China tightens exit restrictions on citizens
New Chinese rules that took effect this week allow authorities to bar citizens from leaving the country for up to three years if they are deemed to have harmed national security abroad. Critics say the measures expand Beijing's power to control citizens' activities overseas.
New rules governing travel to and from China came into effect on Tuesday, a move observers say further tightens government control over citizens. Under the regulations, Chinese nationals deemed to have "harmed" national security or interests while overseas can be barred from leaving China for up to three years after returning home. Those who violate technology import and export rules that could endanger industrial or technological security may also face exit bans.
Chinese authorities say the rules aim to "safeguard national sovereignty and security" and insist they do not restrict travel for "ordinary citizens." A government platform, Piyao, described the rules as a preventative measure targeting high-risk destinations and unusual travel patterns, citing problems such as people being lured abroad into illegal gambling and scam operations.
But legal experts and affected individuals describe a different reality. Professor Tom Kellogg of Georgetown University's Center for Asian Law said the rules are another tool to control what Chinese citizens do and say abroad, with state security sometimes refusing passports outright to prevent criticism of the government or punish rights advocacy.
One 26-year-old man, identified only as Pipi, told BBC Chinese his 2023 passport application was rejected, which he believes was linked to his attendance at Hong Kong's 2019 pro-democracy protests. An immigration official told him verbally he could not travel "because of the Hong Kong issue," but he never received written confirmation, leaving him unable to formally appeal.
Data from rights group Safeguard Defenders shows exit-ban cases mentioned in China's court database surged from 89 in 2016 to 188,760 last year, with the share of civil verdicts involving exit bans rising more than 30-fold between 2019 and 2025. The new rules also require border officials to warn citizens against travelling to "high-risk" countries. Some state employees, including at a state-owned financial institution and even museum staff, said they already face informal bans on foreign travel and must surrender passports for approval. Kellogg called the expanding restrictions "deeply concerning," comparing the climate to the isolation of the Mao era.
