Just to update- as moondog as correctly said- it all worked out. Certainly having a printout with me of the regulations made the difference- I was on the very early UL flight this morning from BKK to PVG- and the UL people had never heard of such a thing. In fact they showed me a "book" they had of email printouts where someone had been denied entry because they were more than 24 hours. In the end they took a photocopy of the page from the China embassy and said "OK" but very reluctantly. Without the printout I would still be in BKK. Once arriving at Shanghai it was all very easy and straightforward.

I think the only problem with this is that at outstations very few people know about it- so definitely do check in very early for your flight (it took me 90 minutes to sort this out at 4:30 this morning)- have all the documentation printed- and be patient and ready to explain.

I can see that if the wrong supervisor was on duty it would be pretty easy to get denied boarding.

Hi everyone, I've read through this and the other long FAQ thread, but there were sometimes differing opinions based on spirit of the rules versus what's allowed. I have a trip to SYD that is a little too long, and would like to use the 48 hour TWOV in PVG.

My main issue is separate itineraries/tickets. Would this be ok, or too confusing for those involved (check-in staff and immigration folks)?

US passport
SYD-BKK-PVG (TG award; arrive in PVG at 0625 on 10/21)
PVG-HKG (KA award; depart PVG at 1850 on 10/22)
HKG-SFO on 10/23

Is this 36 hour PVG trip doable? Thanks a lot all.

You only need to show them the first and second itinerary (SYD-BKK-PVG and PVG-HKG). Should be no problem at all. I suggest taking a printout of the page from the Chinese Embassy where it explains this is possible (Visa Free Travel).

I'm going to be flying Thai from BKK to PVG and then UA from PVG to USA less than 48 hours later. Has anyone ever had any luck getting an airline to put a specific reference to the visa waiver in the rez? I find that airline staff are likely to "believe" what's in the PNR, so this way they don't have to make an individual judgment (and risk being disciplined for being wrong).

The rules are crystal clear; just bring along a printout of them from TIMATIC or a Chinese consulate, and you have nothing to worry about.

Did this over last Thanksgiving. Methinks it must be fairly common, no questions asked when I showed my UA itin to TG staff at BKK.

Of course my PVG-SFO was cancelled, so my 47 hour and 45 minute layover was shortened by many hours to accomodate a CA flight to KIX and THEN a flight to SFO on UA

Moreover, the first of three agents I talked to insisted the flight was on, even though I received an automated email from UA telling me said flight was CX and there was no UA flight for that day in the system even though it was wide open day before

EmailKid

I read this thread and did not see the answer to this question:

ORD -PVG (stopover for less than 48hrs)-(separate ticket to BKK-PVG)-PVG (stopover less than 48 hrs) - ORD

If I present my etickets for
ORD-PVG-ORD
and BKK-PVG-PVG
will I get in trouble with not getting a visa because I am transiting through Shanghai twice within a span of 6 days but staying in Shanghai less than 48 hrs every time.

If I am good to do the above, what documents besides tickets, US passport, and Chinese embassy ruling would I need to present in ORD, PVG, BKK


Thank you very much for your insights

As long as you adhere to their rules, you have nothing to worry about: 48 hours to arrive by air and depart by air to a different country. If you had the desire, you could play this game 100+ times per year, and still be in compliance. You don't need any special documents, but a simple TIMATIC printout wouldn't be a bad idea, though I cringe at the thought of all the wasted paper this thread has generated.

As you posted yes, but I assume you mean PVG-BKK-PVR

And while it wasn't 6 days, my trip little less than a year ago was about 10 days, and no one raised an eyebrow.

Paper

Only if someone prints it @:-) Wasted electrons and time posting OTOH ....

EmailKid, waiting for another excellent fare to PVG/PEK or better yet, excellent W fare on UA

Touche, mon frere (appologies for the lack of accent marks; my computer doesn't speak French).

For the sake of the electrons, I think we should aim to reduce the number of "is this okay?" posts.

While I think the OP is pretty clear on this front, please permit me to pound this stuff in again:

1) 95% of FTers can stay in Shanghai for up to 48 hours without getting a visa, provided they are flying in from one country and flying out to another country
-the border control people could care less where your final destination is; they only want to see a ticket to a country that is different from your originating country (e.g. USA-China-Japan-USA is completely fine)
-99.9% of FTers qualify for 24-hour stays, based on the same rules

2) It's possible to trick the system by actually purchasing refundable tickets to a third country, and canceling them; while I don't necessarily advocate this strategy, it seems to work pretty well

3) Stopovers >24/48 hours are probably doable (midnight rule), but this is not something you should plan for in advance

4) the powers that be --on both sides of the trip-- are increasingly aware of this drill
-in the unlikely event you are the first person ever to tempt these waters from your podunk airport, a simple phone call from them to HQ will set the matter straight
-as for the Chinese, just show them your e-ticket confirmation (iPad is cool); they are actually nice people who WANT you to spend time/money in their city

5) All of those people who claim that you can't leave the airport are typing away from their armchairs in other lands

fr�re

Copy -paste

Does anyone know if 2.5 hours is enough transfer time at PVG airport? I plan to be arriving on AA then transferring to another flight on Thai Airways. It looks like I'll be in Terminal 2 the whole time. From what I've read, it looks like you have to go through immigration and get a transit visa then go and check in again + go through security. Is it correct that there is no transit desk that will allow transiting passengers to skip checking in again? Post #79 mentioned a transit desk but it was closed.

I would not waste any time however it should be fine.

There is a transit desk but I have not seen it staffed/open since the Olympics and Expo.

Connected ICN-(OZ)-PVG-(NZ)-AKL on the 5th and followed signs for the LH/LX/VS/NZ airside connection. Got to row of 5 desks with one monitor displaying the NZ logo (all others off) and agent said "Lufthansa and Swiss only" despite the NZ sign over her head. Would not budge and help us with NZ, so off to immigration. 30+ minute wait in immigration line, officer made me step aside to wait for a supervisor, and then let through. Out to check-in desk and right back through immigration, then up to the gate 77 lounge... good thing I booked a 3.5h layover.

I know my main question has been asked and very helpfully answered a number of times on this thread, but since things can change and since my routing involves HKG and AA travel, I'll nevertheless post this request for advice.

I am a US passport holder.

In March, I may well travel on AA SFO-ORD(or another AA hub)-PVG and back. I would sandwich within that trip and as a separate ticket on CX PVG-HKG-MNL and back. Depending on the schedule, my time in PVG could be as little as several hours, but to be on the safe side to avoid misconnects I'll likely overnight in PVG, probably staying less than 24 hours and certainly less than 48.

So my questions:

1. Am I correct in assuming that I won't need a visa?
2. More to the point, any complications in that my flight to and from PVG is HKG (though final destination and origin is MNL, with just a quick transit in HKG)?
3. Given the reports of AA occasionally causing problems if a passenger does not have a China visa, what is the best documentation to bring with me to the airport. The print-out from the Chinese Embassy site saying that TWOV is permitted for certain nationalities (including USA) through PVG if staying less than 48 hours? Anything else?

(FWIW, the reason for this crazy itinerary is that it is the cheapest way for me to fly OW carriers all the way to MNL in J, via a combination of AA upgrades and a relatively inexpensive CX ticket. Plus there's a bit of an MR aspect to it.)

Thanks for any help!