China Implements New Exit and Entry Rules Impacting Overseas Citizens

China’s State Council issued a 19‑article set of regulations on exit and entry management that will take effect on 15 September. The rules expand government authority over travel, requiring immigration and study‑abroad agencies to file client information with authorities and allowing provincial officials to restrict the departure of Chinese citizens who are deemed to have engaged in activities harmful to national security or interests.

The measures also give officials the power to examine travelers’ mobile devices and electronic data at airports, and to withhold written notices of travel bans when national security is invoked. Analysts and overseas Chinese communities warn that the provisions could affect green‑card holders and other permanent residents, potentially jeopardising their foreign residency status if they are barred from leaving China for six months to three years. Human‑rights groups criticize the lack of transparency and the broad discretion granted to local authorities, describing the regulations as among the strictest border controls in recent Chinese history.