allaboutthemiles

I recently flew SGN-PVG-DTW-DCA and took advantage of China's 24-hour visa free transit to check out Shanghai. I arrived in PVG on Saturday and flew out on Sunday morning. The PVG-DTW segment was oversold and DL was offering a $1K voucher. I thought about volunteering, but was concerned about overstaying my transit pass. If I would have volunteered, what would have been the consequences for taking a later flight that day or one the next morning? Would I have had to stay in the terminal overnight beyond security/immigration? Would China have issued me another transit pass valid through the next day?

UpgradeMe

I have no idea what the answer to your question is.

But I do know that your question has nothing to do with DL and everything to do with China's visa policies.

flyerCO

1)agree nothing to do with DL
2)If US/EU/long list of other countries, its 144hr transit free
3)like any country there's procedures for when someone is involuntary not flown out due to airline.

MSPeconomist

However, the 24 and 144 TWOV permits are different documents and I'm not sure you can convert the 24 into 144 hour variety or apply to get the 144 hour TWOV permit when you entered China on the 24 hour TWOV.

flyerCO

AFAIK all TWOV at PVG is issued as 144hr if eligible. Only those countries that don't qualify are given 24hr TWOV. Before I got visa, even if connecting onward same day, I got 144 TWOV issued at PVG.

Regardless posted because a lot pf people think that 24hr TWOV is all China does.

Often1

We have no idea of OP's citizenship and thus why he is on a 24-hour visa-free transit.

As to the point about procedures for IDB, that is irrelevant to OP's question as he is enquiring about what happens if he voluntarily chooses to take a later flight.

So, question which likely belongs in China forum, not DL and perhaps Mods will move, remains what OP asked.

Zorak

PSA reminder that the mods don't necessarily read every post of every thread so the best way to request things like this is to use the ! button that is located on each post (which I have done for this one)

MSPeconomist

YMMV but this contradicts my understanding of the process, which is that people expecting to depart within 24 hours are normally issued the 24 hour permit even if the passport is eligible for 144 hours.

Moreover, someone with a connection within China (or usually even a stop on a direct flight) is only permitted 24 hours regardless of citizenship.

We cannot assume that the OP has/had the 144 hour permit.

fpmurphy

Not true based on my experience. My experience based on multiple PVG transits is that you get 24 hr TWOV if flight departs within 24 hours.

RealHJ

Yes, it is 144h (72h still at PEK) - BUT, and this is very important, the actual TWOV permission and stamp in your passport is only given until the day of your flight out and not for the full duration of the TWOV period. So, it's quite likely that the OP would have been in serious trouble and possibly arrested, likely deported and possibly put on a "cannot enter China list" for overstaying his visa.

The TWOV period length doesn't really matter. What matters is the stamp in the passport that grants you stay, and you can stay only that long. That is never given for the full TWOV period and is only given until the date of the actual flight out.

RealHJ

You are wrong. The stamp put in the passport always has the "valid for stay until" date filled in. That is always the date of the connecting flight, be it same day, next day, two days later or what not. It is never, ever (based on my experience, and I have a lot of those stamps in my passport from this travel year alone, from both PVG and PEK) given for any period longer than the actual connecting flight out, period. So it may be 24h, may be 48h, may be 72h...how long it is depends on the flight out. One cannot overstay and take a later flight out. So has a serious risk of arrest, deportation, being put on a black list for that (I presume) criminal offense of overstaying the visa. I would seriously caution anyone against messing with the Chinese authorities and overstaying their TWOV stamp. TWOV maximum length is irrelevant. All that matters is the stamp in your passport, and that will be always until the date of your connecting flight out.

allaboutthemiles

Tough crowd on Flyertalk today. Thank you to those of you whose first instinct wasn't to point out all of the problems with my post. I typically only read the Delta message board on Flyertalk. Since my flight was on Delta, my first instinct was to post here. I was not aware that there's a separate board for China visa issues. I'll repost over there.

exwannabe

Warning!.

If you thing the replies about being on the wrong board are bad, wait till you see what happens if you cross-post!!! You will be burned alive with all the flames.

The mods will move this for you if you wish. Click the "Alert a mod" button (that red dot with an exclamation mark through it)

I think the question of mechanics of the CHINA TWOV overstay are worthy of discussion.

wolf72

This. The terms of the 24 hour visa free entry are specifically for that you are departing within the 24 hour period. Any extensions/offloading/overbooking are issues between you and your airliner.

You are likely to be in very big trouble otherwise if you don't follow the rules.

Yachtman

Incidentally, I flew China Southern at the start of the year and had irrops in Shanghai. They told me the only confirmed seat they could find me back to London was in a weeks time, when I asked about the visa they said it would not be an issue and that they would sort it out in addition to a hotel for me... In the end I didn't need to overstay as a bit of pushing got me on standby for a flight which worked out.