PEK cuts transit without visa time

[MEL_Traveller]

I put this topic here rather than the immigration thread so it gets some exposure.

Transit without visa (TWOV) in PEK has been cut to a maximum of 72 hours based on your scheduled arrival and departure times. Previously the time started running from 00:01 the day after arrival (so you'd get an extra day or half-day).

If you are travelling on a ticket based on the old rules (00:01) you'll need to rebook.

 

[Mattg]

Thanks for posting. Do you know if this only applies to PEK, or other Chinese ports as well?

My understanding is that this is how it had been applied by Chinese immigration, but when I used this in PEK the airline I was flying with applied the more stricter interpretation (i.e. the "new" policy) when checking whether they would let me board the flight. In my case my flight was scheduled to arrive at 00:20, but the airline did not seem to think I was entitled to an "extra" day.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for posting. Do you know if this only applies to PEK, or other Chinese ports as well?

My understanding is that this is how it had been applied by Chinese immigration, but when I used this in PEK the airline I was flying with applied the more stricter interpretation (i.e. the "new" policy) when checking whether they would let me board the flight. In my case my flight was scheduled to arrive at 00:20, but the airline did not seem to think I was entitled to an "extra" day.

The full list is below from TIMATIC - some cities calculate the time from 00:01 the following day, some use scheduled arrival to scheduled departure. (24 hour TWOV is always scheduled arrival to scheduled departure)

Visa required, except for Nationals of Australia holding

confirmed onward airline tickets to a third country, if
arriving in and departing from the same city:

- at Changsha (CSX), Chengdu (CTU), Chongqing (CKG), Dalian
(DLC), Guangzhou (CAN), Qingdao (TAO), Tianjin (TSN), Wuhan
(WUH), Xi'an (XIY) or Xiamen (XMN) for a max. transit time
of 72 hours, starting from 00:01 on the day following the
day of entry.


- at Beijing (PEK), Guilin (KWL), Harbin (HRB), Kunming
(KMG), or Shenyang (SHE) for a max. transit time of 72
hours;


Visa required, except for Nationals of Australia holding
confirmed onward air, cruise or train tickets to a third
country, arriving and departing from one of the following
airports: Hangzhou (HGH), Nanjing Lukou (NKG), Shanghai
Hongqiao (SHA) or Shanghai Pudong (PVG) for a maximum of 144
hours, starting from 00:01 on the day following the day of
entry

I think the airline being concered with an 00:20 arrival is that if the plane was early, you (and they) would be in a pickle. The time runs from 00:01 the day following arrival, if your flight was 30 mins early the time would start running 10 mins later... meaning your planned outbound 3 days later would now likely be invalid, and ineligible for TWOV.

I have been allowed boarding with no problems for an mid-morning arrival (giving a whole extra afternoon)

 

[Mattg]

Thanks MEL_Traveller. Good to know.

If, hypothetically, the 00:20 flight did arrive 30 minutes early, wouldn't you be able to just hang around in the airside area (before immigration) for 10 minutes until the clock ticked over?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks MEL_Traveller. Good to know.

If, hypothetically, the 00:20 flight did arrive 30 minutes early, wouldn't you be able to just hang around in the airside area (before immigration) for 10 minutes until the clock ticked over?

Maybe you could squeeze 5-10 minutes in - but it depends how busy the arrivals hall is (or isn't). Somewhere like shanghai there are no duty free shops before immigration, only a smoking room and toilets. If you were 20 mins early and the hall was empty you'd be asked to move on and be processed.

 

[moa999]

Being early in China.. lol