144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in China

 Since January 8, 2023, passengers can take advantage of the 144-hour visa-free transit to visit designated cities and regions during the transfer in China, which has been suspended for 3 years because of covid-19.

China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy is carried out in Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing, Xiamen, Qingdao, Wuhan, and Kunming as well as Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, to facilitate international travelers. It allows passengers from 54 countries or regions to transit in Guangdong Province, Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Liaoning Province, Sichuan Province or Chinese cities of Xi'an, Chongqing, Xiamen, Qingdao, Wuhan, and Kunming for no more than 144 hours (6 days) without holding a visa.
 

China 144-hour visa sample

 25 Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

 15 Other European Countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco

 6 American Countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile

 2 Oceania Countries: Australia, New Zealand

 6 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar

* The same as countries enjoying 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit.

 A and C should be different countries or regions out of Mainland China.
* Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can be the Destination A or C, so the route "UK-Shanghai-Hong Kong" is acceptable as the typical route "US-Hangzhou-Japan".

 B refers to only one of the following areas in China, and you cannot have a cross-area visa-free tour among them:

1. Guangdong
2. Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
3. Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei
4. Liaoning
5. Chengdu
6. Xiamen
7. Qingdao
8. Wuhan
9. Kunming
10. Xi'an
11. Chongqing

 Key point: The international flights flying in and out of China – from A to B and from B to C – should be non-stop, without a stopover anywhere in Mainland China.

 Eg:
×  UK – Guangzhou – Shanghai - Hong Kong
×  US – Beijing – Shanghai - France
Note: Both of Beijing and Shanghai are eligible for this policy, but you can only have one between the original country and the third country.

√  US – Dalian - South Korea
√  Singapore – Shanghai – Hangzhou - Malaysia
Note: Shanghai and Hangzhou (provincial capital of Zhejiang) are within one visa-free area.
 

 Shanghai:  All international 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

 Ningbo of Zhejiang:  Ningbo Lishe Airport

 Nanjing of Jiangsu:  Nanjing Lukou Airport

Passengers can enter and leave from any of the above ports. Eg: One can take a cruise to Shanghai and leave by air from Hangzhou or Nanjing.
 

Passengers can move around Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If one have to go to other cities or can't leave within 144 hours, he/she should go to a nearby Public Security Bureau to apply for a visa.

See more about 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
 

 Beijing: Capital International Airport, Daxing International Airport

 Tianjin: Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port

 Shijiazhuang of Hebei: Zhengding International Airport

 Qinghuangdao of Hebei: Qinhuangdao Beidaihe International Airport

Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from any of these ports and move around the three places.

See more about 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei
 

 Dalian: Zhoushuizi International Airport

 Shenyang: Taoxian International Airport

Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from either of the two ports and move around the whole province.

See more about 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Liaoning
 

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Chengdu
 

Passengers are permitted to stay in the whole Shandong Province.

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Qingdao

Passengers are allowed to enter via Guangzhou Airport, Shenzhen Airport, or Jieyang Airport, and travel within Guangdong Province.

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Guangdong

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Xi'an

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Chongqing

1.  Inform the carrier when boarding
2.  Fill an Arrival/Departure Card
3.  Apply for the 144-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival
4.  Claim the luggage
5.  Go through the customs
6.  Leave the airport

 Note for Step 3:

Upon arrival, find the 144-hour visa-free counter at the immigration inspection to apply for the entry permit, which will be stamped on your passport indicating the allowed stay time. Remember to tell the officer if you have a visa for China but don't want to use it this time.

Passport valid for at least 3 months from date of entry

Ticket to a third country with confirmed seat and date

Fully completed Arrival/ Departure Card

* Prepare a valid visa if the third country or region in your plan requires.
* Hotel reservations may be required if you want to leave the airport.
 

It counts from 00:00 of the day following passengers' arrival. That is to say, the allowed time to stay is actually longer than 144 hours.

Eg: If one arrives at 6:00 am on July 1, the layover time counts from 00:00 of July 2 and the passenger should hold a ticket with the scheduled departure time before 23:59 of July 7. In this case, the allowed stay period is 162 hours in maximum.
 

Convenient transportation among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei endows tourists with a smooth trip, whether they enter by air, cruise ship, or international train. It's a must to visit the Great Wall and Forbidden City to explore China's long history and traditional culture. The Ancient Cultural Street in Tianjin and Shanhaiguan Great Wall in Hebei should not be missed either.

If using the visa-free transit in Shanghai, after visiting the Bund, Huangpu River, and skyscrapers, one can travel to Suzhou to see the classical Chinese gardens and elegant water towns. A stroll by the West Lake in Hangzhou and a taste of the delicious local snacks must be a perfect ending of the trip.

 3 Days Private Beijing City Tour from $429

 Beijing Mini Group Tours from $139

A trip to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Zhuhai along China's south coast is a good choice to feel the energetic economic development. 
 

6 days are enough to attend various trade fairs or forums in Beijing, Shanghai, or the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, conduct market research, review suppliers' factories, or sign contracts with partners.
 

 Further Contact Information

 Note:
Note that if 1) you are not able to show any of the required documents listed above, 2) or your route does not qualify, 3) or you have overstayed in a country or been refused in visa application before, you may face the possibility of being refused at the 144 visa-free counter. For fear of inconvenience caused by such case, please make sure that you are eligible or apply for a regular visa in advance.

 

 Further Reading:
China Visa-free Policy

How to Travel to China without a Visa

Shanghai 15-day Visa-Free Policy for Cruise Tour Groups