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144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei

The 144-hour visa-free transit has been implemented in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei since December 28th, 2017. It enables air, train, and ship passengers heading for a third country or region to stay within the three places for up to six days without needing a visa application.

Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei 144-hour visa-free transit area

Areas Allowed to Stay

Tourists qualifying for the 144-hour free transit can move freely in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei within the 6 days. For example, if an UK passport holder entering from Beijing Capital International Airport intends to take a 6 Days Private Olympic Tour to Beijing & Zhangjiakou offered by TravelChinaGuide, and then catch a leaving flight in Tianjin airport, there is no problem that the 144-hour visa-free transit can cover the trip and no visa will be required for the British.

Who can enjoy the 144-hour visa exemption? - List of 53 Qualified Countries

24 Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

15 Other European Countries: Russia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Belarus, Monaco

6 American Countries: the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile

2 Oceania Countries: Australia, New Zealand

6 Asian Countries: Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, Qatar

What Is An Eligible Route?

A: departure country ⇒ B: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei ⇒ C: the third country or region

Passengers cannot have any stop in Mainland China between A and B, and B and C. For example, if the passenger stops in Guangzhou before entering Beijing, Tianjin, or Hebei, he or she cannot enjoy the 144-hour visa-free transit.

How to Apply for 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit?

For the application, documents including your passport valid for at least three months, visa (if applicable) and onward ticket to the third country or region should be prepared. Then you can follow the steps in the chart.

What Are the Eligible Transit Ports?

	Ports	Contact Information
Beijing	Capital International Airport	0086-10-56095400
Beijing	West Railway Station	0086-10-56092165
Tianjin	Tianjin Binhai International Airport	0086-22-24905908
Tianjin	Tianjin International Cruise Home Port	0086-22-25605128
Hebei	Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport	0086-311-88027961
Hebei	Qinhuangdao Beidaihe International Airport	0335-7520000

What Can I Do During the 144 Hours?

Sightseeing in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei

Thanks to the developed intercity high speed trains, it is quite easy for visitors to transfer from Beijing to Tianjin or cities in Hebei. The One-Card system for public buses and subways will run in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, making it even more convenient to travel in the region. Why not take advantage of this visa-free transit and easy transportation to make a trip in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region?

Foreigners transiting under eligible countries’ passports are able to enjoy 144-hour visa-free transit to travel within the qualified transit zone. Beijing is not only the political and economic center of China, but also a well-known tourist resort covering a large number of attractions, such as the Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven. Paying a visit to the grand Great Wall will highlight your private trip in Beijing. You could also go to Qinhuangdao City to appreciate the fascinating natural landscape of Beidaihe. In addition, viewing the Chengde Mountain Resort is recommended for it will provide you with a retreat in hot summer.

See Beijing 144 Hour Layover Tours

3 Days Great Wall Tour from $265 to Badaling, Mutianyu, Juyongguan

Beijing Mini Group Day Tour from $89 to Forbidden City & Great Wall: 1 - 6 people, No Shopping

5 Days Beijing Tour with Hutongs from $619

Cost-efficient Shopping With Tax Refund Policy in Beijing and Tianjin

Trans-city tax refund in Beijing and Tianjin will help you to reduce the budget. Travelers can buy things at designated tax free stores in Beijing and Tianjin and choose to apply for a tax refund in either city. For example, if you buy things in Tianjin and your leaving flight is in Beijing, you can get the refund at the Beijing airport.

Watching Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on Site

If you are a sport enthusiast, enjoying this 144-hour visa-free transit will provide you with a great convenience to watch the 2022 Beijing-Zhangjiakou Olympic Winter Games during the 6-day transit time. Besides, Ski Resorts in Zhangjiakou are ideal places for skiing and entertaining yourself close to Beijing.

Further Reading on China 144-Hour Visa-Free Policy:

144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Liaoning
144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Guangdong
Xiamen, Wuhan, Qingdao, Chengdu, Kunming

- Last modified on Jul. 02, 2019 -

Questions & Answers on 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei

Asked by Roni from USA | Jul. 15, 2019 06:59

Is a round trip to Beijing for 5 days eligible for a 144 hour transit free visa?

I’m leaving USA to HKG and want to go to BJ for 5 days and then back to HKG for one day then fly to Korea. Am I eligible for a 144 hour transit free visa?

Answers (1)

Answered by CDKING from US | Jul. 15, 2019 10:08

No, you need to continue to a third country before you can go back through Hong Kong.

Hong Kong > BJ > Hong Kong > Korea is not allowed
Hong Kong > BJ > Korea > Hong Kong is ok

Asked by Diogo from PORTUGAL | Jul. 15, 2019 06:15

Amsterdam - Beijing - Sydney. 144h visa

I am portuguese and I will be flying to BJ. I arrive at 05/09/19 at 6am and my next flight will be on the 11/09/19 at 11:45pm. So the total time would be 160h which is longer than the 144h. However since I arrive at 5am and apparently the visa starts at midnight of following day after the arrival time, the total time would be 143hours and 45 minutes (under the 144h limit). And I would be at the airport at least 3 hours before which would reduce to 140h. Am I am eligible to the 144h free visa?

Thanks in advance,
Diogo Canelas

Answers (5)

Answered by CDKING from US | Jul. 15, 2019 10:12

You are fine for the 144 hour (6 day) transit without visa since your flight is scheduled to depart before midnight.

Answered by Diogo from PORTUGAL | Jul. 15, 2019 12:02

Thank you for your answer. That's good news. So, the number of hours will stop counting by the time we pass the security check at the airport, before flying to the next destination?

Am I safe if the flight is delayed?

Answered by ZUPAN | Jul. 15, 2019 14:05

Yes, you are.

Answered by CDKING from US | Jul. 15, 2019 15:13

Its based on scheduled departure and not when you clear immigration or when the plane actually takes off. There are protocols in place if flight gets cancelled or delayed. Its to prevent people from booking a later flight and going through security a day early as a way to circumvent the maximum stay

Answered by Diogo from PORTUGAL | Jul. 15, 2019 18:31

Thank you so much CDKING. I contacted the chinese embassy in my country regarding my situation and they just replied that "Since your stay will be longer than 144 hours, you are not eligible to the free visa. Where can I find the official information, that clearly says that the time starts counting after midnight of the following day, so I can forward to them?

Thanks in advance,
Diogo

Asked by My from AUSTRALIA | Jul. 13, 2019 17:51

We would like to ask about the Beijing 144 hours free visa.

Dear sir/madam,
We are planning to take flights from Sydney (Australia) to PEK then from PEK to Moscow (Russian). While we are in PEK we will take a 5 days tour in Xi'an. Do you think we can have the 144 hours free visa ?
or if we take direct flight from Sydney to Xi'an, can we have the 144 hours free visa ?
Your assistance is much appreciated.
My

Answers (2)

Answered by Juliet | Jul. 14, 2019 02:45

It’s not a free visa. It’s transit without visa. For 144 hours, you are allowed to transit in Beijing or Xi’an but not both. Is there a nonstop flight from Sydney to Xi’an?

Answered by ZUPAN | Jul. 14, 2019 04:25

I will just add a few words beside the explanation provided by Juliet.

You can cover both Beijing and Xi'an in visa free transit scheme only if you use a bit complicated scheme like this one:

- Australia (there are direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Xi'an) - Xi'an - Hong Kong or Macau

As you can see, this is eligible, but you should be warned that Xi'an offers at the time being just 72 hour visa free transit! After that:

- Hong Kong or Macau - Beijing - Moscow

Here you can enjoy 144 hour visa free transit

As you can see, in order to be eligible for both Xi'an and Beijing, you will have to add your "side trip" to Hong Kong or Macau. In my opinion, probably much better and more comfortable option and in the same time probably cheaper is to obtain a Chinese tourist (L) visa. I suggest that you calculate your entire expenses and see whether it is more economical to add two flights to be visa free eligible or to obtain a Chinese visa.

Asked by -Fb- from PORTUGAL | Jul. 11, 2019 17:52

144 hours visa: A-Tokyo B-Beijing C-(Moscow) Lisbon

Hi,

I'm a Portuguese Citizen, living in Lisbon with a portuguese Passport, I'll be visiting BJ on my way back from Japan.

Full itenerary: A-Tokyo, B-BJ, C-Lisbon (layover in Moscow)

Questions:

Does it hurt that my final destination is my country of origin?
Is it a problem that my outward flight has a layover in Russia?
I have one ticket for the tokyo-beijing part of the trip and another multi-city ticket for the beijing-moscow-lisbon segment is that ok?

thanks!

Answers (1)

Answered by Sabina from USA | Jul. 11, 2019 20:32

According to your statement, if your route is Tokyo-BJ-Moscow-Lisbon, you are eligible for 144-hour visa-free transit.

Asked by heejung kim from USA | Jul. 10, 2019 22:15

US-Beijing-Xi'an-Seoul, can I apply for 144-hours visa free policy?

I will arrive the city on September 5 and next day go to Xi'an by train to stay one night. And come back to BJ staying 3 days and fry out to Seoul. Can i get 144-hour visa-free for 2 city? Thank you, Kim

Answers (1)

Answered by Naomi from USA | Jul. 11, 2019 18:32

Sorry, you can't. It is required to stay only one mainland China city.