How to travel to China without a visa

With pandemic-era travel restrictions long in the rearview mirror, international travelers are seeing a resurgence of interest in traveling to mainland China. However, a significant number of people are deterred by the perceived difficulty of obtaining a visa. No visa is required at all, except for many people who wish to visit. There is a little-known visa-free policy for entering China that allows you to bypass the process entirely.

There teeth However, there are limitations to China's visa-free entry system. I am one of the people you should know because I also failed when I visited Shenzhen in 2019. In the process, I was forcibly denied boarding for my transit from Taipei to Shenzhen by armed police officers who were not too happy with me. I had to spend one night in Taipei and had to rebook all my round-trip tickets to Shenzhen to qualify for China's visa-free exemption.

I really got an L on that one. But just recently, I managed to accomplish the feat without being denied boarding, armed police, or other obstacles along the way. Having been on both sides of the equation and obviously on the side of the law, know that I know exactly what you should and shouldn't do to calmly navigate the system. Trust me.

What is China's visa-free transit exemption?

China allows full visa-free entry only to visitors from a select few countries, an eclectic group of about a dozen countries, ranging from Armenia and the United Arab Emirates to the Bahamas and San Marino. However, China has recently opened up this policy to many major European countries.

“From March 7, China expanded the list of visa-free countries and implemented a visa-free policy for passport holders from Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg,” Intrepid's Asia Managing Director director Natalie Kidd says. trip. This follows previous additions of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, in addition to Malaysia. All of these countries are technically on a probationary period that will last until November 30, 2024, allowing him 15 days of visa-free entry without any conditions. It is speculated that this will become a permanent policy, but it is not yet clear.

For U.S. citizens and citizens of 53 other countries, the only way to enter China without a visa is through the Visa-Free Transit Waiver System. This allows stays of 24, 72 or 144 hours, or a full six days for those who don't want to do the math themselves.

Of course, the devil is in the details. To qualify, you must enter or exit the country through one of the approved ports. You must stay within the specific region you entered, or within the region you specified adjacent regions. You will also need a connecting ticket that includes China as a stopover between your departure country and another destination. Let's take a closer look.

How to use China's visa-free transit exemption system

The most important element of this type of visa-free entry is that it is built specifically for transport tickets. In a temporary reservation, he enters China from his country A, such as the United States, and then moves to country C, regardless of the situation, such as Japan or South Africa.

But importantly, and where this process failed me in 2019, connecting on the way to China actually ends up making that country your starting point. Both flights to and from China were via Taipei, Taiwan, so they had the same origin and destination, even though they were actually coming from the US and then heading to Austria.

Recently, I came from Colombo, Sri Lanka, arrived in Shanghai, spent a few days on the ground, and then departed on a convenient non-stop flight to the US on China Eastern Airlines. Shanghai and LAX. It was a reservation that I was already planning to use. And when he realized he could enter the country without a visa, he turned his six-hour layover in Shanghai into a two-night stay where he could explore the city. .

Why not? I gazed out at the otherworldly skyline, ate my share of xiao long bao and noodles, rested my head at the swanky Grand Hyatt Shanghai in the massive 89-story Jinmao Tower, and visited The Odd Couple, Union Trading, and more. I visited many great cocktail bars in . Talk to your friends.

In either case, you can enter 20 cities within China without a visa through a total of 29 ports of entry. Technically, the 72-hour exemption is offered at fewer ports and destinations. In that case, simply choose to follow the 144-hour protocol, even if you are spending less time than allowed.

Once in the country, you will typically need to stay within close proximity to the same city and state. For example, if you enter the country via Shanghai, you can stay in Shanghai and visit Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, but you cannot go to other places such as Beijing or Chengdu. That's what we call a “no-no.” Each port of entry will specify the exact areas that you are allowed to visit or not.

As long as you follow the above provisions to the letter, you do not need to complete any advance application or follow any special procedures before entering China in this way. If you follow the steps, you have nothing to worry about.

“We encourage visa-free travel to China if travelers meet the requirements,” Kidd said. “This is a convenient way to save time and money for travelers wishing to make a short visit to China. As long as the visitor or traveler meets the visa-free requirements, there should be no problems.”

When checking in for your flight at your departure airport, tell the gate agent that you are using the visa-free transfer exemption. An agent will inspect your reservation and make sure everything is in good order. Please note that this may take several minutes and introduce some uncertainty. Most of the airline reps I've interacted with don't seem to really understand the ins and outs of this policy unless they do some research or call a supervisor or two. For example, I was allowed to board two connecting flights before being denied boarding in Taipei. So, it is really your responsibility to comply as best you can, where the authorities may not be familiar with the procedures in place.

In addition to making sure your flight booking and itinerary follow the necessary steps, here are some pro tips to help you successfully enter China visa-free.

• Carry a printed physical copy of proof of your hotel and outbound and return flight information.
• Know the phone numbers and addresses of hotels, travel agencies, and local contacts.
• Please fill out the correct arrival card in the waiting area before queuing. This is different from the format that most visitors receive and complete.
• There is a separate line if you arrive without a visa, so make sure you get into the correct zone.
• Although this line seems pretty short, it does take a little time to process each time you arrive without a visa. Please be prepared to wait a little while and be prepared with as much correct information as possible to expedite the process.
• Before you leave your home country, be sure to download a Chinese-specific internet app that works in that country. So it's not from Google. That way, you can look up the above information when you need it.