By Cai Siyun
For years, Chinese authorities have required government officials at the section-chief level and above to surrender their passports for centralized management. In recent weeks, similar controls have begun extending to ordinary citizens, according to residents in multiple regions who say they have been ordered to hand over their passports and seek approval before traveling abroad.
Lawyers say such requirements must be grounded in clear legal authority. Without it, they warn, the measures risk violating existing law.
According to The Epoch Times, multiple mainland residents said last year that passport confiscation measures had been rolled out across the administrative system for section-level officials and above. The policy applies to civil servants, teachers, employees of state-owned enterprises and other public-sector staff, with outbound travel subject to multiple layers of approval.
In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Guangxi, Shaanxi and other regions, civil servants and supervisors at public institutions and centrally administered state-owned enterprises have widely been required to submit their passports, along with Hong Kong and Macau travel permits, to their work units for centralized custody. Even grassroots-level section chiefs are not permitted to retain their travel documents privately.
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Catholic clergy nationwide to surrender their passports
On Dec. 16, China’s Patriotic Catholic Association and the Bishops’ Conference issued internal rules requiring all Catholic clergy nationwide to surrender their passports and Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan travel permits for centralized management. Overseas travel is subject to strict approval procedures.
Some observers say the move formally places Catholic clergy under a control system similar to that applied to Party and government officials. Clergy members interviewed said cross-border exchanges are a normal part of religious life, but are now subject to heightened administrative and political oversight.
The regulation is labeled as a “trial,” prompting concern that similar measures could later be extended to other religious groups. Some Christians said that China’s state-sanctioned Three-Self churches are also discussing comparable arrangements.
According to Creaders, ordinary citizens in some areas have recently been required to surrender their passports, with outbound travel subject to prior reporting and approval. These practices have been reported mainly in Gansu, Guizhou and Yunnan. As of now, no unified national document or clear legal basis has been made public, though the measures are already being enforced at the local level.
Several residents said that simply booking an international flight ticket can trigger phone calls from police or community officials. The callers typically ask about travel destinations, purposes, length of stay abroad, and whether the trip involves work, family visits or other activities.
One overseas Chinese national wrote on social media that authorities in his place of household registration—Wudu District in Longnan City, Gansu Province—had ordered residents to surrender their passports for what officials described as “temporary safekeeping.” Any plans to travel abroad require advance reporting and approval. Although he has lived overseas for many years, he said he was still subject to the requirement. Authorities provided no written legal justification and did not specify how long the passports would be held.
Passports placed under centralized storage
Residents from other regions reported similar experiences. In parts of Yunnan, ordinary residents said their passports were placed under centralized storage. In Zunyi, Guizhou, frequent outbound travelers were reportedly required to surrender their passports and cooperate with follow-up questioning after returning to China.
Interviewees said such requirements are typically conveyed directly by local police stations, subdistrict offices or neighborhood committees. In some cases, officials register passport information; in others, they demand submission of the original documents. In most instances, no time limit for the so-called temporary custody is specified, nor are legal provisions or official documents presented.
When travel abroad is required for work or family reasons, individuals are often asked to explain the purpose in advance and wait for approval from relevant departments before retrieving their passports. Procedures and waiting periods vary, with no unified standard.
Under Chinese law, passports are lawful personal identification documents, and no organization or individual is permitted to unlawfully detain them. Only courts, procuratorates or public security organs handling specific cases are legally authorized to confiscate passports.
Legal authority required
A Wuhan-based lawyer surnamed Zhang said that if passport surrender requirements are imposed broadly on ordinary residents rather than on individuals involved in specific cases, clear legal authority, conditions and procedures are required. Otherwise, he said, the legality of such measures is highly questionable.
He added that neither employers nor subdistrict offices have the authority to impose centralized custody or de facto approval mechanisms for private passports used for personal overseas travel.
Lawyers interviewed said measures carried out under the guise of “temporary safekeeping” or “reporting” effectively function as preemptive controls on citizens’ freedom of movement and exceed the scope of normal administrative management.
The practices have affected a wide range of social groups. Students report greater difficulty making last-minute travel arrangements to return to schools abroad. Business and trade professionals face increased uncertainty in scheduling, affecting contracts and cooperation. Families involved in cross-border caregiving describe disruptions. Even long-term overseas residents, despite having lived abroad for years, remain subject to domestic control measures.
In the absence of publicly released documents or clear legal justification, passport “temporary custody” and outbound travel “reporting” requirements appear to be shifting from isolated practices toward routine enforcement.
