China has introduced comprehensive new travel restrictions that expand government authority over citizen movement both domestically and internationally. The regulations permit officials to prevent people from leaving the country for periods up to three years if they are deemed to have harmed national security, national interests, or industrial or technological security.
Border officials are now required to warn Chinese nationals against travel to countries and regions classified as high-risk. The restrictions apply broadly, though certain groups have faced such controls for longer periods. State employees, including civil servants and workers at state-owned enterprises, have been subject to passport surrender requirements and approval processes for international travel. According to available accounts, individuals seeking to travel for family visits face higher approval rates than those planning tourism. A retired civil servant from Anhui province reported that his workplace confiscated passports around 2018, and his passport remained with his former employer even after his retirement last year.
Data compiled by rights organization Safeguard Defenders indicates a dramatic escalation in exit bans. China’s supreme court database recorded 89 exit ban cases in 2016, rising to 188,760 last year. The proportion of civil verdicts involving exit bans increased more than 30-fold between 2019 and 2025, from approximately 0.23 percent to 7.3 percent. The actual number of affected individuals is believed to be substantially higher due to growing numbers of withheld judgments.
The government stated that the measures target high-risk individuals and destinations rather than ordinary citizens, framing them as protections against deception, illegal gambling, and overseas scam operations. However, analysts contend the rules function as control mechanisms affecting sectors including human rights advocacy. One individual reported that his 2023 passport application was rejected, which he attributes to his participation in pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong in 2019, though this was not formally documented. Citizens generally only learn they face exit restrictions when attempting to depart or apply for travel documents, as no transparent mechanism exists for individuals to check their status beforehand.
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