144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in China

 Since January 8, 2023, passengers can take advantage of the 144-hour visa-free transit to visit designated cities and regions during the transfer in China, which has been suspended for 3 years because of covid-19.

China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy is carried out in Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, LiaoningChengdu, Xi'an, ChongqingXiamenQingdaoWuhan, and Kunming as well as Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, to facilitate international travelers. It allows passengers from 54 countries or regions to transit in Guangdong Province, Shanghai-Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Liaoning Province, Sichuan Province or Chinese cities of Xi'an, Chongqing, Xiamen, Qingdao, Wuhan, and Kunming for no more than 144 hours (6 days) without holding a visa.
 

Who can enjoy China 144-hour visa exemption? - List of 54 Qualified Countries

China 144-hour visa
China 144-hour visa sample

 25 Schengen Agreement Countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, 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

* The same as countries enjoying 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit.

What is an eligible transit route?

A → B: one of the allowed areas in Mainland China → C

144-hour Visa-free Transit Route

 A and C should be different countries or regions out of Mainland China.
* Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan can be the Destination A or C, so the route "UK-Shanghai-Hong Kong" is acceptable as the typical route "US-Hangzhou-Japan".

 B refers to only one of the following areas in China, and you cannot have a cross-area visa-free tour among them:

1. Guangdong
2. Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
3. Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei
4. Liaoning
5. Chengdu
6. Xiamen
7. Qingdao
8. Wuhan
9. Kunming
10. Xi'an
11. Chongqing

 Key point: The international flights flying in and out of China – from A to B and from B to C – should be non-stop, without a stopover anywhere in Mainland China.

 Eg:
×  UK – Guangzhou – Shanghai - Hong Kong
×  US – Beijing – Shanghai - France
Note: Both of Beijing and Shanghai are eligible for this policy, but you can only have one between the original country and the third country.

√  US – Dalian - South Korea
√  Singapore – Shanghai – Hangzhou - Malaysia
Note: Shanghai and Hangzhou (provincial capital of Zhejiang) are within one visa-free area.
 

In which Chinese cities can I get a visa exemption for 144 hours?

1. Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang

Regions adopting 144-hour visa-free policy

 Shanghai:  All international air, sea and railway ports, including Pudong Airport, Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Wusong Passenger Transport Center and all railway stations.

 Hangzhou of Zhejiang:  Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport

 Ningbo of Zhejiang:  Ningbo Lishe Airport

 Nanjing of Jiangsu:  Nanjing Lukou Airport

Entry and Exit Ports

Passengers can enter and leave from any of the above ports. Eg: One can take a cruise to Shanghai and leave by air from Hangzhou or Nanjing.
 

Areas Allowed to Stay

Passengers can move around Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If one have to go to other cities or can't leave within 144 hours, he/she should go to a nearby Public Security Bureau to apply for a visa.

See more about 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang
 

2. Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei

 Beijing: Capital International Airport, Daxing International Airport

 Tianjin: Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port

 Shijiazhuang of Hebei: Zhengding International Airport

 Qinghuangdao of Hebei: Qinhuangdao Beidaihe International Airport

Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from any of these ports and move around the three places.

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

3. Liaoning Province

 Dalian: Zhoushuizi International Airport

 Shenyang: Taoxian International Airport

Passengers are allowed to enter and exit from either of the two ports and move around the whole province.

See more about 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Liaoning
 

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Chengdu
 

5. Xiamen: Gaoqi International Airport and sea ports

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Xiamen
 See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Wuhan 
 See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Kunming
 

8. Qingdao: Liuting International Airport and sea ports

Passengers are permitted to stay in the whole Shandong Province.

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Qingdao

9. Guangdong

Passengers are allowed to enter via Guangzhou AirportShenzhen Airport, or Jieyang Airport, and travel within Guangdong Province.

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Guangdong

10. Xi'an: Xianyang International Airport

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Xi'an

11. Chongqing: Jiangbei Airport, Wanzhou Wuqiao Airport

See more about 144-hour Visa-free Transit in Chongqing

How do I request the 144-hour TWOV China: transit without visa?

 6 Steps to Apply for 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit:

1.  Inform the carrier when boarding
2.  Fill an Arrival/Departure Card
3.  Apply for the 144-hour visa-free stay permit upon arrival
4.  Claim the luggage
5.  Go through the customs
6.  Leave the airport

how to apply for 144-hour visa-free transit

 Note for Step 3:

Upon arrival, find the 144-hour visa-free counter at the immigration inspection to apply for the entry permit, which will be stamped on your passport indicating the allowed stay time. Remember to tell the officer if you have a visa for China but don't want to use it this time.

Documents Needed for Application

Passport valid for at least 3 months from date of entry

British passport

Ticket to a third country with confirmed seat and date

International Flight Tickets

Fully completed Arrival/ Departure Card

China Temporary Arrival Card

* Prepare a valid visa if the third country or region in your plan requires.
* Hotel reservations may be required if you want to leave the airport.
 

How to count the layover time of 144 hours?

It counts from 00:00 of the day following passengers' arrival. That is to say, the allowed time to stay is actually longer than 144 hours.

Eg: If one arrives at 6:00 am on July 1, the layover time counts from 00:00 of July 2 and the passenger should hold a ticket with the scheduled departure time before 23:59 of July 7. In this case, the allowed stay period is 162 hours in maximum.
 

What can I do during the 144 hours?

Weeklong Tour in China

Convenient transportation among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei endows tourists with a smooth trip, whether they enter by air, cruise ship, or international train. It's a must to visit the Great Wall and Forbidden City to explore China's long history and traditional culture. The Ancient Cultural Street in Tianjin and Shanhaiguan Great Wall in Hebei should not be missed either.

If using the visa-free transit in Shanghai, after visiting the Bund, Huangpu River, and skyscrapers, one can travel to Suzhou to see the classical Chinese gardens and elegant water towns. A stroll by the West Lake in Hangzhou and a taste of the delicious local snacks must be a perfect ending of the trip.

A trip to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, or Zhuhai along China's south coast is a good choice to feel the energetic economic development. 
 

Business Conferences and Trade Fairs

6 days are enough to attend various trade fairs or forums in Beijing, Shanghai, or the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, conduct market research, review suppliers' factories, or sign contracts with partners.
 

 Further Contact Information

Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection 0086-21-51105100
Nanjing Lukou Airport 0086-25-968890
Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport 0086-571-96299
Beijing Capital International Airport Immigration Inspection 0086-10-56095400
West Railway Station 0086-10-56092165 
Tianjin Binhai International Airport 0086-22-24905908
International Cruise Home Port 0086-22-25605128
Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport 0086-311-88027961
Qinhuangdao Qinhuangdao Beidaihe International Airport 0335-7520000
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport 0086-411-96600
Shenyang Taoxian International Airport 0086-24-96833
Guangzhou Baiyun Airport 0086-20-36066622
Shenzhen Bao'an Airport 0086-755-82327700
Jieyang Chaoshan Airport 0086-663-3828770
Chengdu Shuangliu Airport 0086-28-85205555
Xiamen Gaoqi Airport 0086-592-96363
Qingdao Liuting Airport 0086-532-96567
Wuhan Tianhe Airport 0086-27-96577
Kunming Changshui Airport 0086-871-96566
Xi'an Xianyang Airport 0086-29-96788
Chongqing Jiangbei Airport 0086-23-966666

 Note:
Note that if 1) you are not able to show any of the required documents listed above, 2) or your route does not qualify, 3) or you have overstayed in a country or been refused in visa application before, you may face the possibility of being refused at the 144 visa-free counter. For fear of inconvenience caused by such case, please make sure that you are eligible or apply for a regular visa in advance.

 

 Further Reading:
China Visa-free Policy

How to Travel to China without a Visa

Shanghai 15-day Visa-Free Policy for Cruise Tour Groups 

- Last updated on Mar. 06, 2024 by Kate Liu -
Questions & Answers on 144-Hour Visa-Free Transit
Asked by Nick from AUSTRALIA | Mar. 18, 2024 06:17Reply
Why are stopovers exempt?
Example, I'm travelling from Sydney to Chongqing with a stopover in Xiamen for 2hrs. Then direct flight from Chongqing to Hong Kong. If I'm not leaving the airport in Xiamen, therefore not activating the 144hr visa free transit until I arrive in Chongqing, process myself through immigration and leaving the airport there, why is that disqualified? This is the only information I can find on the internet that mentions stopovers are not allowed. It isn't mentioned on any official Chinese government websites on the topic of the visa-free transit
Asked by Miroslav from BULGARIA | Mar. 17, 2024 04:09Reply
Route
Hello,

Is It possible to do Taipei - Hong Kong (just transfer) - Beijing - 2 days in Beijing - and then leaving to Seoul (direct flight)? Is it gonna be qualified for 144 visa free transit.
Answers (1)
Answered by Borut | Mar. 18, 2024 01:35
00Reply


Yes, if you have presented your all stops, your itinerary:

Taipei - Hong Kong - Beijing - South Korea

Is definitely eligible for 144 hour visa free transit and you do not need any kind of visa.
Asked by Brett from UK | Mar. 15, 2024 11:00Reply
Travel to Shenzhen for business - 144 hours visa
Hello, Please can you help? I'm looking to travel to Shenzhen for an event. I would just like to clarify my thoughts & options for use of the 144 hours visa!

Option 1. Not possible?
LHR - Belgium - Shenzhen - RTN - Shenzhen - Beijing - Belgium - LHR

Option 2. Not possible?
LHR - Shenzhen - RTN - Shenzhen - Beijing - Belgium - LHR

Option 3. Possible?
LHR - Shenzhen - RTN - Shenzhen - Belgium - LHR

Option 4. Possible?
LHR - Belgium - Shenzhen - RTN - Shenzhen - LHR

Thank you for your help
Answers (2)
Answered by Borut | Mar. 18, 2024 01:39
00Reply


Brett, you did not explain what does RTN means...

Under the assumption that RTN means staying in Shenzhen or within the entire Guangdong province, the answers to your questions are as following:

1. Not possible because you cannot have two mainland Chinese areas in a row (Shenzhen and Beijing)

2. The same thing as under the options 1

3. Possible

4. Possible
Answered by Brett | Mar. 19, 2024 02:42
00Reply


RTN, means return. Thank you for your help.
Asked by Jose Lasso from UNITED KINGDOM | Mar. 14, 2024 07:31Reply
UK-Shanghai-Japan-Shanghai-UK
Hello,

My family and I (2 adults, 4 children ages 20, 19, 13, 10) are flying from the UK to Shanghai arriving on 18 Jul 24. We'll stay in Shanghai from 0755/18 Jul 24 until 1600/21 Jul 24 embarking on a 7-day cruise to Japan and disembarking back in Shanghai at 0700/28 Jul 24. We will fly home to the UK the morning of 28 Jul 24.

We should be able to use the 144-hour free visa but need confirmation it's okay to do so. Can you please advise if this plan is okay?

Thank you,

Jose
Answers (1)
Answered by Keith | Mar. 15, 2024 01:56
00Reply


Yes, your trip plan is feasible. Have fun~
Asked by Fran from UK | Mar. 14, 2024 03:09Reply
144 hour visa exemption and Shanghai Railway Station
Given that Shanghai Railway Station is listed as a 144 hour exemption port, I'm trying to understand what would be a valid journey from this station. We want to leave Shanghai by train to Hong Kong, but, given that the train stops at multiple places in China, how would this work?
Many Thanks
Answers (1)
Answered by Randy | Mar. 15, 2024 01:54
00Reply


The 144 requires that your trip to the third country should be non-stop without a stopover anywhere in Mainland China. So if you travel from Shanghai - Hong Kong by train, then you cannot enjoy the 144-hour visa-free transit.
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