Great Wall Hiking
Great Wall Hiking
Lifetime Great Wall Experience Creator Since 2009

“Visitors from 53 countries can now benefit from the 144-hour visa-free stay policy in Beijing and Shanghai”

144 Hour Visa Free stay

As of December 28, 2017, Beijing Capital International Capital, Beijing West Railway Station, Tianjin Binhai International Airport, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port, Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport and Qinghuangdao Port will implement the transit without visa policy for foreigners holding effective international travel documents, determining dates in 144 hours and taking connected international flights to third countries (regions) from 53 countries.

Documents for Application

The 53 approved nations are as following:

39 European nations: 
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 nations: United States of America, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile.


2 Oceania nations: Australia, New Zealand.

6 Asian nations: Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Qatar, United Arab Emirates.

Restrictions of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy:

This regulation does not apply to passengers who travel on a single return flight (e.g., London – Beijing – London), which means the next destination and original departure can not be the same. They need to apply for a transit visa before their departure.


If visitors are unable to depart on time due to unavoidable reasons, such as flight cancellation or treatment of sudden disease, they need to apply for a visa from Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB). Otherwise, visitors cannot apply for an extension of stay in Beijing.

Procedure

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