72 hours / 144 hours China Transit Visa

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China National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced, Start from 1st Dec 2019, Foreigners come from 53 countries who transit (destined for a third country or region - HK, Macau, Taiwan with booked a through air ticket) in 23 China cities within 72 hours / 144 hours are exempted from visas for China. During the visa exemption period, the passenger is allowed to move around within designated area. Details below:

Question 1: Which country passport holder can apply 72 hours / 144 hours transit visa?
Answer: Travelers from following 53 countries can apply for the 144-hour transit visa exemption, which are:

24 Schengen countries in Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherland, Poland, Portugal, Slovak, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
15 other European countries: Russia, Great Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Monaco and Belarus.
6 American countries: The United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Chile.
2 Oceania countries: Australia and New Zealand.
6 Asian countries: Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Question 2: 72 hours / 144 hours visa-free transit is available at which city of China?
Answer: Will be granted a visa-free stay of up to 144 hours while in transit via following city:

City	Port of Entry	Area which allow you to travel
Beijing	Beijing Capital International Airport Beijing railway station	Beijing city, Tianjin city and Hebei province
Tianjin	BinHai international Airport Tianjin international cruise port
Shijiazhuang	Shijiazhuang international airport
Qinghuangdao	Qinhuangdao Harbor
Shanghai	Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) Shanghai Port of International Cruise Terminal Shanghai Wusongkou Port of International Cruise Port of Shanghai Railway	Shanghai city, Jiangsu province and Zhejiang province
Hangzhou	Hangzhou International Airport (HGH)
Nanjing	Nanjing Lukou International Airport (NKG)
Ningbo *	Ningbo Lishe International Airport *
Shenyang	Shenyang Taoxian International Airport	Liaoning province
Dalian	Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport	Liaoning province
Chengdu	Shuangliu International Airport	Chengdu, LeShan, DeYang, Suining, Meishan, Yaan, Ziyang, Neijiang, Zigong, Luzhou, Yibin city
Kunming	Changshui International Airport	Kunming city
Qingdao	Qingdao International Airport Qingdao Harbor	Shandong Province
Xiamen	Gaoqi International Airport Xiamen Harbor	Xiamen city
Wuhan	Tianhe International Airport	Wuhan city

* Will take effect after 1st Dec 2019

Will be granted a visa-free stay of up to 72 hours while in transit via following city:

City	Port of Entry	Area which allow you to travel
Guangzhou	Baiyun International Airport	Guangdong province
Chongqin #	Jiangbei International Airport #	Chongqin city #
Guilin	Liangjiang International Airport	Guiling city
XiAn #	XiAn Xianyang International Airport #	Xian and Xianyang city #
Haerbin	Taiping International Airport	Haerbin city
Changsha	Huanghua International Airport	Hunan province

# Will upgrade to 144 hours transit city after 1st Dec 2019

Question 3: How to apply the 144 hours China Transit visa?
Answer: Take Shanghai for example, after getting off the plane you will head for immigration. Look for a counter that says "144 hours Transit visa exemption", you need to provide following documents:

Your valid passport
Air ticket with confirmed date of flight and seat for a third country (region) traveling within 144 hours.
Arrival & Departure Card form (completely filled).

The immigration officer may ask you questions to confirm your travel plan, if everything is correct, he/she will stamp the transit visa on your passport immediately.

Question 4: How to calculate that 144 hours to avoid any overstay?
Answer: After you enter China, start from the next day 0am for 6 days. For example, you enter Shanghai on 7am at 1st March 2016, then you can stay maximum till 12pm at 7th March.

If visitors are unable to depart on time due to unavoidable reasons, such as flight cancellation or treatment of sudden disease, they need to apply for a visa from Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB).

Question 5: Any Restrictions of the 144-hour Visa-free Transit?
Answer: Transit visa regulation does not apply to passengers who travel on a single return flight (e.g., Hong Kong – Shanghai - Hong Kong), which means the destination and place of departure can not be the same. For example:
USA - Shanghai - Taiwan is available to apply 144 hrs transit visa in shanghai.
USA - Singapore - Shanghai - USA is available to apply 144 hrs transit visa in shanghai.
USA - Shanghai - USA is NOT available to apply 144 hrs transit visa in shanghai.

Question 6: With 144-hour Visa-free Transit, which city can I visit?
Answer: Take Shanghai for example, with the 144-hrs transit visa, You can go to Shanghai and any city in Jiangsu and Zhejiang province.

Question 7: Can I enter China from shanghai (apply the transit visa) and leave China from Hangzhou?
Answer: Yes, Hangzhou is a city in Zhejiang, as we mentioned above, during that 144 hours, you can travel to Zhejiang and leave China from there.

Question 8: Can I enter China from shanghai (apply the transit visa) and go to Beijing?
Answer: No, as we mentioned above, during that 144 hours, you can only travel among Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Any other city outside of those area is not available to go.

Question 9: If I take a cruise from Korea - Shanghai - Japan, can I apply 144 hrs transit visa?
Answer: Yes, you can. according to the Question 2, Shanghai Wusongkou Port of International Cruise is available to arrange 144 hours visa free transit.