China's Travel ban on teachers: Nation bars public workers from going abroad without approval
Some are even being forced to surrender passports or seek multi-layered approvals before leaving the country, even for personal trips
- Aug 5, 2025,
- Updated Aug 5, 2025 11:34 AM IST
China has intensified restrictions on overseas travel for public employees, including teachers, doctors, and staff at state-run enterprises, with some being forced to surrender passports or seek multi-layered approvals before leaving the country, even for personal trips, according to a report by NYT.
At a public elementary school in southern China, newly hired literature teacher Tina Liu was warned her job could be at risk if she travelled abroad without permission. “We will currently not permit any overseas vacations,” a message in the school staff group read, citing regulations from “higher-ups” and the need for disciplinary awareness.
Similar curbs are in force elsewhere. The New York Times reported that local governments are now banning civil servants from group dining, discouraging foreign study, and disqualifying overseas-educated individuals from certain public posts. In one case, a nurse in Zhejiang province said she would require four levels of clearance to travel overseas. In another, public officials from six fishing villages in Zhoushan were asked to turn in their passports.
The restrictions are being justified on the grounds of national security, corruption control, and cost savings. But they are sweeping in nature, applying to even low-level workers with no access to sensitive information. Since 2003, senior officials handling state secrets have been required to report foreign travel; under Xi Jinping, this mandate has expanded to cover far wider sections of the bureaucracy.
Liu, who is in her 20s, questioned the contradiction. “On the one hand, you want foreigners to come to China. You advertise Chinese culture and hope they’ll boost the economy. But on the other hand, why are you trapping us here?”
The People’s Daily recently reinforced this stance, stating that people-to-people diplomacy “exists because of the party” and must be led by it.
China has intensified restrictions on overseas travel for public employees, including teachers, doctors, and staff at state-run enterprises, with some being forced to surrender passports or seek multi-layered approvals before leaving the country, even for personal trips, according to a report by NYT.
At a public elementary school in southern China, newly hired literature teacher Tina Liu was warned her job could be at risk if she travelled abroad without permission. “We will currently not permit any overseas vacations,” a message in the school staff group read, citing regulations from “higher-ups” and the need for disciplinary awareness.
Similar curbs are in force elsewhere. The New York Times reported that local governments are now banning civil servants from group dining, discouraging foreign study, and disqualifying overseas-educated individuals from certain public posts. In one case, a nurse in Zhejiang province said she would require four levels of clearance to travel overseas. In another, public officials from six fishing villages in Zhoushan were asked to turn in their passports.
The restrictions are being justified on the grounds of national security, corruption control, and cost savings. But they are sweeping in nature, applying to even low-level workers with no access to sensitive information. Since 2003, senior officials handling state secrets have been required to report foreign travel; under Xi Jinping, this mandate has expanded to cover far wider sections of the bureaucracy.
Liu, who is in her 20s, questioned the contradiction. “On the one hand, you want foreigners to come to China. You advertise Chinese culture and hope they’ll boost the economy. But on the other hand, why are you trapping us here?”
The People’s Daily recently reinforced this stance, stating that people-to-people diplomacy “exists because of the party” and must be led by it.