In order to attract more Taiwanese citizens to travel to mainland China, the official website of China's Exit-Entry Administration announced on the 3rd that the number of visa-on-arrival (Taiwan Compatriot Permits) entry points has been expanded to 100. Whether traveling directly from Taiwan or transiting via Hong Kong, Macau, or other foreign countries, travelers can apply for the permit upon arriving at a designated entry point without pre-application in Taiwan. Additionally, Taiwanese citizens who agree to have their facial features, fingerprints, and other personal information collected can use facial recognition for fast-track customs clearance at ports such as Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, and Wutong Ferry Terminal, reducing waiting times in line.
On the 3rd, the official website of the Mainland's Exit-Entry Administration announced the latest immigration and exit-entry management service policies, covering ten major new measures concerning travel for people from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, as well as expanding the number of visa-free transit ports. Two of these measures specifically benefit Taiwanese citizens.
The first is that, starting from the 20th, the number of ports authorized to issue single-entry Taiwan Compatriot Permits will increase from the current 58 to 100. Even without applying for the permit in advance, travelers can apply for a single-entry permit upon arrival at the border's public security exit-entry administration agency. Once approved, travelers can receive their permit and enter the mainland, enabling true "travel-on-a-whim."
The 42 newly added entry ports can be grouped as follows: First, the Northern Line: Tianjin Port, Manzhouli, Erenhot—making it more convenient to visit Northeast China and Inner Mongolia; second, the Coastal Line: Yantai Port, Weihai Port, Guangzhou Pazhou Passenger Port, Shekou Port, Zhuhai Port—allowing travelers to arrive by ship and obtain a visa on arrival; third, Southwest Border and Northwest: Lijiang Airport, Dunhuang Airport, Kashgar Airport, Mohan—making deep travel into Yunnan, Xinjiang, and Xishuangbanna possible with on-arrival permit processing!
Additionally, starting from the 5th, the facial recognition fast-track system, already in use at Shenzhen Bay and Zhuhai Gongbei entry points, will be expanded to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, Wutong Ferry Terminal, Guangzhou Pazhou Passenger Port, Nansha Passenger Port, Shenzhen Huanggang, Luohu, Liantang, Futian, Wenjindu, Zhuhai Hengqin, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge entry points. This will make it even more convenient for Taiwanese businesspeople in southern China to travel between Hong Kong, Macau, and the Kinmen-Xiamen "mini-three links."