The rumours are true! There is now the option of getting a free transit visa in China. This visa is sometimes called a 144-hour transit visa, or a 6-day transit visa. If you do the maths, you’ll figure out that they are exactly the same. So, let’s get into what you need to get your paws on this free transit visa in China.

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Your Ultimate Guide to the 144-Hour Transit Visa in China?

Here’s all the info you need about the 144-hour transit visa in China

What do you need to get the 144 Hour Transit Visa in China?

This is surprisingly simple. First, you need a passport with at least three months’ validity left on it. Second, you need proof of onward travel, to a different country, within 144 hours. There is also a little form that you need to fill in when you get to immigration. But you only need your passport and that onward ticket.

Where can I get the transit visa in China?

You get the visa on arrival. So you just need to get off the plane and keep walking until you reach immigration. I can only speak for Shanghai Pudong Airport, but the signage was clear and the process was very simple.

Eight entry and exit ports offer the 144-Hour Transit Visa around Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou. Three more in Beijing and two in Tianjin. Most of the ports are airports but there are a couple of ship ports and a railway station too. 

What are the rules of the 144-Hour Transit Visa in Shanghai?

Most people use this transit visa to enter China through Shanghai. And it’s important to know about the restrictions of this visa. When entering Shanghai, Hangzhou or Nanjing you can freely move around those and other local cities. You have access to Shanghai, and any cities in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. You can’t leave that area, or you will be shot. I’m not sure that’s true, but you will probably get in trouble.

If you’ll be getting a transit visa in Beijing, it’s a similar situation. You’ll have the freedom to travel through Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province for 6 days.

For more detailed and official advice read this info about the transit visa.

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