An exit ban is a leave-China block — criminal suspects, unpaid judgments, and some border controls are different engines with the same airport result.
People discover exit bans at check-in or immigration: a criminal case, a civil enforcement restriction, or another lawful stop. Criminal-procedure and civil-enforcement bans are not the same file. Foreign directors and legal representatives already have a live Related long-form guide. we do not recreate it. This wiki orients the concept and points to counsel and that guide. Release-pending-trial conditions can also restrict travel. Do not buy a second ticket ‘to see if it clears’.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Criminal, civil, or unknown?
Which authority.
EngineIs there an open case or judgment?
Documents.
FileDirector/legal-rep role?
Deep guide.
RoleCounsel to query the restriction?
Not airline staff.
CounselWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Is every exit ban criminal?
No. Civil enforcement and other controls exist. Mislabeling wastes time.
Where is the director-focused guide?
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.