Do I Need a Visa for My China Transit?

[Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 11:16

I'm hoping that you are able to assist me with the visa requirements when transiting through China.

I have a flight tomorrow from Sydney to Prague on China Eastern.

The flight lands in Shanghai from Sydney then has a 'technical stop' in Xi An for two hours before continuing to Prague.

It will land in Shanghai at 5:00am, fly to Xi An at 11:00am then will be heading to Prague at 1:00pm – total transit time in China is 8 hours.

I was not worried about getting a visa up until this point as I had read that the 24-hour visa-free transit would be suitable.

The issue came about when dealing with this 'technical stop' in Xi An for a few hour.

I read on this OzBargain Forum: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/389861 that member Maolin95 stated "Note that you'll require a Chinese visa since this includes a domestic leg from Shanghai to Xi'an which the visa free arrangement at Shanghai airport cannot cover you for."

This goes against what I read on multiple sites that state:

"The 24-hour visa-free transit allows aliens to have multiple stops in China as long as they leave the country within 24 hours, therefore the route USA – Beijing – Shanghai – South Korea also counts as eligible."

A few more sites that mention this:

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-transit-2…
https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/visa-application…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_China

Even the Chinese Embassy site for Estonia state multiple stops within 24 hours in okay: http://ee.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/jy/t1460983.htm

The Australian Embassy site is more elusive stating nothing about multiple cities: http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/ls/vfc/t1038742.htm

I've also read this Forbes article that said that Xi An is excluded from the 24-hour transit free policy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnnyjet/2018/03/01/transit-ch…

And a few heated topics on TripAdvisor.

Anyone able to assist?

Travel

Comments

  • SmiTTy on 28/12/2018 - 11:41

    Sorry, no.. But I'm going thru a similar dilemma for a trip/transit for vietnam

    I called up the airline im flying with and also the embassy here in Australia. Suggest you do the same and they may be able to give you some definitive advice (if you don't get some here)

    Good luck and safe travels

  • thetrain on 28/12/2018 - 12:09
    +1

    The technical stop at Xi An means no boarding/deboarding etc, just refuelling.

    Is the Shanghai-Prague one flight number or two? If it is one flight number (and ticket) as expected for a technical stop it should be fine. If it is two flight numbers then you will probably need a visa.

    Either way I would be confirming with China Eastern.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 12:28

      Just the one flight number - The online check-in looks like this: https://imgur.com/a/YMjlYxN

      Even if it had two flight numbers, why would I need it Visa? From what I read as long as you are in china for less than 24-hours it's fine.

      • thetrain on 28/12/2018 - 12:43

        Obviously check with China Eastern but should be ok if one flight number.

        If it had two flight numbers I'm not sure the details of the visa free transit (eg. cities applicable, time limits as you already stop in Shanghai) so I wouldn't be sure if needing a visa or not.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 12:52

      What "technical stop" are you talking about?

      A technical stop is an unplanned stop, the itinerary clearly shows a planned stop.
      They are different flights, the OP just used the wrong terminology.
      The second flight might use the same plane, might not (doesn't matter).

      People will disembark the plane when it lands in China.

      MysteryMeat, your itinerary clearly has TWO flight numbers going each way and not one like you're saying.

      • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 13:17

        Sorry, yes, two flight numbers in total.

        I assumed the question was a separate flight number for the flight from Shanghai to Xi An the from Xi An to Prague.

        This is only one flight number.

        • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 13:47

          What flight to Xi An?

          Your itinerary only shows Shanghai.

          If you have any kind of stop in Xi An you will need a transit visa.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 12:54

    You don't need a Visa if you're an Australian citizen.

    The other post you mentioned, because the OP there went to a different city, thus they needed a visa.
    Since you're leaving from the same airport, and likely aren't even leaving the airport, you will not need a visa as you fall within the guidelines of the visa free transfer.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 14:55

      What other city did the OP go to? Sorry, couldn't find that info.

  • Foxtail on 28/12/2018 - 13:22

    What if one departs Sydney and arrives in Shanghai by air and departs by ship within 24 hours, no visa?.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 14:55

      Not sure, Australian Embassy site states international flight.

    • voteoften on 29/12/2018 - 11:45

      Yes that’s fine. Did it last year. The 122 hour visa applied

  • jackofspade on 28/12/2018 - 14:04
    +1

    I suggest you check-in as early as possible because the airline staff may need some convincing.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 14:54

      Yea, I'll do this.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 14:53

      Good find mate. I think I'm fine.

  • tonsta on 28/12/2018 - 15:04

    technical stops are used to download all your digital devices data before exiting chinese airspace. If you own a huawei device you need not worry, this is done automatically when you connect to the cloud each day.

    on a serious note. the plane also refuels on a technical stop, you probably wont be leaving the airport so you wont need a visa to clear customs, the airline can confirm before you fly.

  • Flying Ace on 28/12/2018 - 15:24

    It’s strange that they call it a “technical stop” - the A330-200 has much more than enough range to do that flight non-stop.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/12/2018 - 15:25
      +1

      Yes, picking up a few more passengers perhaps.

  • brokenglish on 28/12/2018 - 21:34

    You do not need a visa if you don't leave the international terminal, i.e. not going through the immigration to get your passport stamped.

    If you need to disembark and walk from the international terminal to the domestic terminal, you will need to go through immigration and therefore need the necessary documentation/proper visa/24h-visa-free permit.

    If the scheduling is bad, you need to go to the domestic terminal in Shanghai to fly to Xi An. Usually they're pretty good if this is their standard route for international (you didn't actually buy 3 separate itinerary for this journey did you?)

    Your ticket/boarding pass should show the terminal number. Please check with the airline!

    EDIT: just found your imgur

    I don't see Xi An in your itinerary, where is this mentioned in your ticket?
    If Xi An is not mentioned anywhere (doesn't have a terminal number/a separate flight number), I don't think you'll be leaving the plane at all in which case you don't need a visa whatsoever.
    Imagine your plane hovering over Xi An to refuel, but on the ground LOL

  • jojo13 on 29/12/2018 - 08:14

    Go to a travel agent and just ask a hypothetical question or just ask outright. They SHOULD have some knowledge about it. All the best.

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