China Reopens for Business Travel: Here’s What to Know

The world is once again open for business — a stark reminder of how far the world has come since the border closures three years ago.

China officially reopened its borders on Sunday, January 8, and ended quarantine requirements for inbound international visitors.  Borders are only open for business travel and family visits—not leisure tourism—and travelers are still required to take a test 48 hours before departure to China.

Chinese travelers can also now traverse the globe for business and pleasure. China’s Ministry of Transport expects two billion-plus passengers to take trips over the next 40 days, an increase of 99.5% year-over-year and more than 70% of 2019 trip numbers.

In response to the news, dozens of countries reintroduced mandates requiring COVID-19 tests from Chinese travelers after scrapping testing regulations in favor of vaccination status for most countries. Business travelers from China will also need the proper visas, and concerns about delays in securing proper documentation have surfaced.

In other border news, the U.S. TSA extended its ban on unvaccinated travelers through April 10, 2023. The original ban was set to expire on January 8, but an emergency extension was quietly released on December 30, 2022. After opening the border to fully vaccinated travelers in September 2021, the U.S. remains the only country to maintain a ban against unvaccinated travelers.

While we’re closer than ever to the open borders that saw business travel peak in 2019, travel managers and individual travelers need to stay abreast of regulations—especially if planning a trip to or from China. For that, Navan provides updated information on restrictions and the necessary documents needed before users can complete their trip purchase.

Those booking on the Navan platform must search and select flights or rail tickets. Before purchasing, they can see all necessary information in real-time, including:

• International travel restrictions in a centralized place before booking travel
• Visa requirements based on destination and traveler passport type
• Mandated health passports/documentation required upon entry
• Testing, quarantine, and mask requirements upon arrival

Travelers can even select to have notifications of any travel restriction related to their trip sent weekly leading up to the departure. In partnership with Sherpa, Navan is a single source of truth for all international travel information needed for employees, travel managers, executives, and even leisure travelers.