A FOREWORD FROM WILL
This guest post is from literary extraordinaire and friend Mary Huang. This story developed when I met up with Mary and a few other past co-workers as part of my Tokyo food tour. In a bind, she needed to get to Shanghai while she was in Tokyo but without a China visa what could she do? I’ll share the rest of the story at the bottom but first I’ll hand it over to Mary who will tell you a bit more about how the 144 hour in-transit visa works and how she used it to go to China without a visa.
If you’ve ever toyed with the idea with travelling to China, you’ll know that the People’s Republic does not kid around when it comes to their visas. Those who frequent the home of the Great Wall will tell you that you should always apply for an entry visa at least 3 weeks prior to your departure date. The whole process involves booking an appointment at your nearest Chinese Visa Center, filling out online forms that includes bringing along visa photos with very specific dimensions, and waiting around 5 business days where you’ll then need to go back to the visa centre to pick up your passport with the newly minted visa. There are expedited/rush processing requests but even then, expect a 2 business day turnaround and extra fees.
In recent years, you can now apply for multiple entry visas for those of you who anticipate more than 1 trip in the lifespan of your passport (just costs a little extra $$) which has made the process a little less painful but what’s better is there’s now a new and improved 144-hour In-Transit Visa which travellers can apply for at the airport.
So how do you qualify for this mysterious visa?
How the 144-Hour In-Transit Visa works (Updated 2019)
Here’s are the details that you need to know. What’s funny is that there isn’t a good official website from the PRC that goes through all the details. The next best thing is what Travel China Guide has put together.
First off, exactly how many days is 144 hours? It’s 6 days.
The primary requirement
The key is that you must be leaving to a different country from which you arrived. (ie. USA to China to Canada is OK. But Canada to China to Canada is not).
The idea is you’re “in-transit” and just passing through China. This is probably best explained through examples.
- In my case, I started in Tokyo -> transit through Shanghai -> onwards to Toronto
- More typical routes look like this: Toronto -> Beijing -> Bangkok
- This also works on the return flight: Hong Kong -> Shanghai -> Los Angeles
Note that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as different countries from the PRC so Hong Kong to China to Canada is fine.Tor
What doesn’t work is when there are multiple hops (in different zones) involved:
- Toronto -> Shanghai -> Xi’an -> Seoul
- London -> Beijing -> Shanghai -> New York
Yes Beijing and Shanghai are eligible cities to apply for the visa but you can’t fly to separate parts of the countries that are considered to be different zones (more on that below).
What is interesting to note is that something like this works:
- Singapore -> Shanghai -> Hangzhou -> Malaysia (Shanghai and Hangzhou are in the same zone)
Why is that? Keep reading…
THE MAIN RULE
A -> B: one of three zones in Mainland China -> C
The 3 Zones
There are 3 defined “zones” and corresponding specific cities where you can apply for this type of visa. This means that this only works at very specific landing areas in China.
Also keep in mind that you can only travel within the zone of which you entered. As of 2018, this is now strictly enforced. This means that if you try to leave this zone, you’ll be stopped at the train station, airport or other port when they ask to see your passport.
Zone #1: Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
- Shanghai: All air, sea and railway ports, including Pudong Airport, Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Wusong Passenger Transport Center and all railway stations.
- Hangzhou of Zhejiang: Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport
- Nanjing of Jiangsu: Nanjing Lukou Airport
Zone #2: Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei
- Beijing: Capital International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station
- Tianjin: Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port
- Shijiazhuang of Hebei: Zhengding International Airport
- Qinghuangdao of Hebei: Qinhuangdao Port
Zone #3: Liaoning Province
- Dalian: Zhoushuizi International Airport
- Shenyang: Taoxian International Airport
Zone #4: Guangdong Province
- This will include movement within the province including Shenzhen and Guangzhou
- Guangdong’s participation in the 144 hour transit visa is now live as of May 1, 2019
- You are allowed to enter via Guangzhou Airport, Shenzhen Airport, or Jieyang Airport, and travel within Guangdong Province
You must have a departure flight booked within the 144 hour period and be able to show the Customs Officer your booking confirmation and departure details. The departure city must be within the zone that you landed in.
This is why my earlier example of Singapore -> Shanghai -> Hangzhou -> Malaysia works because you landed in Shanghai (Zone #1) and left within 144 hours from Zone #1 which in this case is Hangzhou.
Countries that are eligible
Not all citizens of countries are eligible for this so it’s best to check this list to make sure you’re safe.
- American countries: United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile
- European countries:Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco, Russia
- Asian countries:Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
- Pacific countries: New Zealand and Australia
How the application process works
If you’ve made it through all the requirements, the actual application is really easy and took me through a much shorter line at customs:
- Inform the carrier (airline) when boarding
- Fill an Arrival/Departure Card when you land
- Apply for the 144-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival at customs (it’s the one with the shortest line)
- Claim your luggage
- Leave the airport
Applying for the 144-hour visa at airport customs
When you get into the special line at customs, you present your flight itinerary (including your onward ticket out of China), your passport, and the Arrival/Departure Card. Yes this means that you must have a confirmed ticket to your next destination. You can’t book it while you’re in China.
There are a few things they’ll be concerned with and ask you about:
- Are you only in China for the maximum allowed 144 hours?
- What are you going to be doing in China?
- Where will you be staying in China?
Regarding the last point, they will actually be paying close attention to the address and contact information that you fill out on the Arrival/Departure Card.
In my case, since I was staying with my Grandmother in Shanghai, I provided the residential address and phone number. What I experienced this time is that they actually followed up with me by contacting my cell phone while in Shanghai. I also had to go to the local police office to report my presence as part of the visa.
That sounds a little scary but for regular travellers who will be staying at the hotel, what I’ve read is that they will contact the hotel to confirm your stay at the hotel. In this situation, you do not need to go to the police station.
Heading to Shanghai? You can now apply online
For Shanghai specifically, the government created an online way of applying for the 144 hour in-transit visa for the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in 2018. This could alleviate some stress. Note that this is for Shanghai port of entry ONLY.
Online application for Shanghai
The following are the first few steps for applying online.
Beyond this, I’d love to hear from those that have actually gone through this process. It looks easy enough to get pre-approval but if the website design is any indication, it’s hard to tell how well it actually works.
Counting 144 hours
This isn’t as intuitive as you think. The 144 hours starts from 00:00 or midnight of the day following your arrival.
For example, if you arrive at 6AM on May 1, the clock starts running once midnight hits to start May 2. As a result, you need to make sure you have a flight that leaves China in the same zone before 23:59 on May 7. If you do the math, that’s actually 162 hours in the country.
A new Chinese government tool
The Chinese government has created a new tool to check whether you’re eligible for the visa-free transit. The site is poorly designed but at least it’s simple and gets to the point. Put in what country you’re from and where you intend to land. From there it does a pretty good job at providing the transit requirements, special notes, and a good Q&A.
Does this work for business travellers?
This is another question I’ve seen asked here quite a number of times. Having gone through all the documentation, I don’t see any mention anywhere about the “Purpose of Visit”. It’s one of those things where if there are no specific rules against it, I believe you are okay.
If you want to be 100% sure, since I haven’t done it before, call the embassy in your country and find out.
Inform your airline
If you take a look at some of the comments below from our readers, you’ll see that some have had unfortunate issues with their airline. The truth of the matter is that many/most airlines are not educated on how the in-transit visa works. They are informed to make sure you have a valid China Visa in order to check-in or board your flight. When you don’t have it, they may reject you. That is why it is extremely prudent and recommended to talk to your airline ahead of time to make sure that they understand your situation.
Some airlines will totally get it which means you’re in the clear. If you’re coming from a country and airline that has no idea about the process, then you’ll want to do everything to make sure you don’t have any hiccups on the day that you fly.
What about Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan?
This seems like a tricky question at first but transit to that third country or region allows Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As an example. You can do Canada -> Beiing -> Taiwan. This is allowed as part of the 144-hour transit visa in Shanghai.
The only caveat is that for the third country/region you’re going to, you need to make sure you can prove that you’re allowed to enter that country via a visa. As an example, an e-visa to Taiwan may not be enough.
How do you leverage the 144-hour visa?
There are many travel companies that actually now offer 6 day tours especially designed for travellers who qualify for these visas and take you to see sites specific to each zone.
So beyond using this visa in a bind to get to China like it was in my case, you can leverage the 144 hours to see the country in a quick 6 days before moving onto another country in Asia.
The rest of Mary’s story
Will –
Here’s my version of what happened. Mary’s grandfather in Shanghai became unexpectedly ill while in Tokyo and it seemed at first that it would be near impossible to just fly to China. China is one of those countries that takes a bit of planning to go to because most passport holders require a visa to enter. I remember asking around about whether China takes family emergency exceptions as a way to enter the country but everything pointed to “no”. Determined to go, all I remember hearing about was that she was going to buy a ticket that day and just go.
What I didn’t know was Mary had a brilliant albeit a little lucky plan. Mary bought a ticket from Tokyo to Toronto via Shanghai. When she landed in Shanghai and went to the transit visa area of customs, nerves were at an all time high because she had no idea if this was going to work. Custom officials went through her flight information and details of where she was going to stay. Things were looking bleak as they deliberated for an abnormally long time. What was happening behind the scenes was they were counting the hours that were in between her landing in Shanghai to her departure to Toronto. Every hour mattered.
At the end of it all, she just managed to come in at under 144 hours for them to grant the visa. Crazy!
Somehow she had pulled off the impossible. By being in Japan, she managed to unexpectedly detour to China by leveraging this visa-on-arrival.
Did this help? Do you have other unanswered question about the 144 Hour In-Transit Visa? Just drop a comment below and I’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as I can!
Mary Huang is currently a Talent Specialist with ML6 Search & Talent advisory and a rookie world traveler fueled by promises of street food and Michelin star cuisine.
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So I’m wondering if there is a way to get around the 2 zone thing. Like for example could I do Los Angeles – Shanghai – Hong Kong one way and stay in Hong Kong a few days and then on the return do Hong Kong – Beijing – Los Angeles? Or is there a rule about how many 144 visas you can have in a given amount of time?
Those look like two separate legs and so you should be fine doing that as long as you satisfy the requirements of the visa. There are no restrictions for how many times you leverage it in a given time span.
Hi
Have any of you fly with Turkish Airlines and used the 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in China/Shanghai. ?
No I haven’t personally. Have you reached out to them to find out if they understand the visa?
We are flying to Shanghai via Tapae..staying under 144hrs in Shanghai then leaving on cruise via Busan Vietnam etc then Australia.
I found it really difficult to find the application for e visa and have half filled it out.
…at the bottom is says…from…and…to….. To…I have put Australia but unsure what to put in ..from…China is not in tropdown menu but Korea is….is this acceptable….and is this come under terms of visa.
The only site I found was an application wasvia police web site so will see if it works!
Can you please advise…leaving on 20th Aug..
Hi Margaret, for folks going on cruises, you’ll have a more challenging time filling it out as others have mentioned here because you don’t have a hotel. “From” would be where you’re coming from which is Australia and “To” could perhaps be the cruise terminal address” although odd you’re saying that China is not in a drop down for “To”.
Hi, I am travelling from Vienna to Sydney with 20 hours layover in Beijing, so I decided to take a tour guide to see The Great Wall and The Forbidden City. I am definitely eligable for 144 hour transit visa. My question is about filling the arrival/departure form as I am the person who absolutely hates any forms and when I am filling one I am always confused what exactly I am supposed fill.
Arrival card – what adress should I write down if I am just on 1 day tour and will be departing from Beijing at 1 AM?
Arrival card – Visa no. and Place of Visa Iss. – does it mean Chinesse visa or Australian visa?
Arrival card – flight no. – which one? Vienna-Beijing or Beijing-Sydney?
Departure card – flight no. – this should be Beijing-Sydney in my opinion, so the one on Arrival card is Vienna-Beijing?
Also, I have read a boarding pass for my departure flight (Beijing-Sydney) is needed to apply for visa. Can I just inform the airline at check-in in Vienna that I will need the next boarding pass? Is it possible to get both boarding passes at my first check-in in Vienna?
Thanks a lot for answers!
Hey Samuel! Thanks for dropping a comment here. Okay so on the forms, here’s what I think you should put down:
Address – I would be honest here and not put any and be very specific here – something to the effect of “No hotel since we are leaving Beijing at 1AM”
Visa Number – This is typically for those that have a China Visa. Since you don’t have one, I’d just put N/A
Flight number – For the arrival part of the paper, it’s the flight you took into China. For the departure part of the card, put in your departure flight number.
I don’t actually think you need the physical boarding pass for your flight out of Beijing in-hand because the airline might not have issued it when you left Vienna so from what I’ve heard it’s not something they enforce. They ultimately want to see the ticket showing proof of purchase of your next flight.
Hi Mary. Thanks for the helpful post. I’m wondering about what proof of departure booking you provided. Was it a printout or did you just show the officer the booking on an airline app on your phone. Thanks!
A printout of the booking is preferable but I can’t see why the airline app wouldn’t be accepted.
Hi, I’m just writing this comment to let you know my experience with this free transit pass.
I went to Shanghai (Pudong) from Sydney last month.
A few days before leaving I applied online so I would skip the line as described here and I was given a QR code to scan.
Fast forward to the airport, after passing security and waiting to board I asked one of the team members of the flight what/when I would get the papers for the 144h pass to make sure it was given to me. The employee told me that they give the (yellow) paper to foreigners who transit in China during the flight (towards the end) and that it would be all I need to get the pass. So I filled the paper in the plane and when I landed at Pudong I was directed to the immigration line where there was the machine for the online application and the Chinese immigration employees who check your papers. There was also a table with blue forms and pens. I went to the machine and scanned my QR code but nothing happened, they couldn’t find my online application. I still had my yellow form but I saw people filling out the Blue form next to the 144h line so I did too (same form as the one online). With this blue form (in addition to the yellow one they gave me in the plane) and my plane ticket to leave China I was granted the pass to stay in the Shanghai zone.
I was in an Airbnb for 6 days in Shanghai and I asked the host his papers to go the police station to register, as required, but he said it was not necessary. I took my chances and didn’t.
After 6 days (7 days really because i landed at 6pm and took off at 11pm) I went through the immigration again anticipating that they find out I didn’t register. The officer there checked my papers and passport (a little longer that the people before me) gave me a grim look and let me go through. I think she knew I didn’t register and decided to not say anything but next time I will register or go to a hotel.
TDLR; From my experience: In Pudong you will need to fill a blue form in addition to the yellow form. If you stay at an Airbnb you don’t forcedly need to register but it’s a bit risky not to. The online application doesn’t always work.
Thanks for reading my testimony and for your help on this blog!
Thank you so much for providing your experiences especially with the online application in Shanghai. I’m really curious about why they couldn’t find your application when you arrived even though you did apply ahead of time. If you check online now, does it have any indication of its status? I’m thankful that you were able to take advantage of the visa with no issues despite the somewhat risky move with the registration but looks like it all worked out well! Again, thank you for sharing your experiences with us. Super helpful!
No problem 🙂 you blog helped me go through the process so it’s only fair that I share my experience! Online it says my application is ”Submitted” under the ”state” category; maybe it just didn’t go though but I still got the QR Code which is confusing imo.
That is so strange! Okay the system must’ve glitched but good to know. I wonder if anyone else got a QR code but the application status was still stuck under “Submitted”.
Hi Will and Mary
Many thanks for the detailed blog. We are a family of 4 arriving to Shanghai on cruise ship in the morning from South Korea and leaving Shanghai by flight to UK, transit Amsterdam around mid day, same day. The online Shanghai 144 hours visa does not let us proceed as I am not filling in the hotel/residence details. As you can see, I am there very briefly, I do not need hotel. Just a cab from the cruise port to the airport. Is there a way to get around this.
Thanks
Senthil
Hi Senthil and thanks for dropping a comment here! I see what you mean in that you don’t actually need a hotel and the form isn’t designed to handle that. Based on the rules of the 144 hour transit visa, you are eligible but you likely won’t be able to use the online form.
Gday Will
have submitted applications for my wife and myslelf online, for 144 Transit Visa…so will see how we go
I suppose the authorities must inform you at some stage if the applications were successful
Best of luck!! Let us know how it goes!
Hi, I am travelling from Munich to Beijing and staying there for four days. I will then be leaving for a third country. Will I be able to show Chinese customs an electronic copy of my ticket (on smartphone) or do they require it to be printed?
I’d err on the side of caution here and just it printed out.
Hi, we are UK nationals booked on a cruise next year. We start at Singapore, visit Hong Kong overnight and then arrive in Shanghai for overnight stop before leaving for Busan. Our final destination is Japan before flying home. Are we eligible for the 144 hour transit visa? We plan to book our tours through the cruise line as we understand we must use a registered Chinese travel agency.
Based on what your itinerary looks like you should be eligible because you’re literally doing a transit through Shanghai before leaving through the port to another country which is the intended purpose of the visa. I’d encourage you to try to apply for the visa ahead of time online for further guarantee.
Hi, three of us (all UK nationals) arrive in Pudong, Shanghai at 0730 on the 22nd July and leave via Pudong to Australia at 1930 on the 28th July. Is this ok for a 144 hrs transit visa..
I understand the 144 hrs starts from the first full day following your arrival. Also the online application system is still not working in the UK.
I believe you’re in the clear there based on how the hours are calculated. In terms of the online system for Shanghai, it’s rejecting you completely?
Hello
We are flying to Beijing from London and land on 3rd October and then we are staying in Beijing until 7th October where are getting a cruise from Tianjin port. We do visit Hong Kong for 2 days as part of the cruise but don’t return to mainland China. Do we qualify for the transit visa?
Yes, since you’ll be able to present documents that you are leaving on a cruise from the Tianjin port which is part of the Beijing zone. When you return, let us know how it all works out!
Hi, am travelling to Shanghai and staying for 5 days and then going to South Korea. Then coming back again to Shanghai and staying for 3 days before flying to Germany. Can i enter Shanghai both times without a visa?
I’m curious, how long are you staying in South Korea? Based on what you have here, you should be okay. I would apply online to make sure before you travel. Please let us know how things turn out!
Hi, my wife and I arrive in Shanghai the morning of the 24th Aug, via Singapore airlines, staying at a city hotel
We are boarding a cruise ship midday 26th August which sails for Busan that evening
We intend applying for a 144 hour visa on arrival Shanghai customs
Can you please advise if you can foresee any problems with this arrangement
Grant
Hey Grant, don’t see any issues with this as the visa includes those that are departing China via the cruise terminal. Have you attempted to apply via the online portal?
Hello,
Can i book a direct flight from Europe to China with 1 airline, stay 5 days in the city and leave with another airline to a 3rd country? Do i need to have the check in of the 2nd flight done when i arrive in China or i just need the ticket? I read in some websites “One of the most crucial condition is that, foreigners have to hold a connecting ticket (usually flight ticket) to a third country/region with confirmed seat, date within 144 hours. You need to provide document presenting fixed departure date, and departure and next destination are different”. Don’t we know the seat only at the check-in which is usually 24 hours before the flight?
Thanks 🙂
From what I understand, the ticket is enough to prove that you’re connecting to somewhere else. A confirmed seat simply means you have a seat somewhere, not the exact number.
Hi! Thank you for this post.
I have a simple question. I have been in Beijing 4 months. I want to travel in Taiwan few weeks amd come back to China for few days to get my stuff and leave for Canada.. Does it count as 4 destinations and is not allowed? Or is counts as Taiwan-China-Canada?
Thank you very much, is si not easy to find to info.
Michael
For this, what’s your flight ticket look like? Is it all together as in PEK -> TPE -> PEK -> YY? I think the main concern is that it won’t exactly look like a transit flight if you started in China to begin with even though I understand you’ll be going from Taiwan -> China -> Canada.
Thank you for you reply!
I understand what you mean and it is my main concern. I have a plane ticket from Beijing to Canada. I am planning on buying another round trip ticket Beijing. Since when I leave China in the first place I thought it would be just like I come back to transit!
Second plane ticket Beijing- Taiwan- Beijing .. sorry.
Hey Michael. Okay so you have a Beijing -> Canada flight but another one with PEK -> TPE -> PEK. If that’s the case, I’m going to say for sure a no-go because the flight to Taiwan is basically a round trip. Also, you mentioned you were in Beijing for 4 months but is your concern that your visa is expiring?
Hi,
This blog is perfect. I have booked online as I will be travelling to Shanghai. My itinerary is:
Strasbourg – Paris – Shanghai (5 days) – Hong Kong (a few hours) – Amsterdam – Strasbourg
I am travelling for business in Shanghai so hoping the above works. However, will I receive some kind of notification that my on-line application for the 144 hour visa free transit has been accepted?
Thanks.
Nicy
Hey Nicy, based on what you’re doing here, you will likely not be eligible since the itinerary looks like you’re not transiting through Shanghai to somewhere else which is the purpose of this visa.
Hi. My friend who is a US citizen and I am an Australian Citizen both place of birth Philippines. We are going on a cruise starting at Hongkong Japan then ends in Shanghai. We will be traveling from Manila on a flight to Hongkong do the cruise then catch a flight back to Manila from Shanghai. We will be exiting the Shanghai port then go straight to the Shanghai Pudong airport to catch the flight back to Manila. Would this qualify for the 144 transit free visa? Our transit would be around 18-24 hours depending on the flight we will get back to Manila. If applying online for Shanghai visa free transit, can we put under hotel name or address as Shanghai Pudong International Airport if we decide not to stay in a hotel before our flight? Thanks.
Based on the cruise it sounds like you’ll be going from Japan to Shanghai and then you’ll be onwards to Manila. Since you’ll be transiting and staying less than 144 hours, you should be good with the 144 hour transit visa. In terms of hotel, do you mean to say that you might not stay at your hotel? There’s some risk if you don’t stay there if they decide to follow up.
We have applied on-line using the 144 hour visa tool. This used to be via the “police” in Shanghai and when we tried it earlier in the year as “a trial” it worked. I forgot my password and there is not way of resetting it so don’t forget yours. My wife registered as a new user and we did it all though her registration. Now (June 2019) the old police link does not work although there are still internet links referring to it. Be warned the response of the application tool is VERY SLOOOWWW. I was impatient and in the background it registered 2 visa applications; we’ll see how they deal with that in August! You have to complete ALL the textual information BEFORE it unlocks the date entry fields; bizarre and confusing. You need to know precisely which airport you will use (there are 2) and which cruise depot if you are cruising (there are also 2) and the full address and phone number or where you are staying including your holiday hotel. You get a QR code displayed at the end of the process which your must save to your phone, tablet etc. You use this (apparently) to print off your visa when you get there as a “fast track” process it seems. Visas applied for, lets see what happens when we get there using this process.
Thanks for sharing your experience to us! That is super helpful for everyone here.
is there a limit to how many times you can do the visa free transit?
I will be doing the following direct flights LOS ANGELES-BEIJING-VIETNAM (SGN)-BEIJING-LOS ANGELES
so as you can see I will be stopping in beijing twice for a short time. THoughts?
Hey Jody, based on your itinerary, you should be fine because you’re transiting through each time where Vietnam is clearly the end destination. In doing this, be sure you have the buy-in of your airline because they might have concerns and not let you board as a result.
Hi,
Thank you for the informative blog. Here is my itenary:
Part 1: US to Beijing
5 days in Beijing
Part 2: Beijing to Kathmandu
The 2nd part has a transit in Chendu. Is that a problem for 144 hour visa free transit?
The 2nd part is booked as PEK to KTM but it has 2 legs (PEK->CTU and CTU->KTM)
Thank you,
AThapa
Okay so looking at this route US -> PEK (5 days) -> CTU (transfer) -> KTM, I am a little skeptical about whether this will work or not so if someone else can chime in that would help. I think the worry here is that you’re really leaving the country through Chengdu which is not even part of one of the zones. The part I’m not sure about is whether transfers are considered to be violations.
Hi,
In my opinion this does not work as you must leave Beijing and fly directly to another country. Touching down in Chengdu (or any other part of China), even as a transit passenger is not allowed. If your flight was PEK to KTM direct, then you would have been fine.
Chengdu is allowed as a 144 hours transit hub in its own right but you cannot move between transit zones.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm
Cheers,
Glynn
Can anyone answer this for me: this article mentions that you need a FLIGHT out of China within the 144 hr period. What if you are leaving on a BOAT? Will that work?
Hi Jessie, yes according to the rules, hopping on a cruise from the Tianjin Cruise Terminal or Shanghai Port and leaving the country that way counts as being in-transit.
Where do you get an arrival/departure card?
Hey Melissa, those are handed out to you on the plane upon arrival.
Flying from USA to Guangzhou (4 days)
Then Guangzhou to Bangkok
Then Bangkok to USA (with a 2 hour layover in Wuhan)
Is this valid for 144 hour in transit visa?
Thanks!
Yes that looks good as you’re transiting to Bangkok. You’re also landing in Guangzhou which as of May 1 is officially is open as a zone.
Hi, HELP! and yes, this blog, and this post, is AMAZING, thank you, and very timely.
I think I’ve just misinformed my Dad.
We live in Shanghai, and my daughter is graduating on June 2nd. I invited my dad to come over and said ‘hey, you don’t even need to get a visa as you’re only here for 72 hours, you just get one at the airport on arrival!!!
Of course, then someone said to me, AFTER my dad booked MEL-PVG-MEL…”but your dad is NOT actually transiting anywhere, so he won’t get the visa…”
Then I read here, and well, I messed up… correct?
He’s already paid for the flight, and it’s only 2 1/2 weeks away now…panicking!
Any advice?
Thank you
Kimbra
Hey Kimbra! Just saw your message so wanted to get back to you asap. So yes you’re right unfortunately. The transit visas are meant for transit purposes so a round trip like that will be hard to justify with the ticket constructed in that way. For Melbourne, have you inquired into an expedited China visa? With 2.5 weeks, that might still be possible actually. Alternatively, you could look at changing your flight ticket with the carrier so that your Dad goes to somewhere like Singapore or Hong Kong before/after PVG but the additional cost + change fee might be quite high since it’s last minute.
Is it possible to get multiple 72 hour visas?
We will be doing the following trip:
London- Beijing: 3 days
Beijing- Tokyo: 9 days
Tokyo – Beijing: 2 days
Beijing-London
I have read that it is possible to get multiple 72 hour visas, does anyone have any experience on this?
Thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Robyn, based on what you have there you’re transiting both ways through to Tokyo and within the 144 hours. As long as you stay in the Beijing zone, you should be fine! When you’re back, please let us know how it worked out!
Hi – this page is really useful thanks! Just wanted to check, we’re doing:
London -> Japan (10 days)
Japan -> Seoul (3 days)
Seoul -> Beijing (4 days)
Beijing back to London
Will we be eligible for the 144 hour transit visa? Thanks!
Danny
Hi Daniel, this looks good!
Thank you! Just wanted to say did this a few days ago and all went really smoothly. Was out of the airport in minutes. The one thing they told us in Seoul was you needed printed confirmation of your flight but when we got to Beijing that didn’t seem to be the case.
Hi,
Awesome and informative blog! Thanks for the information about Visa on Arrival to China. Just a quick question about the ticket for the onward country (aka Country C in your descriptions). Would an e-ticket suffice for them?
Hi Amy, yes an e-ticket would totally suffice as proof that you’re heading onwards to another country.
Hi, I have a flight booked: Seoul- Hong Kong – Shanghai – Seoul. Is t acceptable that the country I am visiting after Shanghai is also my originating country at the very beginning. Will they grant me the 144hr Visa? Please advise, this is making me very nervous. Thank you.
Hi Karolin, your itinerary is very similar to another reader who was doing something similar (UK->HK->Shanghai->UK). Based on the routing, your concerns are valid because the purpose of the visa is for transit purposes and in this case the officer may make the judgement that you’re not headed to a new destination and instead just returning home. My recommendation would be to get a visa ahead of your trip.
Thank you for the fast response. I did a lot of research last night and found three families that did similar routes: Tokyo-Hong Kong- Shanghai- Tokyo as well as Tokyo- Singapore-Shanghai-Tokyo. They did not run into any issues. However, one lady that traveled the first itinerary mentioned that she was given the information that the country AFTER Shanghai cannot be the country that issued your passport. I am wondering if this holds true. We will be travelling with US passports and not Korean passports. I just thought I’d throw this out here because that might explain why some people seem to be able to travel in that order why others seem to have issues. Have you heard of this?
In terms of the passport that you hold, that makes sense because it’s a key identifier of where your “home” is and so if it looks suspicious that you’re trying to use the transit visa for non-transit purposes, they can easily say no. One thing I’m speculating about is how the flight ticket bookings were done. A flight ticket that just shows HK -> Shanghai -> Seoul will look like something in-transit. Also I think # of days also matters if it’s all on one ticket. If you’re spending a short amount of time in Hong Kong and an incredibly long time in Shanghai, HK will look like the transit city. I don’t think that’s specifically articulated in the rules but that’s the subjective part that comes into play. I’m not sure if you saw on the post but for those landing in Shanghai, there’s an online portal that you can use to get pre-approved ahead of time. I would give that a shot actually! Let me know how that goes if you do try that.
Hi Mary,
This is a GREAT blog. Thank you so much. I had a bad experience with the 144 hour Visa in Shanghai that I would like to share however.
I did lots of research and felt very comfortable with the itinerary I chose. My wife and I planned to fly into Shanghai on Delta from US. We booked a really nice hotel in Shanghai for two nights and then had a First Class booking on the G Train to Hong Kong. Both Delta and the Chinese Train ticket broker said this would satisfy the requirements.
After our 14 hour flight, we arrived at Shanghai Airport and filled out the entry/departure card. We found the very short 144 hour transit visa line and met with two very polite and pleasant Immigrations Officers. Then things went sideways. They said there was a problem with our choice of taking train to Hong Kong. They called both our Hotel and the Train booker. The Immigration officers said they could not help us. They then called the Delta concierge who took us to the main Immigration Office. There was very little English spoken at any point so I am still not sure what was said. When we got to the main Immigration station an older sour man came out, looked at our tickets and shook his head no. The Delta concierge made little attempt to plead our case. They seemed very intimidated by this man.
It was 9pm at this time. We were told we could immediately return to US or take the last flight out of Shanghai that night to Bangkok for a premium price. I pointed out we could easily buy a plane ticket somewhere else within the 144 hour window, but they said we MUST LEAVE THAT NIGHT. Reluctantly, we chose the expensive and late Bangkok flight with no lodging or plans upon arrival at 4 am.
I really do believe this was a case of the Immigration officer not understanding the Train component of the Transit Visa. Everything I read makes me believe this is acceptable. I would just like your readers to be aware of the problem I had. It cost me a lot of money and I believe unnecessarily.
Thank so so much for taking the time to share your experiences here. It’s something we’ve been looking for as we do want to make sure our advice here doesn’t lead anyone astray. This is an example of a scenario where, as you’ve learned unfortunately, does not apply or at least might be a little too risky to attempt.
From what I’ve read, I don’t know if transferring to a train out of China and into Hong Kong for the purposes of the transit visa is considered as valid or perhaps is just not well defined enough. It’s unfortunate especially if Delta concierge confirmed it. Again, this is a good cautionary tale to perhaps not attempt it until there are confirmed stories of this working.
I’m curious, is this something that your credit card insurance, travel insurance, or Delta themselves will be able to help compensate? It’s a gray area for sure but worth a shot.
Hi,
I have had a look at this and the information I have seen is that the visa is valid for Shanghai Railway Station. This is the main station in the city centre and is one of four in Shanghai. The info I have does not mention Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station, from where the G trains to and from Hong Kong leave from.
http://sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=4414
So, I am wondering if the immigration officer was actually correct in denying your visa application, given that you were trying to leave from a station not covered. This means that the train ticket seller (who really should know this sort of stuff) and Delta got it wrong. You may have a claim there but they normally state that the traveler is responsible for documentation and visas.
The older, overnight Z trains leave from Shanghai Railway Station and I have passed through immigration there coming from Hong Kong (before the 144 hours visa regime existed).
My partner has family in Shanghai who may be able to help us get chapter and verse on some of this.
Glynn
Glynn,
Thank you for the research. I believe you have identified the issue.
I chose the G Train simply because I wanted to experience it. I never would have been imagined it would make a difference on which station I chose.
You are right. Ultimately, it was my responsibility. I did find it peculiar they would not allow me to buy a plane ticket for departure within the 144 hour window instead of having to buy one that left immediately.
I think the lesson for your readers is stick to air travel and definitely not train transits.
Again, thank you for the explanation. Until now, I never understood what the hell happened.
Rick
Hi. I have read on a number of travel websites that as of November 2018 you can apply for the 144 hour visa online. The web address however does not appear to work most of the time. Do you have any reliable information on this process. Thanks
I haven’t heard of this until now but did a bit of digging. The URL it’s supposed to be is this: https://gaj.sh.gov.cn/crj/. I haven’t tried this process but would love to hear from any other readers that have done it this way. Note that this is also ONLY for Shanghai.
Hi,
I have not heard of this either. The link above is working but I am wondering what the purpose of it actually is. The normal process is to show the correct paperwork at the airline counter, fly to China, fill in more paperwork and they stamp your passport.
Hi – pretty sure i’ve understood but just checking. I’m a UK passport holder – my itinerary is:
LON>PVG – approx 4 days
PVG>AKL – approx 8 days
AKL>HKG – approx 5 days
HKG>LON
144hr visa will cover Shanghai and Hong Kong will just be visitors visa with UK passport?
Thanks
Hi Jon, based on the above, with 4 days in PVG and you transiting to Auckland, you are eligible for the 144 Hour In-Transit Visa. Hong Kong is a little different from mainland China but since you carry a UK passport, you’ll enter into Hong Kong quite easily as I would as a Canadian citizen. Hope that helps!
Hi, We are cruising to Japan from Shanghai, in August and wondered if the 144 hour visa will apply. London – Abu Dhabi – Shanghai. Straight to Cruise port and on to Japan that same day. We return to Shanghai, from Japan 8 days later, stay for 3 nights and go back to London via Abu Dhabi.
Hi Kantha, based on what you have there, you’re transiting through China on both directions and if within 144 hours both ways which it looks like you are, you should be able to apply for the 144 hour transit visa upon landing in Shanghai.
Hi travelling UK to Beijing Friday 4.10.19 to Monday 7.10.19 depart Tainjin cruise terminal to Japan Taiwan Hing Kong Vietnam arrive Singapore flight back UK DO qualify for the 144 visitor visa as Royal Caribbean says we do?
Hi Alison! Yes you are eligible as you are literally transiting through China and Beijing/Tianjin are in the same zone. UK qualifies in the list of countries as well.
Is 144 Visa applicable for Indian Citizens, Can we Indians travel with this visa from India -to- Hongkong -to- Macua – to- Shenzhen -to- Hongkong – India as tourist tour.
I am planning for family tour to Hongkong – Macau- Shenzhen .
Hi! I’ve double checked for you just to be sure but unfortunate Indian citizens are not eligible for any of the exemption travel visas (i.e .72, 144, or Hainan). I’m sorry about that!
Hi great site, thanks. I am travelling London 02/08/19 to Beijing 04/08/19 to Mongolia 07/08/19.
Then Mongolia 17/08/19 to Beijing 17/08/19 to London 20/08/19.
Can I get 144 hour visa on both Beijing stops?
Yes based on this itinerary you should be eligible. One thing to double check though is with your airline to make sure they will allow you on without a visa as not every one knows how it works.
Hi! Thank you so much for this article, super helpful. My mother and I are going to Indonesia and then decided to extend our trip since it’s so affordable. We will be traveling the below path, would this qualify for the 144 hour exemption?
US-Indonesia (9 days)-Thailand (3 days)-Cambodia (2 days)-Beijing (for only 1.5 days)-US.
We have individual one way flights from one destination to the next.
Yes that will work as you’re travelling from Cambodia back to the US with a stop in Beijing in between!
Hi, thanks for the article, it’s super informative.
One question: do the flights need to be with a single airline?
Our trip idea is:
Vietnam —> Shanghai (144hr) w/ airline 1
Shanghai —> Sydney w/ airline 2.
Will this be ok?
Hi! Yes this should work yes even though it’s with two airlines. When you land in Shanghai, show that you’re headed to Sydney right after and you should be granted the visa.
Hi,
Would this be ok?
Direct flight Amsterdam-HongKong, arriving on Saturday June 15. Leaving from Beijing via Paris to Amsterdam on Sunday June 23 at 1am, these are all booked on 1 ticket. Then a oneway flight with another airline from HK to Beijing on Wednesday the 19th.
Thanks 🙂
I think this could work. When you land in Beijing they’ll see you’re coming from Hong Kong and you’re staying in Beijing within the time allotted and you’re basically transiting to Amsterdam via Paris.
Hi Will,
I am going to doing the below routes.
London – Shanghai (2 nights) – Seoul
Returning around 2 weeks later
Nagoya – Shanghai (1 night) – London
Does 1 144 exemption visa cover both of those trips or each time do I just apply each time at the airport when I arrive into Shanghai?
Thanks
Gabby
Hi Gabby! Based on what you have there you’re looking good. In both directions you qualify for the exemption so when you land just make sure you head to the right desk and they’ll have you processed.
Hello – How about round trip UK – Hong Kong – Shanghai for 144 hours before back to Hong Kong – UK? Does this 144 hours visa exemption applied?
Thanks
Unfortunately you won’t qualify since your primary destination is Shanghai based on how your ticket is set up. The idea of a transit visa is that you have to go from A->B->C and in your case you’re basically going from Hong Kong to Shanghai to Hong Kong in their eyes which is not allowed.
Hello, thank you for the really useful article. I am doing a similar journey to the one above, except I am actually spending 5 days in Hong Kong, before travelling to Shanghai. So my trip is:
UK -> HK (5 days) -> Shanghai (5 days) -> UK (via stopover in Hong Kong but booked as 1 flight).
What do you think? Too risky? Stop overs seem a bit of a grey area. Airlines treat Shanghai to London as 1 flight, but Chinese officials may consider it to be Shanghai back to Hong Kong? Of course, no info on Chinese immigration site.
Hey Juliet, you’re right in that this is a bit of a gray area because if I look at the itinerary, it’s hard to say which “country” is the stop over because both are 5 days. Ultimately I think based on how your flight ticket is built, HK is the stop over and Shanghai is the final destination. If that’s the case, your itinerary isn’t eligible for the visa. My recommendation would be to get a full China visa just to be safe. I wouldn’t risk.
Hi,
I agree with Will and in my opinion it is the fact that you are going Hong Kong to Shanghai to Hong Kong will be the issue. The number of days in each place should be irrelevant (except a maximum 6 days in Shanghai). It is the path you follow, given that the TWOV is for transiting China on the way somewhere else.
If you route was UK – HK – Shanghai – UK with no touchdown in either HK or China, the 144 hours TWOV should apply as you are going from HK to the UK with a transit stop in China.
Glynn
I will be passing though Shanghai in a couple of weeks. I have a 14 hour layover and plan to go into the city for a short self-guided tour. I am planning on applying for the 144-hours visa. I arrive at 620am and leave at 820pm the same day. I will not be staying overnight and won’t have a particular destination that I am staying at as I am just exploring the city. Is this all ok? Are there any differences when only staying for part of a day?
Hey Edward, timing wise it sounds like you’re eligible and in fact there’s something called at “24-Hour Direct Transit” but what’s more important is where you’re coming from and where you’re headed to. The key is that you’re holding a ticket that is onwards to a third country which I presume yours is. All you do when you land is apply for a Temporary Stay Permit.
Hi,
I’m a French citizen living in Australia and I would like to visit shangai on my way back to France would this route be possible : Sydney -2 hours layover in Hong Kong – 144h in Shangai – Paris ?
thanks
Hi Alba, yes based on what you have here this would work really well since you’re trying to get from Sydney back to Paris and Shanghai is a transit stop. As long as you’re under the 144 hours, you’ll be good!
Ok thanks! So i don’t need the 144h for the layover in hong kong, only when i get to shangai?
Hi! I´m from Argentina, so I qualify for this visa waiver. I´m planning on doing NRT-HKG-SHA-NRT, because I´ll be staying at Tokyo. Is my route ok?
How many days are you staying in Hong Kong? Is that the primary purpose of your visit?
I´ll be staying 4 days in HK and 5 in Shanghai, in a trip around Asia that will take 20 days. Thank you very much.
Ah if that’s the case, it might be justify that you’re transiting from Hong Kong to Shanghai on your way back to Japan since the purpose of this visa is to allow people to make a short stop in China before getting to a destination that’s different from where they started. The glaring part here is that you’re actually s pending more time in Shanghai than Hong Kong so it becomes very clear that your trip from Japan is to visit Shanghai and not for the purpose of an add-on stop.
Thanks Will!! Actually, the main purpose of my trip is going to Japan. I’ll spend 2 weeks there. Since my wife is a Disney fan, we thought it was a good time to go to Shanghai and Hong Kong because they have Disney Parks there too. Would it be better if we stay 4 days in HK and 4 in Shanghai?
Very fun!!! 🙂 Okay so if this is all in one ticket, the challenge you’re going to face is that it’ll look like you basically went from Japan to Shanghai with Hong Kong enroute which is not the intention of the visa. One thing you could do is buy a ticket that’s one way to be Tokyo -> Shanghai -> Hong Kong and another ticket that’s Hong Kong to Tokyo. This way, Shanghai is clearly a transit destination. That said, if the cost of doing this is more than just getting visas, then I’d just opt for the visa route. To answer your question about splitting it 4 days and 4 days, I don’t think that’ll help because customs can easily call you out for “gaming the system”.
Will, thank you very much for your help. Would it be ok if I get one ticket NRT-HKG and another HKG-SHA-NRT. Thank you very much for your help.
We travel in from Singapore on the 24th sept @ 00.20 am stay in Beijing till 25th 10 am travel to port Tianjin cruise till 30th travel back to Beijing airport fly out to Manchester on 30th via Munich (Transit stop catch connecting flight)
Are we entitled to 144 hr visa as I calculate that it is valid till 31st
As a matter of interest no one seems to be able to give visa information this includes
Chinese Visa centre /Chinese immigration / Royal Caribbean / tour operators /
Its a nightmare trying to get the information
I agree, I wish all the agencies and travel companies were educated on the full details of the visa so I can see how frustrating it is for everyone.
Based on what Glynn here in the community has mentioned, getting on a cruise ship in Tianjin outbound to other countries counts as leaving China and thus you’re in “transit” through Beijing for barely a day when you arrive. On your way out, you’re also in Beijing for less than a day and again you’re transiting from international waters through Beijing and then onwards to Manchester via Munich. From what I see here, the 144 hour visa should be granted.
Hi, I have a little problem and don’t really find something about it on the internet: I’m already in Beijing and currently staying in a hotel, so the registration is no problem for the moment. But tomorrow I will visit a friend and stay there, so I need to register at a police station. Do I have to go to the police station in the district where I will stay? And which documents do I have to bring? Does my friend have to join me or can I go alone?
Thanks for your help!
Hi Charlotte! I hope this gets to you in time. Okay good that the registration wasn’t an issue. For you, I’d recommend just going to the closest police station there. I would bring all of your travel documents that you provided customs and anything they gave you. Hopefully they will know what to do but if your friend speaks Mandarin, I’d recommend that they come with you just to make things easier.
Hi there, my itinerary is as follows:
LON-PEK (4 days in Beijing) PEK-HKG (2 days in HKG) HKG-PVG (2 days in Shanghai) PVG-LON
will i be able to qulaify for both a 144 hour Beijing transit Visa waiver and then also a 72 hour Shanghai transit visa waiver ?
Glynn, did you want to comment on this? I think this will apply because you’re flight itinerary is put together in a way where Hong Kong is your primary end destination HOWEVER your layover time in Beijing is longer than the amount of time you’re spending in Hong Kong so I feel that this could be up to interpretation. Are these on one ticket or separate tickets?
Hi Will,
Firstly, I would like to point out that I am not an expert on this subject hence why I normally hedge my bets.
Having said that, with regard to the above itinerary, it should be okay as the country before China is different to that after China, Hong Kong counting a “foreign” country for these purposes.
The main principle is that you are in transit in China going somewhere else, i.e. Hong Kong on the way out and the UK on the way back.
Also, the flights in and out of China must be international only, no domestic touch downs anywhere are allowed. This means the Shanghai to London leg cannot stop anywhere else in China even on the same flight number.
I haven’t seen anything that requires the number of days outside China to be larger than the days inside China.
I haven’t seen any information that requires the flights to all be on one ticket. In fact this cannot be the case as the cruise ports are specifically included in the policy, meaning that you can fly to Shanghai and depart via the cruise terminal for Japan and qualify for a 144 hour TWOV.
The following site gives good information:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm
This page from the Shanghai Immigration office sent to me by the Consulate here in Auckland.
http://sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=4414
The most important question on this page is number 13.
The most important advice is to do your homework. Speak to the airline. The Chinese airlines are probably more up to date. I am flying China Eastern later in the year and a visit to their office was very helpful. Speak to the embassy, but they can be very out of date. The public pages on the Wellington embassy site are from 2013!
Cheers,
Glynn
I am traveling to China to visit my brother (Expat living in Shanghai) for 5 days. I will stop at Hong Kong for two days sightseeing on way to Shanghai. My return flight on Cathay has 90 minute airport layover back to Chicago USA. Is this itinerary acceptable for 144 ? Or will they consider this in/out only 2 countries?
So is this Chicago -> Hong Kong -> Shanghai -> Chicago? How long is your stay in Shanghai? Based on what I’m hearing, your flight itinerary looks like Shanghai is your primary destination. If that’s the case, you’ll need to get a proper China visa.
Hi Will,
Thank you for this helpful article! I am a US passport holder.
Can I do
Taipei-Hong Kong(connecting)-Shanghai one ticket (stay for 4 days), then another on way ticket:
Shanghai-Hong Kong(2days)-Taipei
You’re welcome! Okay so with how your tickets look, it doesn’t look like Shanghai is a transit location. You’re going from Taipei to Shanghai on one ticket which looks like Shanghai is the final destination and then you have another where you’re going from Shanghai back to Taipei. I do not think this is eligible for the transit visa.
Hi Will
We fly to Beijing 24 th stay 35hrs travel to port Tianjin on 25th join cruise to Japan
return to Tianjin on 3oth travel to Beijing airport fly home to Germany same day 30th. Am I entitled to a 144 hr free visa?
Hi! Based on what you have here where you’re just boarding a cruise from Tianjin and thus technically not leaving the country by air, this would not count. You’re basically going from Germany -> Beijing -> Germany is what your flight ticket will look like. Beijing is clearly your primary destination and not somewhere you’re passing through to go somewhere else. You’ll need a visa unfortunately!
Hi, The rules allow cruise passengers as well air passengers. You will be stamped into China at Beijing airport, stamped out at Tianjin International Cruise Terminal and stamped into Japan at your first port of call. You are in transit between Germany and Japan. You should be fine with a 144 hours visa free transit.
The following site gives lots of good information:
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/tour/visa/free-transit-144-hours.htm
Glynn
Thanks! I didn’t know about the cruise part of it and thanks for clarifying Glynn as always!
Hi! I will be flying USA to Beijing to Bali and on the way home Hong Kong to Beijing to USA. Do you know if I can get a 144 hour visa for both of my stopovers? Would that be a considered multiple entry?
Based on what you have here Alexa, you’re eligible for the 144 hour visa on both directions. USA -> Beijing -> Bali is valid since your final destination is Bali. For the return you have HK -> Beijing -> USA. Here HK is considered to be outside of China for the purpose of this visa and thus works. Are these on separate tickets?
After reading other Q&A’s, I’m confused about connecting flight. In my case, I’ll fly from Los Angeles (U.S.) directly to Taipei (Taiwan). I’ll stay in Taiwan for a few days. Then fly from Taipei (Taiwan) directly to Hangzhou. Stay in Hangzhou for a few days (less than six). Then fly from Hangzhou back to Los Angeles (U.S.).
It appears to me I should be OK since I’ll be going to China from Taiwan and leaving China to return to the U.S. The only caveat is my return flight from Hangzhou to Los Angeles has a two and half hour layover in Taipei (Taiwan). There will be a change of plane and a different flight number for the flight from Taipei to Los Angeles.
In this case, will they considered I’m returning to Taiwan (because of the layover) when in fact I’m returning to the U.S.?
Please help. I called the airline and the travel agent. They all offer no help. Chinese Embassy in Los Angeles won’t answer phone calls. They returned my email inquiry with a link to their policy which does not give answers to connecting flights.
Thank you!
Hi,
The issue is that you going back to the same place you came from, i.e. you came from Taiwan and you are returning to Taiwan. Where you go after Taiwan (the USA) is irrelevant. If you flew directly from China back to the US with no stops in either China or Taiwan, then you would be fine (you are in transit between Taiwan and the USA) and would qualify for the 144 TWOV. With the itinerary you have specified you are having a trip to China and would thus need a visa.
Glynn
This is a great article and thanks so much for sharing.
I’m a holder of U.S. passport. Please advise if the following route qualifies for China’s 144-hour visa exemption:
Los Angeles –> Taipei (stay for a few days) –> Hangzhou Xiaoshan Int’l Airport (stay 2 days) –> Ningbo (in Zhejiang province via train and stay 2-3 days) –> Shanghai Pudong Airport –> Los Angeles. Total stay in China will be less than six days.
Thank you very much!
Hi Nica, based on your itinerary here and based on the technical rules. Hangzhou airport and Shanghai airport are all in Zone #1. However, the part that will not work is the fact that the primary purpose of your trip is to stay in China and you’re not in transit to somewhere else since you started in Los Angeles. Taipei is only a stop for a few days and not quite long enough subjectively from a Chinese customs officer. That would be my biggest concern especially if you’re willing to take a chance on it because you could get turned around. At that point you might be better off getting a Chinese visa.
This is a great post!
Question could we do
Japan-taipei one ticket (stay for a few hours)
Taipei-Beijing-Japan
Hi Cassie, this should work for your last leg. Your one way ticket clearly shows that you’re trying to get from Taipei to Japan and on the way you’re making a stop in Beijing. As long as you stay in the Beijing zone while you’re there and you fly back out from Beijing, you’ll be fine. Just also make sure you’re under the 144 hour limit. Best of luck!
thanks so much for this. I do have a question about the transit visa. I’m confused if I am eligible because here is my itinerary. I am planning a 3 week trip -and flying from Paris to Bangkok then from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur (on asia Air), and then from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and finally from Beijing to Paris. So technically I am arriving from Kuala Lumpur to pass through Beijing to get back to paris (but I originated the SE asia trip from Paris). I still don’t understand if I can benefit from the transit visa and can’t reach anyone at the embassy or Airline. thanks so much for your help, Michelle
Hi Michelle, thanks for dropping in a comment.
Based on what you have there, you’re eligible because you’re trying to get from Kuala Lumpur back home to Paris and along the way you’re stopping over for 144 hours or less in Beijing. Ultimately that’s what matters. Zone wise, you’re staying in Beijing and flying in and out of the city so you’re good. Just make sure you’re under the 144 hours based on the way you calculate it and give a heads up to your airline to double check because too many don’t understand how this works and could deny you boarding. I hope that helps!
Hi. I desperately need help. I’m a US citizen in Qatar and have a very important trip booked for China on March 1. I went to the Chinese Consular and everything looked good, they gave me a visa collection form, but then called to say the empty page in my passport was not a visa page. Therefore I had to go to US embassy to get more pages. And of course the embassy here in Qatar stopped issuing more pages and require a brand new passport which will take 2 weeks. My flight is in 10 days. I left in nearly tears and have been researching an alternative. My flight is from Doha, with a 1 hour connection in Hong Kong. And then to Hangzhou. I stay in Hangzhou only 5 days. So I meet the 144 hour rule. Then I depart Hangzhou, connecting for a 4 hour layover in Hong Kong, then back to Doha. Does this qualify? I called Cathay Pacific and they were no help, not knowing anything about the 144 visa free transit ( I think she was just lazy). My question is if this doesn’t qualify, can I rebook my ticket showing maybe a stay in Hong Kong? Meaning Doha, 1 hour layover in Hong Kong, then Hangzhou for 5 nights, then stay in Hong Kong for a few days? Then just buy another ticket back to Doha? Please advise as this is a very important trip and I can seems to get an answer. I also went on the Shanghai Police application form for the Visa, but was unable to submit as Hangzhou isn’t listed as an arrival airport, only Shanghai ports of entry.
Hi Yvonne, I’m sorry to hear about the troubles you’ve had so far! Okay so from how the 144 hour in-transit visa works, you can land in the Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport. This is part of the Zhejiang zone which also includes Shanghai. The challenge you’ll find is that not many people are knowledgeable about the program including the airlines. The Shanghai Police application form would only be for Shanghai so this wouldn’t work for your scenario. You’ll have to take care of all the paperwork when you land in Hangzhou when you go to the in-transit visa line. Best of luck!
Hi Yvonne,
Hangzhou is definitely in the Shanghai “zone” so no problems there.
The routing you state will probably not qualify as the place you go to after China cannot be the same place you arrived from. The route Doha – Hong Kong – Hangzhou – Hong Kong – Doha is a trip to China. The 144 TWOV is for people in transit to a third destination, not returning where they came from.
1. Doha – Hong Kong – Hangzhou – Tokyo (for example) – Doha does qualify as you are “transiting” China on the way to Tokyo.
2. Doha – Hong Kong – Hangzhou // Shanghai – Doha also qualifies as 1. you can leave from another airport in the same “zone”, and 2. the destination (Doha) is not the same place you arrived from (Hong Kong).
3. The length of time you are in Hong Kong on the way to and/or from China is immaterial. It is only the place that is important.
Hope this helps.
Glynn
Hi Will,
I am a U.S. passport holder. I will be traveling from the U.S. –> Shanghai (3 hr layover) –> Bangkok –> Hong Kong –> Shanghai (6 days) –> U.S.
Do I qualify for the 144 hr Visa-free stay in Shanghai?
And if I wanted to travel to Zhejiang province, would that be allowed too?
Thank you!
Monica
Hi Monica, based on what you have there you should be okay, two of your 144 hours being your two stops in Shanghai. Zhejiang province is part of the Shanghai zone so you can definitely travel there. Are you thinking about Hangzhou?
Thanks for the quick response!
1. Does that 3 hr layover in Shanghai factor into the 144 hours too? I’d imagine I would apply for the 144 hour visa once I arrive in Shanghai as a destination.
2. I asked about Zhejiang because I wanted to go to the Wuzhen Water Town (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g659921-d799251-Reviews-Wuzhen_Water_Town-Tongxiang_Zhejiang.html). Not sure if that’s within the same zone?
Hey Monica! Do you plan on going out of the airport? Sorry I missed the 3 hour part. Most likely no you won’t need to worry about visas. In terms of Wuzhen Water Town, yes it is within the Zhejiang zone. It’s halfway from Shanghai to Hangzhou. Have a great trip!!
Not leaving the airport for the 3 hr layover. And great, thanks so much for the help, Will. I am relieved! Cheers!
Hi .
Looking at the Counting 144 Hours section, should the traveller not have until 23.59 on the 8th may to have a flight leaving China ? That would be 144 hours after 23.59 on the 2nd may.
Thanks for all your advice
Norman
Hi Norman. So if you arrive May 2 at 23:59, your 144 hour clock starts May 3. 144 hours is 6 days so you need to be out of the country before May 9 hits (so yes 23:59 on May 8).
Hello, a very good article which has eased my worries.
I am a U.K. citizen flying to Shanghai and transiting through 3 days later leaving via cruise ship to Hong Kong and then ultimately to Singapore.
Everything tells me that I qualify easily enough but the idea of heading to China with that safe secure Visa already not in place fills me with some trepidation.
However it all seems ok?
Hi Iain, I know how you feel. The frustrating part about the visa is that there’s no way of pre-validation from the government so you need to trust that you won’t get rejected when you land. Based on what you’ve said here you should be okay if you’re staying in Shanghai 3 days before flying to Hong Kong. Make sure you have all of your hotel and flight documentation available to present to the special customs officers in PVG.
Thanks Will, interestingly my biggest problem at the moment is getting past the original departure airport., who seem unsure of the policy. So convincing them and being allowed on the flight in the first place is my first major hurdle. It seems an unknown policy to many who should actually know???
Ah yes it seems like not all the airlines are fully aware of the rules and I have heard the one-off story of them looking for a China visa when yo udon’t actually need it. Have you been able to reach out to your airline?
Yes, but they were very unsure and said I needed something from the Visa centre/embassy which I said was not possible as they seem reluctant to promote it and then to speak with our own immigration at the airport. We are leaving from a provisional airport so not sure they are up to date. I am armed with my iPad and a whole host of links, particularly one from the Chinese embassy which is actually a press statement outlining how the whole thing works….at this late stage I am looking back thinking I should have gone through the hassle of a full Visa but the cruise company were clear at the time. Ah well the adventure is perhaps more of an adventure than it should be. Many thanks for your help
Ah that’s frustrating because that shouldn’t be the case. It’s possible they don’t know about the rules. What if you provided them more information from the government. There’s a page here that could help: http://sh-immigration.gov.cn/listPageEn.aspx?lx=40&id=4414. And yes I do hope that this becomes a great adventure for you! I really think you’ll be okay but again if the airport is going to hold you up, you’ll have to get past that first.
I’m just thinking with all my concentration on the 144 I’m only in for 72 hours does Shanghai come within that
Yes the same rules apply with 72 hours. For cities like Shanghai, they just extended it to 144 hours.
I’m getting so nuerotic about this but you have really put my mind at ease. I was so immersed in 144 that I missed the whole 72 hour thing which looked as though Shanghai was excluded omg! Get on and enjoy the holiday Iain
Hi Will,
Thought I would end my saga with some good news, as I sit in Shanghai having got through the 144 hour rule. It was exactly as you said it would be. Separate queues at the airport and a bit of duplication with the immigration forms as the ones given out on the flight needed to be supported with a blue coloured one at the border control hall. My only issue was a scare with the airline, and I would suggest to anyone that they check with their airline first that they are fully aware of the rules. My carrier was Emirates form the U.K., and when I phoned them up for advise the person I spoke to said that they would not let us fly without a Visa. I ended up going to the airport, some days before I flew to discuss it at their info desk and eventually they found the info on their system and everything was fine….so just persevere as double check. I can only surmise that as it is still relatively new and unknown they are still on a bit of a learning curve. Just take the opportunity to thank you Will,
For thank g the time to reply to me……several times
Cheers
Thank you so much for the update. Perseverance certainly did make all the difference. I’m still so surprised that a big carrier like Emirates would not know about this policy and it’s great that you were able to go there early to set the record straight. I’m so happy that you’ve made it and able to do it visa-free. Another example of how it works for everyone else that reads this. Thank YOU for sharing your story 🙂
We are considering an itinerary like this: Seoul-Bejing-Hong Kong-Shanghai-Auckland. Would this work with the 144-hour rule?
Based on that, it looks good as long as you’re within the hour restrictions of the 144-hour rule as Hong Kong is considered for the purposes of this visa to be “outside of China”.
Hi, One question about transit visa free for China:
Is 144 hours transit visa free works with following travel plan:
NewYork–Kunming–HongKong (1st flight NewYork to Kunming is via Beijing transit. No direct flight NY to Kunming ). In this case can I get 144 visa free for Kunming.
Hey Marie, this would only work if your flight in and out of China is all through Beijing. Once you land in Beijing you can do a separate flight to Kunming. Is your flight to Hong Kong from Beijing?
This is unlikely to work. The conditions of the 144 hour visa are that you can only stay within the confines of Beijing and the surrounding area (as stated on the visa stamp). Checking in for your flight to Kunming will result in you being refused boarding as they will check your passport and visa.
Yes that’s correct you have to arrive and depart from Beijing if that’s the port of entry for this to work.
I agree that the arriving and leaving from Beijing is fine. It is the traveling to somewhere outside of the area mentioned on the visa which is the problem. If you fly into Beijing and get a 144 hour visa, you cannot leave Beijing at all. The airline staff will notice or if you manage to get somewhere else, the local police station will notice when your hotel registers your passport.
Ah yes that’s right it looks like as of 2018 they’ve really clamped down on movement within the regions.
Hi There,
I will fly from New Zealand to hong Kong will stay for 3 days and going to stay in Macau for couple of days. From macau plan to fly to Beijing and spend less than 144 hours and fly back to Hong Kong. am I qualified for the 144-hour Free Transit? please advise. thank you
Based on what you have here, you qualify since Hong Kong and Macau for the purposes of the transit visa aren’t part of “being in China”.
I haven’t really been able to find any information on my situation, so was wondering if you had any insight.I actually have a round trip from Montreal, Canada to Beijing, China, but I have a third country I am seeing in between. So my short trip will be the following:
Montreal to Beijing (staying in Beijing for 3 days), Apr 6-9
Beijing to Taipei (staying in Taipei for 3 days), Apr 9-12
Taipei to Tokyo (staying in Tokyo for 3 days), Apr 12-15
Tokyo to Beijing (probably stay 1 more night in Beijing) to catch flight home to Montreal Apr 16
The only thing is that I am coming back to Beijing after traveling Japan and Taiwan and staying in Beijing for another night, will it be problematic to apply for another visa (24 hr) on top of the first 72 (or 144) hour visa previously? In addition, I know the 144/72 hr visas aren’t valid on round trips ie Montreal-Beijing-back to Montreal, technically mine is a round trip, the Montreal-Beijing-Montreal is booked on the same reservation code, but I have other countries in between. Will that be a problem? Or would the customs people not be able to check that and as long as I show them my onwards flight to Taiwan, it should be fine?
Oh man I wish I had the definitive answer. I don’t know whether they really do care about whether the RT is booked on the same ticket because technically based on what I see here, you should be okay since in both instances you’re just “passing through”. I’ve also read about Taiwan and that you need to make sure you have a visa on your passport and not be relying on an e-visa as they could reject your transit visa as well so be careful.
Thanks so much for this! The Taiwan visa is news to me – were you referring to going to China from Taiwan? I read on the Canadian government and Canada Visa Services’s site that we don’t require a visa if our visit to Taiwan is under 90 days (I’m Canadian).
http://visaservicescanada.ca/countries/taiwan.php
https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/taiwan
Hey Laura, ah if that’s the case you should be okay. I’m Canadian as well but wanted to make sure as I know not all countries can enter visa free.
Hello,
Ive tried looking all over the internet for this question and the comment below mine seemed promising in answering it, but I wanted another opinion of my itinerary. I have booked a roundtrip, nonstop flight from Chicago to Beijing on Feb 16 and Shanghai back to Chicago on Feb 28 with United. I also plan to travel to Tokyo on Feb 21 from Beijing and onwards to Shanghai Feb 24 with ANA. Ill leave Shanghai on Feb 28 with United back to Chicago.
So it looks more like this:
Chicago/Beijing Feb 16/17
Beijing from Feb 17-21
Tokyo from Feb 21-24
Shanghai from Feb 24-28
Shanghai/Chicago Feb 28
Am I eligible for the transit visa? Or am I better off getting a Chinese tourist visa.
Thanks
Hey Jake, just took a look at your itinerary and based on my knowledge of the transit visa, you should be okay but I can see where things get a bit fuzzy because you’d be eligible with 2 legs as long as you’re good with the hour calculations:
#1) Chicago -> Beijing -> Tokyo
#2) Tokyo -> Shanghai -> Chicago
The question is that since these cross between two tickets, will they care? Technically, you’re good but the frustrating part is that I wish there was a way to pre-vet itineraries with someone.
I think if you want to play it safe, I’d still get a tourist visa but if you’re feeling confident, you can give it a try. My friend that tried this was on one single ticket. Tokyo -> Shanghai -> Toronto.
Hi
If i go in on one airline and leave on another, on a separate booking, can I make use of this visa.
e.g CDG-PVG via DOH, HKG-CDG via DOH with a separate PVG to HKG flight on cathay?
Yes they don’t care about the airlines that you fly. As long as you’re within the rules of the number of hours and you ending up in a different country, you’re okay. The key is that you need to fly in and out of the same region. Since you’re coming into PVG, your exit out of China needs to be from PVG. The part that I’m not so sure about is where HKG fits into all of this and whether that’s considered going to a different country (my feeling is no).
Hi. I’m planning Japan to Shanghai for 4 days then to Taiwan for 1 night then back to Japan. Will this be eligible . Thanks for your time.
Hey! Since you’re going onwards to a new country (there’ll be debate about that…), you should be but since Taiwan is a bit of a special case, I would maybe try to ask to make sure. For the 4 days, as long as the way you calculate it is within 144 hours, you should be fine.
Thank you for the post! I read somewhere on TripAdvisor about if I am visiting for less than 24 hours, then they might deny entry even if I am doing the Entry without Visa program. I will be flying from Taipei – Shanghai (staying for about 16 hours) – Seattle with a US passport. We have a hotel confirmed for that night. Do you think it will be a problem?
I don’t think that should be an issue based on the rules. But as you said, the challenge has been that you do hear the one-odd story of people being denied for some reason. I really wish there was a process to pre-approve travel plans so this is less of an area of confusion.
I’m planning on visiting Beijing for few days on my way home from teaching in Korea. I’ll be flying Japan-Beijing-Toronto, but from previous experience airlines usually don’t give you the ticket for your flight until you check in. Is showing the email/purchase confirmation for my Beijing-Toronto flight enough, or do I have to check in to the flight a few days early?
I’m stressing a little because of the possible language barrier and I don’t want to live in an airport for 5 days.
From what I’ve read, having a booking confirmation is enough because with a 144 hour window, you likely won’t be able to check-in like you said.
What is the experience of registering at the police station like? Some people online say it is a huge pain, the officers don’t speak English, and some places won’t even understand why you’re there. I’m planning on staying with a friend in Shanghai, not at a hotel, so this part of the process leaves me with a lot of questions.
Hi Dee, that’s a good question. And yes it’s true that it can totally be a pain because customer service and patience aren’t exactly their forté. With the friend you’re staying at, do they speak Mandarin? That would help a lot in terms of explaining things but otherwise it will be a challenge. I wonder if there’s a way to have something pre-written so you can just hand them a piece of paper and then they’ll know what to do.
Unfortunately, my friend doesn’t speak Mandarin. I’m not sure if she’ll have access to someone who does, but I can check.
I’ve seen that the officials who give you the visa also give you printed instructions in both English and Mandarin that mention going to the local police station. Perhaps that would work well enough to get the message across?
Really appreciate the prompt reply!
That would be really helpful if they did do that because then you’d just be able to pass it along to the officer and they’d know what to do. I’d run with that if you can – ask the officer at the airport to provide you that slip and then you should be good to go.
Hiya, I need some urgent help. My flight plan is :
OUTWARD – London – Shanghai. Stay for business for 3 days.
RETURN – Shanghai – Amsterdam – London
As Netherlands will be the 3rd country of transit I believe I apply, but want to confirm this before I book. The travel page hasn’t come back to me with an answer and was hoping you could help?
Thanks!
Rachel
Hey! Okay so based on what I see here, you should be fine because the main thing you’re looking for is that you’re coming from somewhere outside of China and your leaving to go to a different place (London vs. Amsterdam). Just make sure you calculate by the hour whether you’re within the 144 days based on what I explained. The only thing I’m not 100% on since I’ve never tried it, is landing for “business” purposes. There’s nothing on the Chinese websites I’ve reviewed that says anything about it so I think you’re fine. Also make sure you have your hotel information with you. New tool that you can use by the Chinese government: http://app.www.gov.cn/govdata/html5/2018/visafreetransit/pc/index.html
Any clue about business meetings? Are they still okay under this exemption? It looked like they were under that travelchinaguide website, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience in that.
Hi Cara, I don’t have personal experience in declaring as a business meeting but from what I’ve read I don’t think it’s an issue.
I am travelling from uk via Dubai landing in Beijing. Staying in Beijing 3 nights then getting train to Shanghai 3 nights. Fly from Shanghai to Indonesia. Can I use the 144 day transit. If not what do I do?
Hi Gail, based on your itinerary right now, you won’t be able to use the 144-day visa because you’re landing in one zone and flying out of a different zone. Now what you could do is landing in Beijing, touring around for 2 days, train down to Shanghai to tour 2-3 days and then train back up to Beijing to fly down to Indonesia. I know this would mean changing your flights but it’s the zone part that is the concern here. I hope that helps! Alternatively, you could make Shanghai your base instead of Beijing.
I heard about a 72 hour visa, but didn’t know about this 144hr one, and the zones.
Thanks for sharing!
NP! It works but there’s just not that much information out here and airlines are hesitant to promise anything so you have to do your research ahead of time to make sure you’re good.
will this work for the 144 hour rule
usa –> tokyo –> beiijng –> usa
Is Tokyo a transfer or are you staying there overnight or for a couple of days?