Formalities at departure airport for Chinese 72 hour transit without visa

Formalities at departure airport for Chinese 72 hour transit without visa

8/1/2016 5:28:02 AM

I have obtained this visa-free stay in Shanghai in Mar 2016 (there you can now get 144 hours). At the departure city I told the airline agent I was going to stay there for a day before going further, and they didn’t care. What they did care, however, was to make sure 1) you have a direct international ticket out of China within allowed period (this means you cannot have another connection in China) and 2) this ticket made the trip true transit. Giving them another ticket (which was on a different airline) was enough for them to clear me through.

To further explain the above for others who might read that: to benefit from transit you must be in true transit (i.e. going from Country A via China to Country B, such as Kuala Lumpur – Shanghai – Seattle). You cannot do Kuala Lumpur – Shanghai – Kuala Lumpur (this is not transit but roundtrip), and you cannot have another transit within China such as Kuala Lumpur – Shanghai – Beijing – Seattle, as this is not allowed by the visa-free transfer rules. You are, however, allowed to transit between some airports – for example you can do Kuala Lumpur – Shanghai Hongqiao – Shanghai Pudong (which is one hour drive from Pudong) – Seattle.

Then, once you arrive at the airport, you go to immigration, and tell them you want a transit stay. They will want to see your connecting ticket, hotel reservations (if you’re staying overnight – note that your stay area is limited, and you cannot for example go to Chengdu and stay there) and will stamp your passport with a nice stamp like that:

China temporary entry permit

Note: this assumes you haven’t got in trouble in China before, have never been refused a visa to China, and not looking like you’re going to bring trouble, such as wearing a Falun Gong or “Free Tibet” t-shirt.

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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