Originally Posted by
flyert
... or do I go straight through immigration where they look at my onward flight ticket and let me through?
Any help appreciated!
Originally Posted by
lax2010
Don't go through the immigration counter. At the end of the immigration counters, off to the side, there is another line for transit passengers. Get on that transit passenger line and get a stamp on your onward boarding pass from one or two on-duty agents then you are off to downstairs for the security line to get back to the air side for your connecting flight.
Just to clarify the reply from
lax2010, if you are facing the immigration counters, the line you need is on the far-left. From left-to-right at present the set-up is: transit within T3 - e-gates - 72hour TWOV lane/s - foreigner lanes - chinese lanes - e-gates (plus maybe some other special lanes on the right hand side that I can't remember).
The one you should take is marked in big yellow writing something like "International Transit within 24 hours" - though what the lane is actually for is international transit
within terminal 3".
If there is no-one manning that counter just go and stand there anyway - either the control desk or the person manning the lanes will see you and either tell you to go to a different lane, or more typically someone will come along to check your paperwork (passport and onward boarding pass).
After passing that counter you take a lift/elevator down to the departures level and there is also the usual hand luggage security check - I can't remember though where this happens (I think after taking the elevator down one floor)- I live here in Beijing and have only once had to pass though this channel when there was not enough time to make a trip home between trips).