PEK and PVG/ SHA transits under 72 hours no Visa required

[TtiGeR]

72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

A few days ago China announced that from Jan 1 2013, travellers of 45 countries (including Australian citizens) with confirmed ongoing flight/visa to a third country can enter Beijing for 72 hours without a visa. It is announced today that Shanghai will also be included in the 72-hour visa-free transit scheme.

I'm visting Japan next March, now thinking if I should spend 3 days in Shanghai. (Loved the night view there in Skyfall )

Anyone else interseted in giving it a go?

 

[Hvr]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Wonder if there are any good status runs from PEK or PVG? I know JAL and CX fly from PEK at least so this might be worth investigating. And I've flown CX from PVG so there must be something worth looking at.

 

[Austman]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Excellent news!

Beijing to allow visa-free transit trips | Inquirer News

 

[Mal]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Very progressive step. Good on them.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Will get up there at some point for sure, and this makes it much easier than having to go through a visa process.. Just a matter of when i can squeeze it in... 2015 perhaps??

 

[mella2007]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

terrific news. Will help a trip I've got booked in June

 

[Mal]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

This may not help with status runs tho as it sounds like they may restrict turnaround flights.

 

[seanpodge]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

This may not help with status runs tho as it sounds like they may restrict turnaround flights.

Correct. Transit to a third country only. Looks like it's just an expansion of the current limits for transit visas, which I think are 48 hours at PVG and 24 hours elsewhere.

 

[munitalP]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Checking in with police, can't leave Beijing etc... Getting a Chinese visa is neither onerous or expensive...

 

[serfty]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Checking in with police, can't leave Beijing etc... Getting a Chinese visa is neither onerous or expensive...

I guess is not so much the fee ($60?), it's the burning up of valuable (to some) PP real-estate.

<font color="#0080ff">On Visa Application</font>

2 Pages???

 

[harvyk]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

A few days ago China announced that from Jan 1 2013, travellers of 45 countries (including Australian citizens) with confirmed ongoing flight/visa to a third country can enter Beijing for 72 hours without a visa. It is announced today that Shanghai will also be included in the 72-hour visa-free transit scheme.

I'm visting Japan next March, now thinking if I should spend 3 days in Shanghai. (Loved the night view there in Skyfall )

Anyone else interseted in giving it a go?

I can certainly recommend PVG... Just a ride on the maglev makes the trip worth it IMHO... (A 433 km/h train... nuff said...)
Plus I still think the bund sightseeing tunnel is about the strangest / most coolest thing I have ever seen...

I guess is not so much the fee ($60?), it's the burning up of valuable (to some) PP real-estate.

<font color="#0080ff">On Visa Application</font>

2 Pages???

My Chinese visa was only one page (inc stamps), but it was a full page sticker...
The most annoying part of the process was being without my passport for a few days whilst they processed things...

 

[kpc]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

I guess is not so much the fee ($60?), it's the burning up of valuable (to some) PP real-estate.

<font color="#0080ff">On Visa Application</font>

2 Pages???

Add another fee of $38.50 charged by the Chinese Visa Application Service Center to the $60 visa fee. http://www.visaforchina.com.au/webrms/wwwroot/SYD_EN/upload/Attach/mrbj/262540.pdf

 

[moa999]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Also means if need to travel to China last minute.
SYD-HKG-PVG-SYD or
SYD-HKG-PVG-TPE-HKG-SYD
will give you 72hrs in China without having to get the visa.

 

[munitalP]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Also means if need to travel to China last minute.
SYD-HKG-PVG-SYD or
SYD-HKG-PVG-TPE-HKG-SYD
will give you 72hrs in China without having to get the visa.

That's the only benefit I can see in it

 

[tuapekastar]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

A few days ago China announced that from Jan 1 2013, travellers of 45 countries (including Australian citizens) with confirmed ongoing flight/visa to a third country can enter Beijing for 72 hours without a visa. It is announced today that Shanghai will also be included in the 72-hour visa-free transit scheme.

I'm visting Japan next March, now thinking if I should spend 3 days in Shanghai. (Loved the night view there in Skyfall )

Anyone else interseted in giving it a go?

Thanks for posting. This sounds like good news for my old mum, who is taking a cruise HKG-PVG-CNS-SYD (or something approximating that) with 2 days in PVG, in February.

 

[dajop]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

Checking in with police, can't leave Beijing etc... Getting a Chinese visa is neither onerous or expensive...

No need to check in with police if staying in hotel. Beijing is big enough area for three days, the municipality includes a number of countryside areas including several access points for the Great Wall. Whilst it's not too onerous getting a visa, I am sure this is OK for those wanting to stopover on the way to Europe, Japan or Korea (or even US) without having to fork out for a visa, or having to get passport to a visa processing centre.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Re: 72hr visa-free transit in Beijing and Shanghai from 1/1/2013

The Chinese visa sticker takes up the full page, and then they'll probably put the entry/exit stamps on another page, so you'll need to have at least 1.5 free page to begin with. If you travel a bit to visa-required countries, each page is very valuable...

 

[markis10]

From the 1st January 2013, passport holders of following 45 countries and regions will be granted a visa-free stay of up to 72 hours while in transit via Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) & Hongqiao International Airport (SHA):


Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States.


Note: Shanghai joins Beijing in this new visa regulation. Please refer to 72-hour Visa-Free Transit for more details.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/intro2.htm

 

[reductionist]

Good news for PVG travellers.

If planning to take advantage of this new regulation at PVG I'd recommend printing them out and taking them with you. The immigration staff there aren't super knowledgable with regards to the rules for transits.

 

[Hvr]

Good news for PVG travellers.

If planning to take advantage of this new regulation at PVG I'd recommend printing them out and taking them with you. The immigration staff there aren't super knowledgable with regards to the rules for transits.

Actually this has been the rule at PVG for quite awhile now. PEK is the latest city in PRC where this is permitted.