When a foreigner may not leave China: Article 28
Article 28 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law lists four circumstances in which foreigners shall not be allowed to exit China, and Article 27 sets out the exit examination for foreigners leaving.
Under Article 28 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law, foreigners shall not be allowed to exit China in any of four listed circumstances. The Law states these circumstances in a numbered list, and each one is quoted below in the Law's own wording. Article 27 sets out the exit examination, and Article 65 sets out how a decision not to allow exit is notified to the border inspection authorities.
The exit examination under Article 27
Article 27 states: "Foreigners who exit China shall submit their exit/entry documents including passports or other international travel documents to the exit/entry border inspection authorities for examination, go through prescribed formalities, and may exit upon examination and approval."
The four circumstances under Article 28
Article 28 states: "Under any of the following circumstances, foreigners shall not be allowed to exit China:"
(1) Are sentenced to criminal punishments, the execution of which are not completed, or suspects or defendants in criminal cases, except those who are sentenced and transferred under relevant agreements between China and foreign countries;
(2) Are involved in unsettled civil cases and are not allowed to exit China upon decision of the people's courts;
(3) Are in arrears of paying off labor remuneration and therefore are not allowed to exit by decision of the relevant departments under the State Council or of the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government; or
(4) Other circumstances in which exit shall not be allowed in accordance with laws or administrative regulations.
Article 28 gives no time limit for any of the four circumstances.
Notification under Article 65
Article 65 states: "Where persons are not allowed to exit or enter China upon decisions made in accordance with the law, the decision-making authorities shall duly inform the exit/entry border inspection authorities of such decisions in accordance with relevant regulations; where the circumstances in which the persons are not allowed to exit or enter China disappear, the decision-making authorities shall duly cancel the aforesaid decisions and inform exit/entry border inspection authorities of the cancellation."
Suggestion, not a rule: before you book a trip, read the four circumstances in Article 28 and check each one against your own situation.
Sources
- Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People's Republic of China (English text), National Immigration Administration
Checked 11 October 2026
This page is an unofficial summary, is not published by or affiliated with the National Immigration Administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, any embassy, consulate or visa application service centre, is not legal or immigration advice, and the official text and the current notice of the office handling your case prevail if they differ.