Pudong International Airport, Shanghai
Starting January 8, 2023, China has resumed its visa-free policy, allowing eligible individuals to travel without a visa. A negative PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure is required, but no quarantine is necessary upon arrival.If you have a layover in one of the Chinese airports while traveling in Asia, you may be eligible for a visa-free visit to China for up to 3 or 6 days, depending on your arrival city (see details below).
The Chinese government has released a tool that allows you to check if you qualify for the exemption by entering your nationality and city of entry.
However, please note that we cannot guarantee you will receive an exemption, as it is ultimately up to your transportation company to evaluate your eligibility and allow you to get off the transportation without a visa.
For more information on China’s entry requirements, you can refer to our guide on the Chinese visa application.
If you need a hotel for a couple of nights, we suggest checking out our guide on how to book a hotel in China.
In which Chinese cities and provinces can I get a visa exemption for a maximum of 144 hours?
1. Shanghai, Jiangsu Province, and Zhejiang Province
Transit without a visa is permitted for 144 hours only if you arrive in one of the following cities:
- Shanghai: Shanghai Pudong Airport, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, Wusong Passenger Transport Center and all railway stations;
- Hangzhou: Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport;
- Nanjing: Nanjing Lukou International Airport.
The list of entry points may change at any time. Thus, we always suggest you confirm this information before planning your trip.
The visa exemption policy allows international travelers to move around Shanghai Municipality, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu Provinces – no matter the city where they arrived.
Moreover, from what we know, it isn’t necessary to enter and depart from the same port. For example, you could enter China at the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, and leave the country via the international airport in Hangzhou. The important thing is to not leave the region of Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province
Since the end of 2017, transit without a visa is permitted for 144 hours also if you arrive in one of the following cities:
- Beijing: Beijing Capital International Airport, Beijing West Railway Station;
- Tianjin: Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port;
- Shijiazhuang (in Hebei): Zhengding International Airport;
- Qinghuangdao (in Hebei): Qinhuangdao Port.
Also, in this case, the list of entry points may change at any time. Thus, we always suggest you confirm this information before planning your trip.
The visa exemption allows international travelers to move around Beijing Municipality, Tianjin Municipality, and Hebei Province – no matter the city where they arrived.
In addition, as far as we know, you don’t have to enter and exit from the same port. For example, you could enter China via the Beijing West Railway Station, and leave the country from the international airport in Tianjin. The important thing is that you don’t leave the region of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province.
Liaoning Province
Since January 1, 2018, a transit visa for a maximum of 144 hours is permitted even if you arrive at one of the following cities:
- Dalian: Taoxian International Airport;
- Shenyang: Zhoushuizi International Airport Shenyang.
International travelers who arrive in China through one of the two airports listed above can freely move around Liaoning Province, and then leave China through one of these two airports (you don’t have to arrive and depart from the same airport so long as you only use these two).
To conclude, even in this case the list of entry points could change at any time. So we always suggest that you verify the most recent information you read here on our site.
Other cities
The following cities also allow free visa transit for a maximum of 144 hours:
- Chengdu (Chengdu Shuang Liu International Airport);
- Kunming (Kunming Changshui International Airport);
- Qingdao (Qingdao Liuting International Airport and seaport);
- Wuhan (Wuhan Tianhe International Airport);
- Xiamen (Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and sea port).
Note that if you arrive in Kunming, Wuhan, or Xiamen, you can’t leave the city you’ve stopped in. Instead, if you land in Qingdao or Chengdu, then you can’t leave their respective provinces (which are, in order, Shandong and Sichuan).
Therefore, if for example you stopover in Kunming, you cannot go beyond Kunming municipality limits, while if, for example, you stopover in Qingdao, you cannot beyond Shandong Province limits.
In which Chinese cities can I get a visa exemption for a maximum 72 hours?
Beside the cities and Provinces that allow a 144 hours visa exemption, transit without a visa is permitted for a maximum of 72 hours only if you stopover in one of the following cities:
- Changsha (Changsha Huanghua International Airport);
- Chongqing (Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport);
- Guangzhou (Guangzhou Baiyu International Airport);
- Guilin (Guilin Liangjiang International Airport);
- Harbin (Harbin Taiping International Airport);
- Xi’an (Xi’an Xianyang International Airport).
Note that in cities that allow transit without a visa for a maximum of 72 hours, travelers can only arrive at and depart from the country by air; they also can’t leave the city where they landed (or the province they landed in depending on the arrival city).
Remember that if you land in Chongqing, Guilin, or Harbin, you can’t leave the city you’ve stopped in. If you land in Xi’an, you can only stay in Xi’an or go to Xinyang. Lastly, if instead, you land in Changsha or Guangzhou, then you can’t leave their respective provinces (which are, in order, Hunan and Guangdong).
In this photo you can see the blue stick that I got in my passport at Shanghai Airport, when I required the visa exemption for 4 hours
What documents must I have for an exemption?
Here are the required documents:
- Passport valid for at least three months from the date of arrival
- Visa for your destination country (if required)
- An air ticket – with a departure time within 72 hours (or 144 hours depending on the city), – for the country you’re going to (if you don’t already have your boarding pass, I suggest that you at least print the email confirmation you received from your airline;
- Yellow entrance/exit card (which you’ll be given on the plane or which you can find in the airport once you land).
- A negative PCR test taken within 48 hours before departure
Note that the countries of origin and destination cannot be the same. For this reason a ticket Los Angeles-Shanghai-Houston won’t allow you an exemption; you’ll need a ticket such as Los Angeles-Beijing-Tokyo or Los Angeles-Shanghai-Seoul. The final (or initial) destination can also be Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan.
From when do we start counting the 72 hours (or 144 hours)?
From the most recent information we’ve read (though we ask you to confirm this detail), the countdown of the 72 hours (or 144 hours) starts exactly at midnight of the day following the passenger’s arrival (I think you can trust the date on the stamp you receive at the border when arriving by plane – see the photo in this article).
So if, for example, you arrive on September 1st at 6 in the morning, you’ll have to start counting hours the following midnight. This means that if you have a 72-hour exemption, you can stay up until 23:59 on September 4th, while if you have a 144-hour exemption, you could stay until 23:59 on September 7th.
For more information you can call the following numbers:
Beijing General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-10-56095400;
Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-2151105100;
Guangzhou General Station of Immigration Inspection: 0086-2032090088.
Nationals of what countries have the right to transit?
You may receive a right of transit only if you have a passport from one of the following 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.
How do I request the visa exemption?
If you have everything required listed in this article, the procedure is rather simple:
- Contact the airline you intend to travel with so that they can advise the immigration inspection office;
- Fill out the yellow entrance/exit card (this is normally given to you on the plane, but if not you can find it in the international section of the airport as soon as you land
- Request exemption at the immigration counter (in many airports there are special lines for those requesting exemptions; if you see a sign with the writing “72 hours” or “144 hours” go to the indicated counter;
- Once through the immigration counter (they’ll attach a sticker on a page of your passport and stamp it with the entry date) get your bags and leave the airport as you normally would.
In the event that I land, for example, in Changsha, and requested an exemption, can I leave China in one of the other airports that allows exemptions (Chengdu, for example)?
No, not only do you have to leave from the airport in Changsha, but you can’t even leave the jurisdiction of Changsha!
Not even “stopovers” are allowed. For example, if your air itinerary is like this: Rome -> Changsha (72-hour stop) -> Xi’an (a half-hour stop without even getting off the plane) -> Hong Kong, then you can’t request an exemption because your itinerary includes two Chinese cities.
Obviously, there are exceptions in provinces where you can travel freely for 72 or 144 hours. For example, if your flight arrives in Shanghai, connects in Hangzhou (which is located within the same 144-hour region of Shanghai, which is the important thing), and you then leave China before the 144 hours expire, there’s no problem.
What is the 24 hour exemption?
The 24 hour visa exemption allows for transit through a Chinese city for a maximum of 24 hours (so long as the plane makes only one stop in China, and the departure and arrival countries are different, such as Canada -> China -> Australia for example).
These exemptions can be applied for in almost all Chinese airports by people of almost all nationalities, even if there are exceptions regarding smaller airports and certain nationalities (especially Asian countries considered “high risk” such as Syria, Iraq, etcetera).
If the stopover lasts more than 72 hours (or 144 hours, for the cities that allow that), can I stay in the airport’s international zone for a bit and then ask for the exemption when it is less than 72 hours (or 144 hours) until departure?
No, if the stopover lasts more than 72 hours (or 144 hours, for the cities that allow that) then you’ll probably need a visa before your departure flight. In this case, the problem is that the airline may deny you access to the departing flight if they realize that your stopover lasts more than the allowed hours and you do not possess a visa.
If I travel with my pet cat, dog, or crocodile, can I get the exemption?
No. You can however request at the airport’s Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau to keep your pet in custody during the exemption period. Note too that you also cannot cross the border with fruit or vegetables.
What should I do in the event that I land, for instance, in Changsha but, due to something unforeseen, I have to leave the city?
In this case you should apply for a visa at the Exit-Entry Administration Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) in the city you’re in.
What can I do if I’m unable to leave China within 72 hours (or 144 hours, for the cities that allow it)?
The same as above: you’ll have to apply for a visa at the Exit-Entry Administration Department of the Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) of the city you’re in.
Photo Credits: 
Shanghai Airport by majaX1
Hi Mr. Furio Fu,
As a citizen from the Netherlands, I plan to visit Shanghai for five days, then fly on to Hong Kong, stay there for three days, return to Shanghai and then fly home the next day. So I would visit Shanghai twice. Would I need a visa for China?
Many thanks Hajo Smit
Hi, what we know is what we published in this article. As said already in many comments, in this case we can’t make a full assessment; we always suggest to get in touch with the flight company as they are the one that decide if you can get on the plane or not!
Thank you, mr. Furio Fu.
Regards
Hajo Smit
Hello,
I arrive in Beijing 28th December 2016 at 0955 and depart from the same airport on January 2017 at 1930. This would equate to c.80 hours in transit. I have contacted the visa office (who didn’t know), our airline (who directed us to the embassy) and attempted the embassy with no reply. I have seen several sources online that say it begins midnight the following day, which means we would be ok for 72 hour exemption.
I have seen this on trip adviser as well but can’t find the source:
How to calculate the duration of the exemption.
For the cities of Guilin, Kunming, Harbin, Qingdao and Shenyang, the 72-hour duration is based on scheduled arrival and departure times. HOWEVER in the cases of the other cities, the calculation starts at 00h01 following the day of entry. So, three full days starting the next day for a potential stay greater than 72 hours.
As of April 30, 2016 this “starts at midnight after arrival” is confirmed for Beijing. As long as your flight out is any time on the day that 72 hours expires, you will have no problems at immigration. Have your immigration slip filled out that the airline gave you and go to the “For D/P Only” line. They will inspect your passport and your paperwork showing the incoming and outgoing flight, then have you write the outgoing flight number and date under the spot you wrote the incoming flight on the slip. Stamps are made on your slip and passport and you are on your way.
Is there any way you could clear this up for me as I seem to be going in circles and if I in fact need a visa, I should sort this out soon. I don’t want to pay for one that is not needed.
Thank you,
will
Hello Will, we can only accede to the same info you have. We don’t have any “insider” information. Thus, it’s up to you to make sure you qualify for the exemption.
Thanks for your response Furio.
I understand your point – but surely there is a robust policy that says whether it starts at midnight or not? I’ve seen plenty of websites/forums that say it does, I’m just not so sure about whether the 72 visa security will accept “less official” print outs stating this.
I wont be holding you to account on this of course! I fully accept this is my responsibility.
Many thanks
Hello Will,
unfortunately on the detail you mention I don’t know any specific policy clause. It may exists, but since it’s local (about Beijing) I never saw an official source!
Appreciated Furio,
Have a good weekend
Hello,
I’m holding a US passport and I’m unsure if my trip requires a Visa.
I have 2 itineraries: Roundtrip SFO-PVG and Roundtrip PVG-ICN.
Essentially, I’ll be going from SFO-PVG-ICN-PVG-SFO
These were booked separately on different airlines, and my layover time in Shanghai total up to under 4 hours. Would this itinerary qualify for being visa exempted?
Could you please write the full name of the stopovers not the codes, if you don’t have any internal flight in China it’s possible that you don’t need a visa. However, make sure to confirm with your airline as we aren’t in the position to confirm this
Hi, I’m a Filipino but having residence working visa of United Arab Emirates. Flying Dubai-Shanghai-Hongkong. I will have 23 hours lay over to shanghai. Can I go outside without applying china Visa?
I’m not sure if filipinos passport holders are allow, you shall double check that
Having a crazy difficult time getting this to work. Still not sure that it will, at the airport right now. Was planning to fly San Francisco to Beijing to Tokyo, but was told here at the aiport by several people that the US is not one of the countries that can be used for the TWOV (even though I have a US passport). Changed my flights to add Hong Kong before Beijing, hopefully that will work.
Hi Jeremy,
thank you for your feedback, we never heard that you couldn’t start your trip from US; who told you that? The flight company?
Hello ,
This is not clear with me ,Filipino can transiting in Guangzhou airport without holding a visa ?? And how about my luggage ?
As far as I know, this exemption doesn’t apply to holders of filipino passports. You find a list of allowed countries in the article
I have 2 questions, and I’m asking since I got conflicting answers for these:
For the 144 hour transit Visa to Shanghai:
1) Is coming from an EU country and returning to another EU country okay?
2) When they check for which country you got from and returning to – do they check:
(a) the direct flight in/out of China, or
(b) The first origin and final destination?
My flight is:
Malaga->Amsterdam->Shanghai
Shanghai->Paris->Malaga
I was told by some people that wit’s okay since what matters is the direct flight in/out – i.e. they will look at Amsterdam->Shanghai->Paris without caring about Malaga
But I called now China Eastern, which is the airline I’m flying with and they told me it is not valid since I’m flying and returning to Spain (Malaga) – and that also if I flew from on EU country to the other – it wouldn’t be valid.
(I have to mention there’s a lot of confusion on the 144 hours visa, and even embassies dont know enough about it)
Hello,
1. Yes
2. I think they check the final destination, however you shall confirm with your flight company. What the flight company says is what really matters as they are the one that decide if you can get on the plane or not!
Can I get the 72-hours visa exemption if:
1) I will fly from Milan to London, and stay in London for 24 hours
2) I will then fly from London to Shanghai and stay in Shanghai for less than 72 hours because I will fly from Shanghai to Hong Kong two days later. I will stay in HK for one day and then will fly back from HK to Milan.
Yes, it seems possible but make sure to get a confirmation from your airlines
If I’m not wrong I do not need any Visa to fly from Shanghai to HK (I’m a Swiss citizen). Am I wright?
Hi, I don’t think you need a visa for visiting HK, EU citizens for sure don’t need visa, just double check for Switzerland!
I’m transiting in china for 144 hrs .. Must i inform my airline so that it can inform the immigration authorities .. And i’m arriving in china on airline and departing on another airline so Which one should i tell
I would ask both airlines. Also, make sure that the country of departure and destination are different, or the visa exemption won’t work for you!
Hi,
Very useful article! I am looking at flying Korea – Shanghai – Taipei – Korea using the 144-hour transit in Shanghai. While Taiwan is my final destination of this trip before I go back to Korea (where I am currently living and working), I’m looking at spending less time there than in Shanghai, or possibly the same amount of time. For example, 5 nights in each place. Do you think this matters?
Many thanks!
Hello, what matters is that you only spend less than 144 hours in Shanghai. Also, make sure to confirm with your flight company that they accept to let you in without visa!
Okay, great! Thanks for the advice :-)
Another question – Does it matter if I arrive at Hongqiao airport and leave from Pudong airport?
I don’t think so, however you shall double check with your flight company
Hi
I need to know if we would qualify for the 144hr TWOV in Shanghai
We arrive in Shanghai as follows JNB-HKG-PVG on Cathay Pacific
We depart on a Costa Cruise with first port of call in Naha/Okinawa (Japan) within the 144hr time limit
We both have full british passports
On the face of it all looks good for us meeting the rules but complication is that the cruise also docks in Sanya (China) later on in the cruise
Have read in other sites that if you visit China again as part of the departure it is considered double transit and this thus violates the rules of the 144hr TWOV
Has anyone an opinion on this
Thanks
Tony
Hello Tony,
we can’t confirm this for specific situation. You must ask this to Costa Cruise!
Hello,
I am not clear about the transit. I am holding the U.S. Passport.
My flight comes from Okinawa, Japan via China Eastern Airlines and will be arriving in PVG. Then, I will take another international flight out to Phnom Penh, Cambodia within 4 hours on the same airlines. This will be considered international to international flight.
1. Do I need to pass through the Chinese immigration even though I will be staying less than 72 hours?
2. Do I need to pick-up my luggage again at the custom and send it to the transferred counter?
3. Will the China Eastern airlines tag my bag only to PVG or they will tag through Phnom Penh? If they tag only to PVG, how difficult it is to find the airline counter in orderr for me to send the luggage through my final destination?
Look like I will be spending a lot of time here, if this happens. Please advise. Thanks.
Hello Ike,
1. Yes,
2. Ask to your flight company, this depends only on the company, certainly not on the visa law
3. Same as for point 2, this is not related to the law!
Hi Furio. Love the informative post on the 72 hour visa. I have a question, which I can’t seem to find anywhere,and maybe you would know:
I’m planning a trip from Rome to Beijing, which say, arrives on the 22nd at 13:30.I then plan on staying in Beijing and departing for Seoul on the 25th at 8am.
Now, how are the 72 hours calculated? I’ve read online that it will commence from 00:00 on the day I arrive. This will technically mean that my schedule goes beyond 72 hours (22nd @ 00:00 – 25th 8am = 80 hrs) or have I misunderstood the rules and I will be perfectly fine? ( 22nd @ 13:30 – 25th @ 8am = around 65 hours)
Sorry for the long post, and thanks!
Hello,
I dont think there are clear rules for that. Some cities seem to use midnight, other the time of arrival. My suggestion is to contact your Airlines and see what they say. At the end of the day, they are the one that will decide whether let you take the flight or not!
Ciao.Se arrivo a Shanghai in transito per 144 ore posso partire per Hong Kong da Ningbo?
Grazie
Ciao, non penso Ningbo sia inclusa nel trattato dell 144 ore.
Hi! I am going to fly in to Beijing take a train to north Korea and stay there for 8 days and then back to Beijing and after that fly out of the country, is it possible for me to get Some kind of transit visa?
Hello Mattias, the transit visa is called G Visa
Hi Matthias, interested in doing the same as you proposed. Did this work? Wondered whether transit visa would work as train from Dandong to beijing is not international so I’d be refused entry into Dandong? I assume 24 hour visa would work on the way there as it allows you to go anywhere in China AFAIK.
The visa exemption don’t allow you to travel around China only the designated municipality or area
Hi. We note the free 144 hour transit visa in force since 30 Jan 2016, now covers the international cruise port in Shanghai…. We are from Uk. We are cruising in Japan, Taiwan and S.Korea before arriving in Shanghai, where we have 2 nights stay before flying back to Uk.
We have been unable to find any definite information in the Uk regarding this free visa.
Are we able to use it?
Thanks
Hello Maureen,
there is no “definite” info. There is a Chinese law, which is summarized in this article. However, I suggest you to get in tocuh with your cruise and flight company and make sure they agree to let you on board without a visa
Have you had an answer from the cruise company? We are in a similar position calling into Shanghai for less than 11 hours as part of a cruise before going on to
Hong Kong and flying home. Our cruise company – Celebrity – just keep referring us to their visa agents and they tell us they know nothing about the recent changes. Very frustrating!
The problem is that cruise companies often don’t want to take responsabilities for this. We heard several situation similar to yours
Hi, can you please advice if we qualify for the 144hr visa if we fly from Melbourne -> Hong Kong (not a stopover) -> Shanghai (for 5 days) -> Macau? The airline we booked with somehow but are unsure of how we can obtain the visa exemption. Thanks
Hello,
if the airline is unsure, we can’t certainly confirm it cause they are the one that decide if they will take you on board or not!
Hi my husband has a 13hrs lay over in shanghai. He want ro chk in in hotel while waiting for connecting. Is he need a visa to do that? He has Philippine Passport
thx,
Lailani
Hello, I don’t think Philippines passport’s holders are allowed to have a visa exemption. So I’d say that he needs a visa.
Hi Bren,
If I’m transiting in Shanghai for 5 – 10hours and enroute to SFO, I’m holding a Malaysian passport, does transit visa required in this case?
It’s under MU flight enroute to SFO.
There isn’t much clear info on the China Embassy website though.
Hope you could shed some lights.
Thanks!
Hello,
if you respect the requirements details on the article, you shall be fine. yet, I suggest you to ask also to your flight company
I have a question – I am traveling to China, arriving in Shanghai via a cruise and going directly to the airport, so I’ll be in the country less than 24 hrs. The info above only address visitors arriving by plane. Not sure if there are different rules for ports.
THANK YOU!
Hello Bren, the transit permit only applies if you arrive by plan!
From Feb 2016, one can enter or leave from 2 Shanghai airports, 2 cruise ports and 1 rail station using the 144 hours visa exemption.
My husband & I had a long layover in Beijing where we used the free transit visa. The process was pretty quick & painless. We loved that we were able to go out to the city to explore instead of sitting around the airport.
Check out our experience with getting our visa:
http://moneyleftfortravel.com/china-visa-free-transit/
thanks!