If you\u2019ve got a stop over coming up in China, it might be time to postpone your outbound flight for a couple of days.<\/p>\n
In a bid to boost tourism revenue, China has introduced 72 and 144-hour visa free transit zones in various parts of the country. Here\u2019s your step-by-step guide to getting into the Middle Kingdom, hassle-free and with no strings attached:<\/p>\n
If you see your country of nationality in the list below, then you\u2019re eligible to receive the 72 or 144-hour Visa Free Transit:<\/p>\n
America (6 countries): United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and the Republic of Chile<\/p>\n
Europe (37 countries): Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Albania<\/p>\n
Oceania (2 countries): Australia and New Zealand<\/p>\n
Asia (6 countries): South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.<\/p>\n
The main condition is that you have an onward ticket to a third country or region. After all, it is a visa-free \u201ctransit\u201d and not a visa-free holiday… For immigration purposes, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan all count as third \u201cregions\u201d.<\/p>\n
You must enter and leave from one of the eligible ports of entry (see below). However, your arrival and departure ports do not have to be the same. For example, for the 144 hour policy, you can arrive in Shanghai and leave from Hangzhou.<\/p>\n
If you are here on the 144-hour visa free transit, you can travel around Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong. However, you are not allowed to go to other provincial level areas in China. Boo.<\/p>\n
Here are the 144-Hour Visa Free Ports of Entry:<\/p>\n
Shanghai: Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, and Shanghai Railway Station <\/p>\n
Jiangsu: Nanjing Lukou International Airport <\/p>\n
Zhejiang: Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport<\/p>\n
Guangdong: Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, Shenzhen Bao\u2019an Airport, and Jieyang Chaoshan Airport (But passengers can exit from any port in Guangdong.)<\/p>\n
And the 72-Hour Visa Free Ports of Entry:<\/p>\n
Beijing Capital International Airport, Xi\u2019an Xianyang International Airport, Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, Kunming Changshui International Airport, Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, Ximen Gaoqi International Airport, Harbin Taiping International Airport, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Shenyang Xiantao International Airport, Qingdao Liuting International Airport, and Changsha Huanghua International Airport.<\/p>\n
Valid Passport
\nOnward Ticket to a third country\/region with a confirmed seat and date
\nValid Visa for the third country\/region if required
\nCompleted Arrival and Departure Card<\/p>\n
If your flight is cancelled, or you\u2019re unable to leave the country due to an emergency, you\u2019ll need to apply for a visa from the Municipal Public Security Bureau.<\/p>\n
The 144 hours start counting down from 00:00 after the day of entry.<\/p>\n
So if you arrive in the morning of 18th July 2017, the hours start counting down from 00:00 on the 19th July, and run to 23:59 on 24th July. So technically speaking you have a bit more than 144 hours, but it\u2019s best to leave a bit of leeway time just in case.<\/p>\n
1) When you\u2019re checking in before your departure, tell your airline that you\u2019re planning to use the 144-hour visa-free transit.<\/p>\n
2) Complete the arrival and departure card forms.<\/p>\n
3) After you land, follow the signs or ask someone to direct you to the special lane for 144-hour visa free transit passengers.<\/p>\n
4) Just to be safe, tell the immigration authority at the counter again that you want to use the visa-free transit period. Here\u2019s hoping he\/she speaks English\u2026<\/p>\n
5) Remember to act natural \u2013 don\u2019t give anything away. Just kidding, you\u2019ll need to show your tickets, passport, and China arrival card to the officer.<\/p>\n
6) Once you\u2019ve cleared immigration \u2013 you\u2019re home free! Phew. Grab your bags and run before anyone can catch you. If that\u2019s not how you roll, you can also just make your way through customs like you would in any other country.<\/p>\n
7) You many need to register at a local police station within 24 hours. If you\u2019re staying at a hotel, your hotel will do it for you during check-in. Otherwise, you should go to the police station yourself to register your stay. You\u2019ll need to bring your passport, and your host will need to show some sort of identification\/address.<\/p>\n
Note: We\u2019ve heard cases of people being held back and questioned before being allowed to leave the country, so it\u2019s best to register to be safe.<\/p>\n
8) Remember to leave China before your hours are up. Yeah, please trust us on this one\u2026<\/p>\n
9) Depart as usual \u2013 just hand in your completed departure card at security and board your flight to your third country\/region.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s as simple as that. Okay maybe it\u2019s not thaaat simple, but it\u2019s definitely worth staying a few days to explore some of the Middle Kingdom if you\u2019re here stopping by here anyway. Think of it like a holiday before your holiday. Hmm, we quite like the sound of that\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"