the border illegally.
Three details are widely missed:
- The ban is discretionary, not automatic. Authorities decide whether to impose one and for how long. There is no automatic five-year penalty for a mistake on a form.
- It is not limited to visa holders. The wording covers entry at ports generally, so it can also apply to travelers entering visa-free or under visa-exempt transit if false information is found.
- The prohibition itself is not new. Refusing entry on the basis of fraudulent documents was already possible under the 2013 law. Decree No. 841 adds an explicit, codified multi-year exclusion mechanism.
New Responsibilities for Invitation Letters
Companies, universities and individuals that issue invitation letters for foreign visitors now carry explicit responsibility for what they certify. Under Article 3, an organization or individual issuing an invitation must stand behind its authenticity and cooperate with authorities who need to verify it.
Article 11 sets the penalties for false supporting documents:
- Individuals who provide a false invitation letter or other application material for another person's entry, exit, stay or residence face a fine of RMB 5,000 to RMB 10,000, with unlawful gains confiscated.
- Organisations face a fine of RMB 10,000 to RMB 50,000, with unlawful gains confiscated.
- Managers and directly responsible personnel face an additional fine of RMB 5,000 to RMB 10,000.
This matters most for business travel, conference delegations and study tours, where a Chinese host supplies the invitation.
A New Filing System for Visa Agents
Articles 7 to 13 introduce a filing, or registration, system for organizations and individuals providing exit and entry intermediary services — policy consultation, document applications and immigration procedures.
- New providers must file with their local immigration authority within 15 days of establishment, and their staff are registered through the organization.
- Providers already operating before September 15, 2026 have 90 days from that date — until roughly mid-December 2026 — to complete filing.
- Article 8 lists the conditions for approval and states that overseas enterprises and institutions may not provide exit and entry intermediary services inside China.
- Article 10 prohibits misleading advertising, supplying or helping to prepare fraudulent materials, leaking personal information, working outside the filed scope and assisting cross-border illegal activity.
- Article 12 fines incorrect filing at RMB 5,000 to RMB 10,000, rising to RMB 10,000 to RMB 50,000 in serious cases, alongside suspension or license revocation.
- Article 13 sets higher penalties for intermediaries that disrupt exit and entry administration: confiscation of gains, plus one to five times the gains where they exceed RMB 20,000, or RMB 20,000 to RMB 50,000 where they do not.
For travelers, the takeaway is simple: avoid any agent that offers to "adjust" information to improve approval odds.
A Practical Checklist
- State your purpose of travel consistently across your visa application, arrival declaration and the documents you carry.
- If you enter visa-free, remember the 30 days are counted from 00:00 the day after arrival and cannot be extended inside China.
- If a Chinese host issues your invitation letter, make sure names, dates and purpose match your own documents.
- Check the validity date for your nationality, since most unilateral exemptions run only to December 31, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a visa to visit China now that the new rules apply?
No. Decree No. 841 introduces no new visa and removes no existing visa-free arrangement. Holders of ordinary passports from the 50 countries covered by China's unilateral visa-free policy can still enter for tourism, business, family visits, exchanges or transit for up to 30 days until December 31, 2026, and the 57-country, 65-port 240-hour transit scheme remains in force.
Will I be banned for five years if I make a mistake on my application?
Not automatically. The one-to-five year ban applies to false materials and false statements, and authorities have discretion over whether to impose it. Entry could already be refused for fraudulent information under the 2013 law; the new element is the explicit multi-year exclusion mechanism.
Does the new regulation affect visa-free and transit travelers?
It can. Article 5 is drafted around entry at Chinese ports generally, not around visa holders specifically, so a traveler entering visa-free or in transit who gives false information falls within the same provision. For genuine travelers who declare their purpose accurately, the process is unchanged.
What documents should I carry when entering China visa-free?
Material consistent with your stated purpose: a return or onward ticket, hotel bookings or a host's invitation, and a simple itinerary. Business travelers should carry a letter of invitation from the Chinese host, and study tour participants their program documents.
I run a visa consultancy in China. What must I do?
Organisations providing exit and entry intermediary services must file with their local immigration authority within 15 days of establishment. Those already operating before September 15, 2026 have 90 days from that date. Filing is not optional, and penalties for operating outside the system include fines, suspension of business and license revocation.
Planning a Trip Once Your Paperwork Is in Order
The regulation tightens the paperwork, not the welcome. Once your documents are consistent and your purpose of travel is clear, the visa-free window into China remains as open as it was in August 2026.
LinkedTours has been arranging private, bespoke travel in China since the 1990s, across inbound leisure travel, business travel and international study tours. If you would like help building an itinerary, or a Chinese host organization to issue a compliant invitation letter for a business delegation or a school group, our team can walk you through the documents before you apply. Start with our China visa and entry guides, or tell us what you have in mind.