Jan 13, 2024, 10:15 am
Last edit by: moondog
Notice: This thread pertains strictly to visa free transit.
China (the PRC) has several programs that permit travelers with most passports to transit in China without the need to obtain a visa for periods of 24, 72, or 144 hours. These policies are commonly referred to as "transit without visa", "TWOV", or "visa free transit". They have almost completely replaced transit visas, but technically aren't visas.
This thread is functionally the same as its archived predecessor:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...er-thread.html
What's more, the information contained in the wikipost of the previous thread is still (as of 2024) reasonably accurate. However, since that wikipost had evolved into a long and tedious read, we decided to start anew.
Following are summaries of some of the key points:
1. "transit", in the case of all TWOV policies, requires entering and exiting China directly from different countries. For example, USA-China-Japan is okay, while Japan-China-Japan is not, even if you don't actually enter Japan in either direction (i.e. LAX-TYO-SHA is regarded as TYO-SHA).
2. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau are functionally regarded as separate entities for the sake of TWOV, mean routings such as Hong Kong - Shanghai - Macau are permitted.
3. 24-hour TWOV applies to most combinations of conceivable ports of entries/exits, whereas 72 and 144 TWOV is restricted to travel within specific zones (e.g. if you enter China via Shanghai, you are required to remain within the boundaries of Shanghai/Jiangsu/Zhejiang during your stay and must exit from an approved checkpoint within the same area).
4. Your first port of entry in China establishes your zone, and this is the case even for flights that make intermediate stops within China (e.g. CA154 HIJ-PEK stops in DLC, so if you want 144 TVOW, you need to terminate in Dalian and remain within Liaoning Province, and if terminate in Beijing, you'll need to depart China within 24 hours of your arrival in DLC).
5. Visitors to this thread are welcome to provide specific itineraries for us to comment on here, but we encourage you to query TIMATIC (there are numerous free TIMATIC interfaces available on the internet, some better than others) for your specific case first because approved ports change from time to time and there are some variances based on passport/citizenship.
6. In order to avail of TWOV, you should be prepared to demonstrate compliance with both your inbound transportation provider (almost certainly an airline) and at the arrival border checkpoint. Proof of onward travel within the applicable time frame (i.e. 24, 72, or 144 hours) is essential, so even if your plan is to walk across an approved land border upon exit, you may well be denied boarding if you fail to produce a confirmed onward plane/boat/bus ticket.
7. Proof of accommodation in China is not technically required, BUT reserving a hotel room, for at least the first night, is advisable because doing so preempts "where are you staying?" conversations and staying in a hotel will ensure compliance with the "all foreigners must register with a PSB within 24/72 hours" rule.
8. In some cases (e.g. daytime layovers within the same terminal facility), applicants for 24-hour TWOV might be permitted to transit, but denied permits to enter the country. There are a number of ways to minimize (or completely eliminate) the odds of being denied an entry permit.
China (the PRC) has several programs that permit travelers with most passports to transit in China without the need to obtain a visa for periods of 24, 72, or 144 hours. These policies are commonly referred to as "transit without visa", "TWOV", or "visa free transit". They have almost completely replaced transit visas, but technically aren't visas.
This thread is functionally the same as its archived predecessor:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...er-thread.html
What's more, the information contained in the wikipost of the previous thread is still (as of 2024) reasonably accurate. However, since that wikipost had evolved into a long and tedious read, we decided to start anew.
Following are summaries of some of the key points:
1. "transit", in the case of all TWOV policies, requires entering and exiting China directly from different countries. For example, USA-China-Japan is okay, while Japan-China-Japan is not, even if you don't actually enter Japan in either direction (i.e. LAX-TYO-SHA is regarded as TYO-SHA).
2. Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau are functionally regarded as separate entities for the sake of TWOV, mean routings such as Hong Kong - Shanghai - Macau are permitted.
3. 24-hour TWOV applies to most combinations of conceivable ports of entries/exits, whereas 72 and 144 TWOV is restricted to travel within specific zones (e.g. if you enter China via Shanghai, you are required to remain within the boundaries of Shanghai/Jiangsu/Zhejiang during your stay and must exit from an approved checkpoint within the same area).
4. Your first port of entry in China establishes your zone, and this is the case even for flights that make intermediate stops within China (e.g. CA154 HIJ-PEK stops in DLC, so if you want 144 TVOW, you need to terminate in Dalian and remain within Liaoning Province, and if terminate in Beijing, you'll need to depart China within 24 hours of your arrival in DLC).
5. Visitors to this thread are welcome to provide specific itineraries for us to comment on here, but we encourage you to query TIMATIC (there are numerous free TIMATIC interfaces available on the internet, some better than others) for your specific case first because approved ports change from time to time and there are some variances based on passport/citizenship.
6. In order to avail of TWOV, you should be prepared to demonstrate compliance with both your inbound transportation provider (almost certainly an airline) and at the arrival border checkpoint. Proof of onward travel within the applicable time frame (i.e. 24, 72, or 144 hours) is essential, so even if your plan is to walk across an approved land border upon exit, you may well be denied boarding if you fail to produce a confirmed onward plane/boat/bus ticket.
7. Proof of accommodation in China is not technically required, BUT reserving a hotel room, for at least the first night, is advisable because doing so preempts "where are you staying?" conversations and staying in a hotel will ensure compliance with the "all foreigners must register with a PSB within 24/72 hours" rule.
8. In some cases (e.g. daytime layovers within the same terminal facility), applicants for 24-hour TWOV might be permitted to transit, but denied permits to enter the country. There are a number of ways to minimize (or completely eliminate) the odds of being denied an entry permit.
China 24, 72, and 144 hour Transit Without Visa ("TWOV"), 2024 onwards
Feb 8, 2024, 4:46 am
#61
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: SMF
Posts: 45
FUK-PVG-PNH
Flew from fukuoka to Shanghai on 144 hour. It took almost 20 minutes at FUK to process through with the Japanese ticket agent. She knew the program but being Japanese was very detailed and asked for more information than was necessary.
In Shanghai the customs agents were super friendly and there was already a twov special agent on hand (about 2pm). He accidentally processed me for 24 hour until supervisor checked and saw my flight out was 6 days later, so they had to reinput the info. A handful of other passengers were also applying for twov.
Leaving shanghai no problems.
I would actually fly twov more often as it gets you out of the general foreigner line and you can process through customs faster.
In Shanghai the customs agents were super friendly and there was already a twov special agent on hand (about 2pm). He accidentally processed me for 24 hour until supervisor checked and saw my flight out was 6 days later, so they had to reinput the info. A handful of other passengers were also applying for twov.
Leaving shanghai no problems.
I would actually fly twov more often as it gets you out of the general foreigner line and you can process through customs faster.
Feb 8, 2024, 4:51 am
#62
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM
Posts: 6,356
Feb 8, 2024, 6:04 am
#63
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: SMF
Posts: 45
When I arrive at twov desk in china I just tell them i stay at relatives and a general block address works. Sometimes i dont even give phone number. They dont confirm. Oddly, when staying at hostel in shanghai they asked for previous address of stays in China.
Feb 11, 2024, 5:15 am
#64
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: MEL
Posts: 25
I'm a bit confused about TWOV flying to Japan with a “technical” stop in DLC.
I want to fly MEL-PEK-KIX / HIJ-(DLC)-PEK-MEL or visa versa. I know I can get a TWOV in Beijing on the way to/from KIX because it’s nonstop but will there be issues flying to/from HIJ even as a transit passenger (less than 24hrs) because the flight between DLC-PEK is apparently considered domestic? I know a Beijing 72hr TWOV isn’t really allowed flying HIJ-(DLC)-PEK-MEL because Liaoning Province sets my zone. But is it possible MEL-PEK-(DLC)-HIJ because my transit in DLC will be less than 24 hours?
I only want a TWOV in Beijing in one direction but would prefer it on the way to HIJ instead of KIX
I want to fly MEL-PEK-KIX / HIJ-(DLC)-PEK-MEL or visa versa. I know I can get a TWOV in Beijing on the way to/from KIX because it’s nonstop but will there be issues flying to/from HIJ even as a transit passenger (less than 24hrs) because the flight between DLC-PEK is apparently considered domestic? I know a Beijing 72hr TWOV isn’t really allowed flying HIJ-(DLC)-PEK-MEL because Liaoning Province sets my zone. But is it possible MEL-PEK-(DLC)-HIJ because my transit in DLC will be less than 24 hours?
I only want a TWOV in Beijing in one direction but would prefer it on the way to HIJ instead of KIX
Feb 11, 2024, 7:15 am
#65
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Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,043
CA153 departs China from DLC, so it is not compliant with Beijing's 144-hour TWOV policy.
If you want to use that flight on the way out (from Beijing), you really can't arrive until about 11a the previous day (within 24 hours between arrival in Beijing and scheduled departure from Dalian).
If you want to use that flight on the way out (from Beijing), you really can't arrive until about 11a the previous day (within 24 hours between arrival in Beijing and scheduled departure from Dalian).
Last edited by moondog; Feb 11, 2024 at 7:20 am
Feb 11, 2024, 3:25 pm
#66
Join Date: Jan 2024
Posts: 86
Soon there will be another cheap option for a 144h TWOV in or out of the greater Beijing region.
Spring Airlines will start SJW-ICN.
SJW is included in the list of Airports, but so far they did not offer nonstop flights into or out of China.
Maybe they used to before the pandemic.
There are even direct trains from Beijing to SJW Airport.
(Sorry the name of the city is a tongue twister....)
Spring Airlines will start SJW-ICN.
SJW is included in the list of Airports, but so far they did not offer nonstop flights into or out of China.
Maybe they used to before the pandemic.
There are even direct trains from Beijing to SJW Airport.
(Sorry the name of the city is a tongue twister....)
Feb 12, 2024, 8:53 am
#67
Join Date: May 2003
Location: London
Posts: 1,666
Is onward flight confirmed as flown?
I'll be in Shanghai for four or five days next month. I'll have an onward flight to TYO, so want to use the 144h TWOV. What would happen if I end up not flying on to TYO? Would there be any problem just returning to my port of origin from PVG within the 144h period? Thanks!
Feb 12, 2024, 9:40 am
#68
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: SMF
Posts: 45
So you want to use the TWOV for a roundtrip to bypass normal visa requirements? That's clearly against the rules. They won't know when you arrive, so sure you can do that to get in, but they probably won't let you back into China next time when they see your ticket is returning to your original point of depature. .
Feb 12, 2024, 11:14 am
#69
Join Date: Jan 2024
Posts: 86
I'll be in Shanghai for four or five days next month. I'll have an onward flight to TYO, so want to use the 144h TWOV. What would happen if I end up not flying on to TYO? Would there be any problem just returning to my port of origin from PVG within the 144h period? Thanks!
Feb 12, 2024, 11:26 am
#70
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Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,043
I'll be in Shanghai for four or five days next month. I'll have an onward flight to TYO, so want to use the 144h TWOV. What would happen if I end up not flying on to TYO? Would there be any problem just returning to my port of origin from PVG within the 144h period? Thanks!
So you want to use the TWOV for a roundtrip to bypass normal visa requirements? That's clearly against the rules. They won't know when you arrive, so sure you can do that to get in, but they probably won't let you back into China next time when they see your ticket is returning to your original point of depature. .
Feb 12, 2024, 2:59 pm
#72
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ticed.
Feb 12, 2024, 3:08 pm
#73
Join Date: May 2003
Location: London
Posts: 1,666
So, basically, if there is any risk of not flying on to the third country, get a full visa. Thanks. Good to know! 
Feb 12, 2024, 3:25 pm
#74
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Location: Between AUS, EWR, and YTO In a little twisty maze of airline seats, all alike.. but I wanna go home with the armadillo
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u more flexibility.
Feb 12, 2024, 4:16 pm
#75
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I'm hard pressed to think of any specific examples of people who actually attempted to return to their countries of origin while in transit (most seem to catch themselves before entering the arena), but I know of numerous friends/colleagues who have been fined and/or detained as a result of visa related infractions (e.g. expired visas, miscalculated permitted days, failure to register with PSB, engaging in prohibited activities).
Three points have resonated strongly with me: 1. the data maintained at the individual level is quite extensive and readily accessible by case leads; 2. the punishment mechanisms function like a well oiled machine; and 3. dentention is orderly but most unpleasant.
I realize these things contradict the "keystone cops" stereotype we often ascribe to Chinese bureaucracy, but I've now seen enough to concede that they excel in this particular area (as well as others such as traffic law enforcement).
I'm hard pressed to think of any specific examples of people who actually attempted to return to their countries of origin while in transit (most seem to catch themselves before entering the arena), but I know of numerous friends/colleagues who have been fined and/or detained as a result of visa related infractions (e.g. expired visas, miscalculated permitted days, failure to register with PSB, engaging in prohibited activities).
Three points have resonated strongly with me: 1. the data maintained at the individual level is quite extensive and readily accessible by case leads; 2. the punishment mechanisms function like a well oiled machine; and 3. dentention is orderly but most unpleasant.
I realize these things contradict the "keystone cops" stereotype we often ascribe to Chinese bureaucracy, but I've now seen enough to concede that they excel in this particular area (as well as others such as traffic law enforcement).