Exit Control · Full chronicle and history

Bloomberg reported on September 28, citing people with knowledge of the matter, that China has expanded exit restrictions on top AI talent at private companies to include some family members: spouses and children of executives at AI and chip firms must obtain official approval in advance even for short trips abroad, in an effort to prevent key technologies and information from flowing to the United States. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not respond to a request for comment.

According to a summary by blogger Qiqi Baba, passport application policies in Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, Hunan and many other regions have been tightened, and the procedures for going abroad have become more cumbersome than before.

According to blogger Qiqi Baba, many people were contacted by relevant departments in their hometowns after returning to China with their passports and were asked to cancel them.

Blogger Qiqi Baba was separately interrogated by border inspection while departing at Ningbo Airport on September 17. He was asked about his experience transiting in Egypt last year, and said that departure management at Ningbo Airport is strict, with each accompanying person required to undergo inspection one by one.

Blogger Qiqi Baba said that after new rules took effect on September 15, one of his followers was stopped and questioned at the airport, asked to provide a hotel booking, itinerary and return ticket, and warned that those holding tourist visas should delete content on their phones related to overseas work and Macau to avoid being checked.

A netizen said that due to employer restrictions they could not travel abroad freely, but the employer's rules stipulated they could not voluntarily resign within 5 years and could only leave by being fired. After 15 days of absenteeism, the employer initiated the procedure, and it took about 3 months to get the passport back.

On September 15, the day the new entry and exit regulations came into effect, some netizens reported that a certain unit required all its employees, both permanent and contract, to hand over their passports and Hong Kong/Macau travel permits to the HR department for registration. Netizens in the comment section reported similar confiscation of documents by units in many places, and that entry and exit records would be checked irregularly.

The "Regulations of the State Council on Exit and Entry" promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party's State Council officially took effect on September 15, 2026, requiring that reasons for exit be truthful and lawful, and possibly requiring the presentation of documents and electronic data, otherwise exit will be denied.

China's customs authorities have introduced new regulations concerning entry-exit management, which are being pointed to as primarily targeting wealthy individuals and high-profile entrepreneurs for border control to prevent the flight of capital and personnel.

On September 15, China’s new entry‑exit management regulations officially took effect, empowering authorities to inspect electronic devices, deny exit to persons involved in security matters, and not disclose related decisions. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Chairperson Shen Youzhong and the Straits Exchange Foundation Deputy Secretary‑General Li Baowen promptly reminded the public to pay attention to information security and risk assessment when traveling to the mainland.

According to the Hu Liren program, China has tightened exit restrictions starting September 15, 2026, with customs able to intercept people with legitimate business from leaving the country at any time, in what is known as "large-scale border control."

China began enforcing the 19-article Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration promulgated on July 31 starting September 15, expanding the scope of those barred from leaving the country from specific groups to all departing passengers at every port of exit, particularly affecting AI researchers and entrepreneurs, drawing widespread attention and concern at home and abroad. On September 10, officials issued a clarification saying the new rules mainly target cross-border gambling, telecom fraud, and the illicit transfer of technology. On the same day, the human rights organization Safeguard Defenders released a report noting an explosive growth in China's exit bans, with nearly 200,000 mentions of exit restrictions in Supreme People's Court rulings in 2025.

China's new exit-entry regulations took effect on September 15, which outside observers interpreted as a tightening of outbound travel; officials subsequently denied this.

On September 12, 2026, a netizen purchased a flight ticket from Guangzhou to Vietnam. With the ticket, passport and all other documents in order, they were still turned back at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and denied permission to leave the country.

On September 10, the Chinese Communist Party's Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Public Security, and National Immigration Administration issued a joint response, saying that the claims circulating online that "exit will be comprehensively tightened" and "it will become harder for ordinary people to leave the country" are a misreading, and that the new rules only target online fraud, high-risk destinations, and travelers with abnormal travel patterns, with normal exit unaffected.

According to a video by Qiqi Baba, the difficulty of applying for a passport may increase after September 15, as the new exit-entry regulations are being strictly enforced. The video also said that the number of people going abroad has risen noticeably recently, and reminded viewers to obtain proper visas as early as possible.

On September 9, a netizen who claimed to be someone working inside the system posted "Smashing the Iron Rice Bowl with My Own Hands, Unlocking the Iron Shackles with My Own Hands," saying that because civil servants' passports are kept by their employers and they cannot resign within five years, she reached a tacit understanding with her leader and then deliberately skipped work for 15 consecutive days to trigger the dismissal procedure, completing the formalities over three months to get her passport back. The post sparked discussion among netizens and was dubbed "goodwill absenteeism."

The video mentions that mainland China will tighten entry and exit management on September 15, 2026. This move is seen as synchronized with the previously introduced “Anti-National Unity Bill”, aiming to provide authorities with legal grounds to control and detain individuals at entry and exit points, especially those deemed to have “insulted China or the CCP”.

On September 3, 2026, Zhejiang police issued a report stating that a 16-year-old had applied alone in another locality for a passport with the intention of going abroad; border entry-exit officers contacted the parents to intervene on the grounds of fraud-related controls and dissuaded the issuance of the passport.

Insiders within the system say that, around the time new rules take effect, government agencies, financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, hospitals and universities are expanding the scope of passport screenings. Some units have issued an "Internal Special Investigation Form" requiring employees to declare whether they and their family members hold foreign passports, dual nationality or foreign green cards. Passports of staff in classified positions and officials at deputy division level or above are to be kept by their employers.

Sources in Beijing's financial circles revealed that some finance and state-owned enterprise executives, unable to resign normally, have asked acquaintances among doctors to issue critical illness certificates stating "late-stage cancer," while others deliberately drove drunk and asked traffic police to pull them over, preferring administrative detention, in order to force their employers to dismiss them and thereby recover the passports held in centralized custody.

On September 1, 2026, a former teacher in Guangdong posted a complaint stating that their identification documents were confiscated while employed, and the school blocked them from traveling to Hong Kong to visit a sick relative under the pretext of 'non-essential travel,' preventing them from seeing their relative until after they had passed away.

On August 27, a netizen in Leiyang, Hunan, posted on social media that after traveling to Southeast Asia, they were flagged by the local anti-fraud center as a person at risk of involvement in fraud and were restricted from leaving the country, despite having no criminal record and receiving no written notification.

On August 27, 2026, a citizen registered in Leiyang, Hunan, reported that after merely taking a normal trip to Southeast Asia, they were labeled as fraud-risk by the local anti-fraud center and barred from leaving the country without any case being filed; appealing requires submitting a large amount of overseas documents.

A Chinese national working in Singapore was asked by the local police station to submit 7 additional documents, including his passport, overseas employment certificate, and proof of medical insurance, while on a business trip back home.

Around August 20, rumors circulated online that Ctrip's Liang Jianzhang had fled, which were likewise linked to the new entry-exit regulations taking effect on September 15, but the matter eventually fizzled out.

On August 12, 2026, netizens in multiple places reported on social media platforms that recently applying for ordinary passports has encountered unusually strict scrutiny, being questioned in detail by the entry-exit departments about deposits, bank statements, and travel itineraries; some netizens' online applications directly showed as not approved.

It is alleged that the CCP Central Committee General Office conveyed requirements to Wang Xiaohong through Chen Wenqing, mandating the state security system to conduct political vetting of individuals entering and exiting China.

On August 5, a Guilin resident went to the exit-entry administration office to apply for an endorsement for Japan but was intercepted by the system; staff informed them that they had been placed on the police's information control list and could not obtain exit documents.

On August 5, a netizen posted that they were strictly interrogated by customs at the airport upon exiting the country as to why they were traveling alone, and that on-site staff made groundless doubts about the authenticity of their legitimate UK visa.

Chinese customs officials have been instructed to tighten entry and exit management and intercept suspicious individuals, seen as a sign of the country shutting itself off from the world.

It is alleged that China Customs has begun intercepting and repatriating some individuals preparing to go abroad, without informing the relevant personnel of the specific reasons.

The State Taxation Administration has reportedly received orders to begin retroactive audits of personal income tax for overseas citizens, affecting Chinese citizens who have worked abroad for many years as well as some individuals who have renounced their citizenship, in conjunction with overseas asset investigations and exit controls.

A netizen in Gansu reported that some subdistrict residents' committees require ordinary residents to hand over their passports to grid workers for safekeeping; another netizen said that even the passports of temporary hospital staff were confiscated.

A Chinese national who had previously worked abroad and was preparing to travel overseas again said that police asked them to go to a police station for verification, where officers checked the contents of their phone and collected their information for about two hours.

China’s State Council has promulgated regulations on exit and entry administration, covering verification of purposes of exit, provision of electronic data, decisions by administrative authorities to restrict exit, and enforcement by border inspection.

According to the streamer, Xi Jinping introduced a new law on July 31 that he called an "evil law"; the streamer believes this measure will further restrict Chinese citizens' access to overseas societies.

A blogger stated that followers reported being denied passport applications; she also mentioned that personnel in certain regions or departments require approval, guarantees, and sureties for travel.

On July 31, 2026, China's State Council promulgated the State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration, signed by Li Qiang, which incorporate harm to industrial security and technological security into the circumstances for restricting citizens' exit, granting administrative departments greater discretion in exit border controls.

On July 31, 2026, China's State Council announced new exit-entry administration rules that list harm to national industrial security and technological security as grounds for exit prohibition, and grant administrative authorities the power to impose exit bans on dual-use items and core technical personnel.

The Chinese Communist Party's State Council issued a new offshore trust announcement, levying twenty on board debt, and restructured exit management through Order No. 841, tightening cross-border funds and personnel exits in coordination with CRS data alignment.

Li Qiang signed the "State Council Regulations on Exit and Entry Administration" (Order No. 841) on July 22, 2026. The regulations consist of 19 articles, covering the establishment of a filing management system for exit-entry intermediary services, and stipulate that public officials and military personnel who entrust intermediaries to handle immigration must report to supervisory organs.

Screenshots circulating on Weibo show that the CCP is requiring personnel in the system to surrender their passports, with some units even demanding the "voluntary cancellation" of passports and conducting audits of overseas travel records from the past five years.

According to a Bloomberg report cited by the program, government departments require senior AI researchers and executives at companies such as Alibaba and DeepSeek to obtain prior approval before leaving the country.

In May 2026, primary and secondary school teachers, nurses, grassroots civil servants and others were widely required to hand over their passports to be kept by their work units.

In April and May 2026, the Chinese Communist Party promulgated regulations on industrial chain security and countermeasures against improper foreign extraterritorial jurisdiction, expanding restrictions on personal freedom.

In March 2026, the CCP deceived two minus executives into returning to China and subsequently banned them from leaving the country.

In the second half of 2025, the Chinese Communist Party began large-scale measures to lock people in, including requiring personnel inside the system and grassroots public institution employees to hand over their passports; even students at universities, primary and middle schools need school approval to leave the country.

Liu Xiaoqing and her boyfriend flew from Beijing to Shenzhen and attempted to take a boat to France via Hong Kong, but they were intercepted by border control officers at the Shenzhen airport ferry terminal who had been notified in advance, causing their escape plan to fail.

When Teresa Teng entered Tokyo, Japan, using an Indonesian passport, she was detained by Japanese police and taken to the Immigration Bureau. The Japanese authorities determined that the issuance procedure was improper, deported her, and banned her from entering Japan for one year.