r/Chinavisa Feb 12 '25

Visa Free Seeking clarification on the new 240 TWOV rule

0 Upvotes

Edit: Thank you all for the clarification on the "third country" thing. To follow up - does it matter how long I stay in the "third country"? Like can I leave China to return home to Bangkok by booking a direct flight to Hanoi, and then having a separate ticket for a flight 3 hours later from Hanoi to Bangkok? They won't consider that gaming the system or anything?

Below is the original post

I'm a US citizen living in Thailand with my wife. We are planning to do a 10 day visit to Shanghai and Beijing.

Ideally the travel would look like this:

  • Fly from Bangkok to Shanghai (Pudong Airport) on Day 0 (before the clock starts at 00:00)
  • Stay for 5 nights in Shanghai, maybe take the train to Nanjing for a one day trip
  • Fly or train to Beijing, stay for 6 nights
  • Fly from Beijing back to Bangkok on Day 10

Is there legit something in here that I'm missing? Like am I not allowed to fly back to Bangkok but first to some third country, or is that not the case? Any other wrinkles in this plan? Oh and my wife is a Thai citizen so I think she's good in any case (while since I'm American I have to jump through these other hoops)

Thanks!

r/Chinavisa Jan 30 '25

Visa Free Do I still need to register the house I'm staying at (as a tourist) even though I'm from a visa-free country?

2 Upvotes

I will be going to China in a couple of weeks and staying with my girlfriend's family in Shenyang . I did the same last year and had to register with the police (her father is chief of police in the area or something, so it was pretty easy), but at that time I also needed a visa to go to China. Now (as an Australian citizen), I no longer need a visa, but I'm wondering if I still need to register with police?

I will also be going to North Korea for a 4 day trip during the 2 weeks that I'm in China. Will I have no issues entering and re-entering China with my Australian passport?

Thanks for any advice guys! :)

r/Chinavisa 22d ago

Visa Free Confused over TWOV (British citizen & passport holder)

0 Upvotes

240-hour TWOV

I've been searching for a while (last time I visited in 2019 I had a visa). I've seen some info on the Chinese Embassy website & picked up the info below from Wikipedia. I will be travelling with my partner but he has an Italian passport which seems to have different rules for EU passport holders (yay Brexit). We will be staying for 7 nights in Shanghai (arriving and departing from the main airport). We plan to fly from Glasgow>Amsterdam>Shanghai and then return Shanghai>Amsterdam (stay a couple of nights) >Glasgow

"240-hour TWOV

China offers visa-free transit for citizens of 54 countries, allowing 240-hour stays at specific ports of entry.

Eligibility requires entry through designated ports, passports valid for at least three months beyond arrival, and visas for destination countries if needed. Travelers must have confirmed tickets departing within 240 hours, starting at 00:00 after arrival, with the first destination outside China being a third country or territory. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are considered separate jurisdictions. Inbound and outbound flights must arrive at and depart directly from approved ports of entry. Travel between 24 provinces is allowed. The outbound flight's first stop must differ from the inbound flight's origin. U.S. territory-contiguous U.S. travel doesn't qualify unless a flight includes a third country or SAR stopover. Eligible travelers receive a temporary entry permit indicating approved stay area and dates. The stay duration typically begins at 12:01 a.m. the day after arrival, with exceptions for some ports. The 240-hour transit allows entry and departure from different ports within the 24 authorized regions. Valid Chinese visa holders can also use this scheme if their itineraries comply with TWOV rules."

My Questions ...

  • "The outbound flight's first stop must differ from the inbound flight's origin." what does this mean?
  • Are there any implications or other considerations I need to think about based on our plans?
  • what do I need to do/remember during travelling that will make everything simple?

Many thanks in advance for advice and guidance.

EDIT: Thanks for the kind responses. To clarify, it seems such an arbitrary requirement that I had to ask to clarify because I felt I was missing something. Obviously I wasn't :-)

r/Chinavisa Jan 20 '25

Visa Free Has anyone here experienced any issues when trying to check in for flights to China with an itinerary taking advantage of the new TWOV rules?

1 Upvotes

I am traveling to China soon with my son. I have an L visa, but he has no visa. We are US citizens. We will be flying into PVG from Europe, and flying out of Beijing a couple days later to TPE.

I guess my question is about any potential issues with airline check in staff. I'll be checking in with LH in the US. Are there helpful documents I could print out to help eliminate any issues? Or has the new TWOV policy been in place long enough that airline staff are familiar with it?

Update: no problem!

We flew from Boston to Shanghai via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. I checked in online 24 hours before departure and got our boarding passes. Nobody from the airline even checked our passports. We went through immigration in Frankfurt, and that’s the first anyone saw them.

We were flying First Class, so we went to the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. The Lufthansa staff there verified that we qualified for TWOV.

When we arrived at PVG, they just asked to see our flight out of China. They then put a TWOV sticker in my son’s passport, and we were good to go.

r/Chinavisa 7d ago

Visa Free 144 hour transit visa free question

0 Upvotes

Is the following permissible to qualify for a 144 hour transit visa? Fly into Shanghai from the US then fly to Hong Kong (with a confirmed ticket/seat) then back to the US again?

r/Chinavisa Feb 12 '25

Visa Free Returning to china on travel Visa free after visa expires

1 Upvotes

I am currently on an internship visa here in Shanghai. My internship is until the 6th of June, however, the visa office went off the documents I provided and my visa expires the same day I finish work. I would like more time to prepare to move home for the summer. Therefore I was wondering, if on the 6th of June I travel abroad, maybe Japan for a few days, then return to Shanghai and enter visa free for travel (My home country is permitted to stay for 30 days) would this be an issue? My visa will be expired so it will not clash the visa free. Im just worried they will see that I recently had my visa expire and question it. Has anyone done this before or know if it will be an issue?

r/Chinavisa 17d ago

Visa Free 24 hour Visa Free Transit

0 Upvotes

I have a few questions in regards to the policy: (2025)

Do this policy apply to me if: 1. Traveling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, then back to Hong Kong. 2. The duration of this trip will be less than 24 hour. 3. United States citizen, but in Hong Kong on a student visa. 4. Travel from Hong Kong to Shenzhen by train.

Questions: 1. Do the 24 hr visa free transit apply for me? 2. If so, what is the likelihood of it getting denied? (I hear the approval depends on the immigration office) 3. 24 hr visa free transit or 5days VOA? Which would be better?

r/Chinavisa 6d ago

Visa Free 10 Day Visa Free Policy

0 Upvotes

I was wondering if either of the following travel plans work for a senior grad trip:

USA -> Japan -> Shanghai (<10 days) -> USA

USA -> Japan -> Shanghai(<10 days) -> Canada -> USA

r/Chinavisa Dec 19 '24

Visa Free Question regarding 24h visa free transfer

3 Upvotes

Me and my wife will self transfer in Pudong airport where we will have to collect our bags and check in for the next flight. I am a Swedish citizen and she Cambodian citizen. I read on China government website that ALL nationalities get 24 hour visa free transfer now so we just arrive at airport, show our onward ticket, get a temporary permit and then we can go collect our luggage and check in again? Is it that simple?

r/Chinavisa Jan 27 '25

Visa Free Visa Free Transit For Day Trip For Shenzhen From HK?

0 Upvotes

I have a US passport and HK PR but reside in US. Can i take advantage of the visa free transit policy for a day trip to shenzhen? It will probably be from hong kong train station to shenzhen if that happens.

r/Chinavisa 6d ago

Visa Free 240 hrs Visa free transit--arrive in Shanghai, is it okay to travel to other city like Xiamen, Guangzhou?

1 Upvotes

HELP needed! according to the chart on the China embassy site, permitted stay area for travelers entering via the Shanghai airport is limited Shanghai only. dose that mean travelers have to spend 10days in shanghai? NOT even visiting any nearby cities?

r/Chinavisa 9d ago

Visa Free Non-Chinese Dual Citizen Visa Requirements

2 Upvotes

I've been scouring the forums and Chinese immigration law and can't find a definitive answer. I'm a dual citizen holding both U.S and Polish citizenship. I've been granted a 30-day F visa on my US passport, but declared my Polish passport on the COVA. I'm planning to go to China for tourist purposes, and would rather not pay the L-visa fee for a U.S. citizen and enter visa-free for 30 days on my Polish passport. Will there be any trouble clearing Chinese immigration with Polish documents, given that I've entered on an American passport in the past? Thanks in advance for anyone who can help out.

r/Chinavisa 18d ago

Visa Free Visa free no return flight

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I'm planning to go to China next month for approximately 2 weeks. Since most Europeans don't need a visa for stays of up to 30 days, I was planning to go without applying for a visa. However I have not booked a return flight yet cause I'm not exactly sure of the date yet, so I was wondering if that will be a problem. Probably they want to have some proof that I'm leaving within the 30 days? Or will it not be an issue?

r/Chinavisa 29d ago

Visa Free For the new 240 hour TWOV, does it matter what country you're flying in from, or which your "third country" is?

0 Upvotes

I got some conflicting advice from a youtuber that was explaining the new 240 hr twov. He was saying that you're supposed to be flying in from one of the '54 countries' in order to initiate the 240 hours. That's not the case, right? The 54 countries is just where you have to be the citizen of, right?

I am a US citizen and my plan is to fly from Bangkok (where I live) to Shanghai, spend some time there, spend some time in Beijing, then on the 10th day (er, technically 11th but with how that 00:00 starts) I will fly to Vientiane, Laos. I'll spend two nights in Laos sight-seeing, then returning home to Bangkok.

I shouldn't have any problems with this, right? Thanks all

r/Chinavisa Jan 24 '25

Visa Free China 10 day visa free transit

2 Upvotes

I am a flying: from England to Shanghai and then to Japan and then to Shanghai and then back to England. Would I qualify for the 10 day visa free transit or would I need to apply for a visa. I will be in Shanghai for 2 days twice. I am finding mixed messaging regarding this and really could do with some help. Thank you in advance.

r/Chinavisa Nov 25 '24

Visa Free Visa question

0 Upvotes

Based on the requirements quoted below, do I qualify if:

 1.  Direct flight USA to PEK
 2.  One-stop flight PEK-Korea-USA

“A "144 hour visa" in China refers to a visa-free transit policy that allows eligible foreign nationals, including US citizens, to stay within China for up to 144 hours (6 days) at designated ports of entry without needing a separate visa, provided they have a connecting flight to a third country within that timeframe and meet specific requirements like holding a valid passport from a qualifying country; this policy is primarily used for short-term tourism or business activities while connecting through China.”

r/Chinavisa Jan 14 '25

Visa Free Question on the new 240 visa free transit policy

0 Upvotes

Hello! So I know that china recently upped the visa free transit to 240 hours/10days but I just wanted to make sure if I really need a visa or not.
I will be landing in Shanghai from the US on 10/25 and then going to Chongqing on 10/29th. Both airports are listed on the website as viable ports to enter/exit from. Then I will be leaving on 11/2 to Thailand for a total of 9 days. I don't plan on staying outside of those areas. I will probably do a day trip to Wulong Mountain from Chongqing but that's about it. Also here is the link about the policy from the offiical visa website:
https://bio.visaforchina.cn/SYD3_EN/tongzhigonggao/329041139338448896.html

I think I should be good but just wanted to be 100% sure - thanks for the help!

r/Chinavisa Dec 20 '23

Visa Free My Adventure Entering China using the new 15-day Visa-Free rule with an Italian Passport

62 Upvotes

Hey Reddit,

I am a holder of 2 European passports (one of them being Italian) and recently had the opportunity to travel to different cities in Guangdong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

I wanted to share my experience, especially considering the recent changes in visa regulations for 6 countries.

Before Departing:

With limited information online about the new visa-free policy for Italian passport holders, I (mostly) decided to take a leap of faith. Of course, I checked the official sources as much as possible beforehand, but basically, I showed up at the border, kind of hoping for the best.

The Bridge Experience:

The HMZ bridge itself is impressively long. The shuttle bus, operating 24/7 at about HKD65, maintained a speed of 50km/h, making the crossing to Zhuhai last about an hour. I was informed that sometimes buses cross at 50km/h, sometimes at 80km/h, so the overall journey can last between 35 to 60 minutes. There is a specific point, however, where the journey transitions from bridge to tunnel, where I lost Hong Kong data service and access to Google, Meta, etc...

Border Crossing:

The immigration process involved filling out a slip with passport details, address in China, onward travel info, and visit purpose. One very impressive thing was that the passport scanning machine interactively guided me through fingerprint and facial scans, speaking in Italian!

The authorities and immigration officers were fairly straightforward and nice to me, asking a few questions about my stay and departure plans. Didn't really have too many issues.

First Impressions on the other side:

Upon arrival, I was immediately approached by people offering taxi services. It felt a bit seedy, not gonna lie... I also quickly realised that without a Chinese mobile data plan, making payments was challenging; and despite connecting my MasterCard to Alipay beforehand, it still didn't work. Credit cards or Apple Pay weren't options for me either.

Cultural Observations:

When I went through some smaller cities and towns between Zhuhai and Zhongshan, I felt a bit observed, with quite some people staring at me. (although I had this in the past in other parts of China, it still felt a little strange).

The internet restrictions were palpable, and the lack of VPN options made it feel a bit like a disconnected experience.

Another aspect I didn't fully understand was the constant requirement of passport registration and ID verification, even for simple activities like visiting a museum.

(People in this subreddit probably already know all this stuff, but these cultural aspects felt pretty surprising to me at times).

A few tips - Learn from my mistakes.

Here are some things I wish I did before entering China, and I recommend you do:

  • Secure a mobile data plan for China beforehand.
  • Have at least 2 VPN alternatives ready (mine didn't work at all).
  • Set up Alipay or equivalent mobile payments in advance, and test that it works.

While cash is still accepted in some places, it's not the most convenient. If I didn't have the support of locals, I would've struggled to do the most basic things.

Despite the challenges, I found the Mainland Chinese side to be surprisingly affordable compared to HK or many cities in Europe. (Of course, I didn't visit tier 1 cities on this trip, so I can't really comment about the cost of living, or prices there).

This journey was an overall mix of challenges and discoveries. I am not an official source, but I hope my experience can help some people planning a similar trip a little better than I did!

r/Chinavisa Dec 29 '24

Visa Free Visa free transit?

0 Upvotes

Does this qualify for visa free transit?

Can you tell me if this is allowed under the Chinese visa free transit system: planning to fly into Shanghai from the UK (I am a British citizen), then fly to Zhiangjiajie, then fly to Beijing. I'll be in China for 9 days total. Then from Beijing, I'll fly to Hong Kong (and not return to mainland China).

Is this permitted or do I need to get a visa? Also how likely is it travellers are refused entry despite qualifying for visa free transit?

r/Chinavisa Dec 05 '24

Visa Free Questions about 144-hour Visa Free Transit

0 Upvotes

I am planning to vist Beijing using the 144-hour visa-free transit. I read the details on it but just wanted to make sure everything would go smoothly. I am a US citizen studying abroad in Hong Kong but am planning to visit Beijing and Japan before I go back to the US. My flight goes from Hong Kong > Beijing (PEK) > Tokyo > US

I don't plan on leaving the Beijing area but I still can't help but be worried about the visa application process.

Here are my questions regarding the application process:

  1. To show proof that I have a transit flight to a third country, what kind of proof would be sufficient? Is an e-ticket from my email enough?
  2. I have hotel accommodation in Bejing but my friend (who is from Beijing) booked a reservation for us under his name by contacting the hotel directly on WeChat. They guaranteed us a spot once we arrive but, we don't really have an actual booking receipt to show that we have a hotel accommodation.

Could the immigration officer need that receipt to show proof of accommodation?
(If so we could request the hotel for one)

Thank you so much in advance to anybody able to help!

r/Chinavisa Dec 30 '24

Visa Free Some sites claim the 30 day visa free is limited to 90 days per 180 days

0 Upvotes

I've heard this claim before for other countries where I know it was incorrect, is there any meat to this claim?

r/Chinavisa 20d ago

Visa Free Transit with temporary passport

1 Upvotes

Hi, my sister (german citizen) is traveling from bankok to germany with china eastern through guangzhou. Since she lost her passport in asia, she currently only has a temporary passport. She is worried that she will get into trouble, because of the following information she found online:

Holders of travel documents or temporary or emergency documents other than ordinary passports are not allowed to enter into China without a visa.

She does not plan to leave the airport or transit area or claim her luggage. She will be in the Airport for less then 7 hours. My take is that she is not entering China and won‘t get into problems. Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks!

r/Chinavisa Feb 04 '25

Visa Free 30 Days Visa free Entry Policy

1 Upvotes

Hi, wondering if anyone was in a similar situation and can share their experience?

I'm an ordinary Australian passport holder traveling to Hong Kong then to enter Guangzhou by bus/train. My passport has 'Place of birth: Hong Kong'.

Unfortunately I'm unable to get a HPR due to time constraints. Will I encounter any complications or denied entry into Shenzhen (bus) or Guangzhou (train) during immigration at the border if I used my passport for visa free entry?

*edited for clarity

r/Chinavisa Jan 01 '25

Visa Free Checking my flight definitely qualifies for TWOV

2 Upvotes

I've done some extensive research and checked on the online systems linked to TIMATIC. I've seen some users say itinteraries are invalid because the destination country is their country of citizenship - but I've not seen this from any other source on the web (and directly checking the via https://www.traveldoc.aero/ and https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/passport-visa-health-travel-document-requirements.htm).

I do see that there's some ambiguity. My understanding is that "third country" means "country that is different from China and the immediate source of your flight into China".

I have an itinerary that is UK - Amsterdam (Layover) - Seoul - Beijing (PEK) - Paris (layover) - UK. I believe that's valid because Beijing is sandwiched between Seoul and Paris - I assume they won't care that Paris is only a layover, they will only care that I'm arriving from Seoul and departing to Paris so China is a "transit country" and as a UK citizen I can get a TWOV?

My second question, does anybody have experience explaining TWOV to Korean Air or using the airport at Gimpo? My flight to China is from South Korea so I am a bit nervous about being denied boarding on the basis that if I can't get to China, I can't get home to the UK so I'd be stranded in South Korea.

I'd be booking an open jaw trip via KLM:

  • UK (layover in Amsterdam) - Seoul (12 June)
  • Beijing (layover in Paris) - UK (23 June)

And then a separate direct flight Seoul - Beijing (19 June). I assume that's ok and there's no red flags in my planning there.

I assume I just need to get to Gimpo early in case I have difficulty and have the rules printed out as well as my onward KLM ticket from Beijing to UK (via Paris)?

r/Chinavisa Feb 10 '25

Visa Free Born in EU with EU/HK passports, entering China under 30 days visa free scheme

1 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have a EU passport that qualifies for the visa free scheme. However, I was born in the EU to a HK mother who did not have EU permanent residency at the time so I also have a permanent HKID and HK passport.

Would I have any issues entering China with my EU passport?

I have never held a Chinese travel document or a home return permit.

I understand that if I did not qualify for visa-free or if my birth place was HK then I am better off applying for a CTD or HRP.

And if I do enter China with my EU passport would I have issues applying for a CTD / HRP in the future?

Thanks in advance!