Interpretation of the 144-Hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy (2018)
Interpretation of the 144-Hour Visa-Exemption Transit Policy (2018)
05-02-2018
Sanctioned by the State Council, Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province, Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province, and certain ports in Liaoning Province are to adopt the 144-hour visa-exemption transit policy available to nationals from 53 countries.
1. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Railway Station, Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, and stay within the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province for 144 hours.
2. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Beijing Capital International Airport, Tianjing Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port, Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport and Qinhuangdao Sea Port, and stay within the administrative precincts of Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province for 144 hours.
3. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Shenyang Taoxian International Airport and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, and stay within the administrative precincts of Liaoning Province for 144 hours.
An applicant for 144-hour visa-exemption transit needs to possess a valid passport or other valid international travel documents and an onward air / vessel / train ticket to a third country (region) with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon arrival, fill out an arrival card for temporary entry foreigners, and be interviewed by the immigration inspection authority. The following types of foreign nationals will not be issued a temporary entry permit:
I. Those who are inadmissible to China in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations;
II. Those whose international travel documents are valid for less than 3 months at the time of application, or those who possess international travel documents containing refusal stamps affixed by Chinese visa issuing authorities;
III. Those who have records of illegal entry or exit, illegal stay or residence, or illegal employment in China in the past 5 years;
IV. Those who have seriously violated the regulation of registering their addresses for temporary residence in China with the public security bureaus in the past 2 years.
In addition, foreign crew members aboard internationally sailing vessels and their accompanying family members are not eligible for this policy.
Foreign nationals, during their visa-exemption transit, must abide by Chinese laws and regulations. They must not leave the specified area of stay or overstay the visa-exemption period. In the first 24 hours of entry, foreign nationals themselves should register their residence addresses with the local public security bureaus or foreigner service stations, or those who provide the foreign nationals with residence can complete the registration on their behalf. For foreign nationals who dwell at a hotel, the hotel has the obligation to register residence for them. In case of force majeure which necessitates a longer period of stay than 144 hours within the visa-exemption area, they need to lodge an application to the exit and entry administration department of a public security bureau for corresponding stay or residence documents.
Regarding those foreign nationals who have entered China by successfully applying for 144-hour visa-exemption transit, the following acts including traveling beyond the specified areas of stay, overstaying the visa-exemption transit period, departing from unspecified ports, or failing to register their residence information, will be punishable by law by the immigration inspection authority or local public security authority.
Q: Which countries are covered in the policy?
A: Currently, there are 53 countries and they are Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.
1. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal, Shanghai Railway Station, Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, and stay within the administrative precincts of Shanghai Municipality, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province for 144 hours.
2. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Beijing Capital International Airport, Tianjing Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port, Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport and Qinhuangdao Sea Port, and stay within the administrative precincts of Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province for 144 hours.
3. An eligible passenger can transfer via any of the following ports of entry including Shenyang Taoxian International Airport and Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, and stay within the administrative precincts of Liaoning Province for 144 hours.
An applicant for 144-hour visa-exemption transit needs to possess a valid passport or other valid international travel documents and an onward air / vessel / train ticket to a third country (region) with confirmed date and seat within 144 hours upon arrival, fill out an arrival card for temporary entry foreigners, and be interviewed by the immigration inspection authority. The following types of foreign nationals will not be issued a temporary entry permit:
I. Those who are inadmissible to China in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations;
II. Those whose international travel documents are valid for less than 3 months at the time of application, or those who possess international travel documents containing refusal stamps affixed by Chinese visa issuing authorities;
III. Those who have records of illegal entry or exit, illegal stay or residence, or illegal employment in China in the past 5 years;
IV. Those who have seriously violated the regulation of registering their addresses for temporary residence in China with the public security bureaus in the past 2 years.
In addition, foreign crew members aboard internationally sailing vessels and their accompanying family members are not eligible for this policy.
Foreign nationals, during their visa-exemption transit, must abide by Chinese laws and regulations. They must not leave the specified area of stay or overstay the visa-exemption period. In the first 24 hours of entry, foreign nationals themselves should register their residence addresses with the local public security bureaus or foreigner service stations, or those who provide the foreign nationals with residence can complete the registration on their behalf. For foreign nationals who dwell at a hotel, the hotel has the obligation to register residence for them. In case of force majeure which necessitates a longer period of stay than 144 hours within the visa-exemption area, they need to lodge an application to the exit and entry administration department of a public security bureau for corresponding stay or residence documents.
Regarding those foreign nationals who have entered China by successfully applying for 144-hour visa-exemption transit, the following acts including traveling beyond the specified areas of stay, overstaying the visa-exemption transit period, departing from unspecified ports, or failing to register their residence information, will be punishable by law by the immigration inspection authority or local public security authority.
Q: Which countries are covered in the policy?
A: Currently, there are 53 countries and they are Albania, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America.