Travel Made Easier: China to launch simpler application processes for exit-entry documents

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02:02

International travel by Chinese people will soon get another boost. Starting in April, Chinese citizens can apply for their travel documents and passports in virtually any mainland city, eliminating the need to travel back to their hometowns, as part of the existing policy. CGTN's Wu Guoxiu has more.

Gone are the days of having to travel home to apply for a passport. China's National Immigration Administration, an organization founded just last year, has made its first splashy move, helping Chinese travel abroad more easily.

YIN CHENGJI, VICE DIRECTOR NATIONAL IMMIGRATION ADMINISTRATION "Effective April 1st, residents in the Chinese mainland can apply for passports and travel permits to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan at every exit and entry management department across the country. Tourist group visas for all three places can be obtained from self-help machines."

The new measure aims to simplify and expedite what was once a tedious process, while also reducing costs.

YIN CHENGJI, VICE DIRECTOR NATIONAL IMMIGRATION ADMINISTRATION "For mainland residents, they never need to go back to their hometown registration sites for travel documents. This change can help people save a combined 20 billion yuan a year."

The administration says this year, an estimated 21 million people will apply for passports and travel permits away from home. People can apply via a new official website, an app and through other platforms like Wechat and Alipay. The new passport arrives within 7 working days.

WU GUOXIU BEIJING "China's outbound policies for private affairs have undergone different stages. From being restrictive decades ago to a gradual relaxing since the 1980s, now citizens get exit and entry documents virtually anywhere across the country. But as of last year, only about 12 percent of Chinese are holding valid regular passports. Wu Guoxiu, CGTN, Beijing."