China 24-Hour Visa-Free Transit
Foreigners eligible for the 24-hour visa-free transit can be exempt from border inspection procedures at the following 9 airports: Beijing Capital Airport, Beijing Daxing Airport, Shanghai Pudong Airport, Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, Xiamen Gaoqi Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, Shenzhen Bao’an Airport, Chengdu Tianfu Airport, and Xi’an Xianyang Airport.24-hour visa-free transit in China, also called the 24-hour transit without visa (24-hour TWOV for short), regulates that visa is not required for air, train, and ship passengers transiting in mainland China for a stay of no more than 24 hours before heading for a third country or region.
Who are eligible for the 24-hour TWOV of China?
National of most countries are eligible for the 24-hour visa-free transit, while there are exceptions in certain airports for some nationalities.
1. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Yemen passport holders transiting in Xiamen require a visa.
2. Syrian citizens transiting in Guangzhou are not eligible for the 24-hour visa-free transit.
What are the port restrictions?
Though a majority of international airports in China opt in the 24-hour TWOV, passengers transiting through the following airports all need a visa no matter how long the layover is.
• Huangshan Tunxi Airport
• Mudanjiang Hailang Airport
• Yanji Chaoyangchuan Airport
Citizens from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Turkey and Yemen are not eligible for 24-hour visa-free transit in Urumqi Diwopu International Airport.
If transiting in Guangzhou for less than 24 hours, you are able to apply for the 24-hour TWOV from Guangzhou Baiyun airport instead of its railway stations or other ports of entry. That is, only entering Guangzhou by air, you would be issued the 24h visa-free transit under qualified travel itinerary.
What is an eligible transit route?
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| 24-hour Direct Transit Rules |
An eligible transit route goes like Country A → China → Country C.
A and C are different countries. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can be regarded as A or C in this respect. For instance, if a passenger travels like USA – Beijing – Hong Kong, there is no doubt that this route qualifies for China 24 hour TWOV.
Generally speaking, the 24-hour visa-free transit allows aliens to have multiple stops in China as long as they leave the country within 24 hours, therefore the route USA - Beijing - Shanghai - South Korea also counts as eligible.
What are the requirements for TWOV?
Passport valid for at least 3 months from the date of entry Onward air, cruise or train ticket with confirmed seat and date Visa for a third country or region (if needed)
Can I get out of the airport during layover?
Passengers wishing to get out of the restricted transit area to claim luggage, take a connecting flight, or do some sightseeing in the city can apply for the 24-hour visa-free entry permit, which is a stamp or sticker on passport showing the permitted stay length.
Apply for 24-hour visa-free entry permit in 4 steps
Fill an Arrival/Departure Card at the border inspection counter Get the temporary entry permit stamp or sticker Claim the luggage (if needed) Go through the customs
How to count the stopover time?
Ending: scheduled departure time
Recommended Tours for Transit Passengers
Differences among 24/72/144-hour free transit
| 24-Hour TWOV | 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit | 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit |
|---|---|---|
| For almost all countries | For 54 countries | For 54 countries |
| Available in most Chinese cities | Available in major Chinese cities | Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Dalian, Shenyang, Chengdu, Wuhan, Qingdao, Kunming, Xiamen, Xi'an, Chongqing |
| By air, cruise, train | By air | By air, cruise, train |
| Counted from the landing time | Counted from 0:00 the day following the entry date (Scheduled landing time in Beijing) | Counted from 0:00 the day following the entry date |
| Multiple stops | Single stop | Multiple stops |
Note:Note that if 1) you lack any of the required documents listed above, 2) or your route does not qualify, 3) or you have the record of overstaying in a country or getting visa refusal before, your application for the 24-hour visa-free transit may be turned down. For fear of inconvenience caused by such case, please make sure that you are eligible or apply for a regular transit visa in advance.
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0ReplyI encourage you to use correct terminology because in your case there will be no visa of any kind. You will be in a status of a passenger in 24 hour visa free transit, so no visa will be issued. If you want to exit the airport to have a good night rest or to explore the city, the first thing you will do is to approach transit counter upon your landing in Shanghai. Before that you will fill out your arrival/departure card that will be dispensed on board the plane from Sapporo to Shanghai where you will tick - transit. At the transit counter you will apply for a temporary entry permit in order to be allowed to exit the airport. Here you will present your flight tickets as well as your accommodation booking confirmation. After a short check, your permit will be granted and you will proceed to immigration in order to exit the airport. Here I have to tell you that a granting of a temporary entry permit is never a guaranteed detail, but it belongs to a discretionary decision of the airport officials on the day. In any case, you do not need any kind of visa and you are ready to go.
ReplyI am Italian going back to Italy. I’m doing this route: Hanoi, Guangzhou, Chongking, Milan.
I only have a booking confirmation since I’m not able to do the online check in. Is that enough or is the boarding pass absolutely necessary?
00ReplyBeside this, even if you were not eligible to enter China visa free, your tickets (booking confirmations) would have been enough and boarding passes are not a crucial detail. Chinese authorities would be perfectly aware that you will make a check-in upon landing in Guangzhou for your continuing flight toward Chongqing.
ReplyI'm flying to Bali from Amsterdam through Xiamen with Xiamen Airlines. I'm Turkish. My layover time is around 3 hours.
Will there be any issues ?
00ReplyReply00ReplySo, the real thing you will have to get in order to exit the airport is a temporary entry permit. You will apply for one, for free, at the transit counter of the Beijing airport. It is very visible and if you do not see it, you will just ask. So, you will present your flight tickets and your accommodation booking confirmation and after a short check you will be granted a permit. After a permit is granted, you will proceed toward exit immigration and then toward your hotel. In other words, transit counter and immigration are not exactly on the same place.
Reply00ReplyIn order to exit the airport, you will approach a transit counter immediately upon your landing in Beijing. Here you will apply for a temporary entry permit by presenting your flight tickets as well as your accommodation booking confirmation if you plan to spend an overnight in the hotel. It is advisable to have these documents as printouts. Since your layover is really a very long one, your chances to be granted a permit are really very good. So, after a short check, you will be granted a permit and after that you will proceed to the exit immigration and spend much of your time by exploring or resting until your outbound flight to Bishkek. This application is free of any charge. Please, have in mind that you could be rejected to exit the airport, but the chances for rejection are really so tiny.