moondog

No; they only care about the nonstop flights to/from China. So, LAX-PEK-YVR-LAX would be okay, but LAX-PEK-LAX-YVR would not.

mdobbins

I currently have a mileage run planned for EWR-PEK-EWR. The time in PEK is two hours. I do not plan to leave the airport (obviously) and I do not plan to obtain a visa.

Can anyone who has done a recent (preferably 2013) mileage run to PEK or PVG without leaving the airport and a return <24 hours chime in that they did not need a visa? Thanks in advance!

freezefactor

I think you would have trouble boarding in EWR - I certainly would just get the visa and save all the stress of trying to do this.

mdobbins

Thank you for the suggestion. Are you saying you have done a recent mileage run like the one I have planned and that you needed a visa?

m.y

Please read the posts on the previous page, you would need a visa unless you are transiting to a third country. 110pgl does not know what he's talking about, the rules are very clear on this. UA would not let you on the plane before the Chinese has a
crack at you.

From A* TIMATIC page:

R32) TWOV
....

Transit Without Visa (TWOV): Passing through an international
transit area of the airport in order to board a connecting (or

to proceed by the same) flight, without entering the country
(i.e. clearing immigration).

Unless stated otherwise, passengers wishing to TWOV must:
- be en-route to a third country (e.g. itinerary TYO-LON-TYO is not considered TWOV);


CHINA (PEOPLE'S REP.): 72-HOUR VISA-FREE TRANSIT AT BEIJING
AND SHANGHAI
Effective from 1 January 2013, nationals of 45 countries

transiting through Beijing (PEK) and Shanghai (PVG and SHA) to

a third country and holding confirmed onward tickets are

permitted to enter China (People's Rep.) without a visa, for
max. 72 hours.

rionio77

Anybody know what happens if you book 2 different itineraries with a planned stop in China?? For example, LAX-PVG-LAX on 1 itinerary...but on a separate itinerary you book a PVG-NRT-PVG flight. Would this type of 2 itinerary setup be OK and fulfill the requirement of traveling to a THIRD country?

Phoenixtinct

Whereas this quote is true, it ONLY applies in the event you DO leave the airport. As this is not this case here, it shouldn't be a problem. How United will interpret it is another matter. I was in a similar situation about a month ago on a trip I had booked having about a 2-hour layover at PEK before flying out to another destination. I did contact the Chinese embassy (in Chicago, I believe) and this was prior to January 1st before the new rule took effect, so I would have needed a visa to transit (if that was my intent) but the lady I spoke to specifically told me that if you are NOT leaving the airport, no visa is necessary. I don't see a reason not to believe that. I ended up changing my itinerary and skipped PEK but I believe that is still true. If you did plan to enter China on a EWR-PEK-EWR itinerary, it would be problematic since TWOV won't apply to you but since you aren't, I think you should be OK. You can always do what I did and call the local embassy/consulate. Not sure if that will help you board and at PEK but at the very least it can give you some peace of mind. Good Luck!

Phoenixtinct

First one will be OK as long as you don't leave the airport, however, 2nd will definitely not work as you will need a visa for the last arrival at PVG. The only way to be safe is to have the following AAA-XXX-BBB where XXX is PEK, PVG or SHA. For example, since both DL and UA have a hub at NRT, if you can do something like LAX-PVG-NRT-LAX, you'll be OK, as you're arriving from the US and heading to Japan. It's imperative to have your origin and destination different to be able to take advantage of TWOV.

m.y

Again, you have presented a lot of misinformation, TWOV rules in practice does not differentiate between leaving and not leaving the airport since everyone need to go through immigration and there is nothing to stop you from venturing outside of airport. For PEK and PVG, the Chinese expect you to leave the airport during your 72 hour stay and spend money.

PEK/PVG is not like NRT where transit passengers go through security check only and you can get on your return flight without entering the country. Everyone will need to pass through immigration, and foreign nationals (except those who can visit China visa-free) would either need a visa, or be transiting to a third country. Please see post 43 where a Canadian man got into trouble and the airline was fined for doing a Canada-PVG-Canada routing.

Nested routing such as PVG-NRT-PVG inside LAX-PVG-LAX on two itineraries would be fine. Almost all nationalities can transit through China visa free for 24 hours so XXX is not limited to PEK and PVG.

There is a lengthy thread in the China forum regarding TWOV, I think it should cover 99% of situations already.

Kwang su

Afyer this year there in no need to VISA within 72 hours to stay there. However only transfer routing is apply. NRT-PVG-ICN is OK. NRT-PVG-KIX is not allow.

Time traveller

How easy or difficult is it to apply for a 1 year multiple entry visa? Do you have to justify your reason for applying for a multi-entry visa - such as a business reason or visiting family/friends?

MSPeconomist

China requires everyone in the USA to either apply for a visa in person or use a visa agency, adding to cost and time. Previous postOlympic practice had been to automatically give a one year multiple entry visa if you've previously had a Chinese visa and didn't cause trouble. Recent reports suggest that this is currently less generous, although it seems to depend on the consulate and visa agency you use.

mikelat

You need a visa for this. The only way you wouldn't need a visa is to do EWR-PEK-<3rd country>-EWR, such as EWR-PEK-HKG-EWR. Just going to China and back will require a visa. sorry

mikelat

I had no problems, or extra documentation required, to request a multiple entry Chinese visa. I'll be in Beijing in Jan/Feb/Apr using the same one year validatity multiple entry visa.

mdobbins

Not questioning - just gathering data at this point (I'm a scientist by trade and we gather data to support or refute a hypothesis). You know this because you were denied boarding?

Again, I'm soliciting actual experience because the following appears on the Chinese Embassy website (http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/visas/zgqz/):