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FREE: 6 Day Visa-Free Transit to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing (Normally ~ $115)

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FREE: 6 Day Visa-Free Transit to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing (Normally ~ $115)
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tightarse on 27/01/2016 - 08:57 shanghaidaily.com (1074 clicks)
Last edited 27/01/2016 - 11:55

Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu & Zhejiang provinces will offer a 144-hour, or six-day visa-free transit, for foreigners from 51 countries on arrival in Shanghai, Nanjing or Hangzhou from January 30.

This means a business traveller could fly from Sydney to Shanghai or Nanjing, remain there for the business week, fly onwards to Hong Kong and then fly home - all without a Chinese visa - as Hong Kong is considered a separate country under China’s visa-free rules, making your Shanghai visit a ‘transit’.

Note (credit to ChickenTalon via PM):

  • This requires entry & exit from China to a different 3rd country ie. Australia -> China -> Hong Kong -> Australia.
  • If you do Australia -> Hong Kong -> China -> Hong Kong -> Australia, then you are not eligible.
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closed Comments

  • Iwantthatbargain on 27/01/2016 - 09:11
    +3

    The 51 countries entitled to service are 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, Russia, Britain, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania.

    • Lukian on 27/01/2016 - 10:12
      +39

      Non-alphabetical lists are my favourite kind!

      • Turd on 27/01/2016 - 10:27
        +17

        Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Britain, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia and Albania, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the US, Ukraine

      • Make it so on 27/01/2016 - 11:40
        +3

        My favourite is the list that looks alphabetic, but isn't really. It allows for the subsequent realisation that something was in the list after all.

        • miarn on 27/01/2016 - 12:20
          +7

          "Hey, this isn't available to Austr… oh, wait"

  • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 09:14
    +15

    Not bad really, if you've ever had to get a chinese visa it's a pain in the arse.

    • blehgg on 27/01/2016 - 09:27
      +2

      it's a pain in the tight arse.

      • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 09:33

        last time i did it it was 40 dollars and you have to send your passport away to the embassy. I never like not having my passport in my possession.

        • TimApple on 27/01/2016 - 09:43
          +4

          As a non Australian citizen, this is the pain I go through every time I visit other countries. US, EU, China, Japan, etc.

        • INFIDEL on 27/01/2016 - 10:41
          +1

          Takes a while in the queue ar Consulate in Brisbane. First time staff member angrily shouted at me for not having proof of flights. It was my first visa application. Nice to skip that bureaucracy & fee for short stay.

        • matt_will_fix_it on 27/01/2016 - 10:58

          last time i did it it was 40 dollars
          Its much more than that now.

        • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2016 - 11:12

          $40? was over $100 for me

        • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 12:03

          @matt_will_fix_it: yeah id be happy to pay 100 bucks if i was going for a significant amount of time, but a week is a bit out of hand

        • matt_will_fix_it on 27/01/2016 - 12:41

          @richy_o:

          Sorry I quoted wrongly in my post :)

          I think the chinese visa fee is a rip off. Especially the mandatory "postage" costs if there is no consulate in your state.

          If our family were to travel to china, its over $500 just for visas.

        • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 12:44

          @matt_will_fix_it: that is brutal. and its not like youre going to take your family to china for enough time to make that worthwhile.

        • older on 28/01/2016 - 09:04

          @matt_will_fix_it:
          Do you know the price of Australian visa?

    • ronnknee on 27/01/2016 - 09:41

      The process is not too bad. Just costly.

      • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 09:43

        Do you still have to send your passport away?

        • m2000 on 27/01/2016 - 09:52

          always been so with China Visa, at times it may be a straight forward , at others, it can be complicated…

        • ronnknee on 27/01/2016 - 09:57

          The Chinese consulate is in Sydney CBD so I just went there and did it in person (it's cheaper as well). They still had to hold onto the passport for processing. I then collected it a week after.

        • richy_o on 27/01/2016 - 10:09

          @ronnknee: I guess it's just annoying that you need to do it even for short periods of time, had to send my passport away for over a week last time to go to beijing. I was only in Beijing for 5 days.

        • BuyNow Think Later on 27/01/2016 - 10:36

          @ronnknee:
          I thought they outsourced it to a third party. Please share with us how does it work? DO you need to book ahead or just roll up?

        • ronnknee on 27/01/2016 - 11:15
          +1

          @Joe888: No idea about the outsourcing bit - it depends on where you live I guess. Their website is actually quite informative. Have a read.

          You can rock up but the ones with bookings are prioritised, so it's better to book.

    • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 11:06
      +2

      if you've ever had to get a chinese visa it's a pain in the arse.

      Like getting an exit visa from Casablanca?

      • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 19:34

        I got a three month visa last year in Sydney. I wouldn't call it a pain in the arse pain. The whole process is quite simple and smooth, no questions asked. What's painful is that you have to go there twice during working hours to drop off and pick up your passport, otherwise you can post it and get it post back for a longer turnaround.

        • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 21:41

          It was a movie joke. You either needed lots of money, or to sleep with Captain Renault.

          Most countries just want you to fill in forms and pay money. I hear the worst countries for visas are the US and Australia.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 16:25

      You can easily get a 72 hours visa, you even get your own line at the airport

  • linz on 27/01/2016 - 09:53

    damn! i just booked for 7 days in shanghai a few days ago!

    • Turd on 27/01/2016 - 10:28
      +2

      Do you need to bring a mask?

      • KaTst3R on 27/01/2016 - 13:30

        He needs more clothes than mask at this point. I just came back from Shanghai, it is ffffffreezing there..

        • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 19:21

          I think this year is the coldest year for something like 100 years. Normally it isn't that bad.

  • Ndiddy on 27/01/2016 - 10:30

    Surprised this hasn't been updated on the consular website.

    But great news as I'm in Shanghai for the GP in April for 5 days so this works out perfectly :)

    • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 11:40
      +2

      Just be careful, the rules for getting eligibility to this are pretty much impossible unless you've booked different tickets to and from Shanghai.

      • Ndiddy on 27/01/2016 - 11:42

        Hi ChickenTalon,

        Thanks for the heads up. Where are you getting this info from though? Also I didn't see in the article that you had to transit via HKG to be eligible.

        I have 2 x one way tickets - MEL-BKK-PVG and then PVG-SIN-MEL

        • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 11:44

          that works! you're entering china from a different country to the one you are leaving china. i.e. three countries are involved.

          nothing about HGK is required. It's just the example that TA gave. I'd just be careful about that unless BKK or SIN is a stopover (not a transit). i'm not sure if they include transits, it's hard to find the info.

        • Ndiddy on 27/01/2016 - 11:58

          @ChickenTalon:

          BKK and SIN are both transits not stopover in my case.

          I might just rock up to the consulate in Melbourne and find out. It's just a couple of blocks from the office. Thanks for your help though.

        • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 12:03

          @Ndiddy:

          no worries, i did some digging out of interest. it looks like a transit in a 3rd country is not eligable. It needs to be an actual stopover. I'm basing this one 1 comment on AusBT here:
          http://www.ausbt.com.au/shanghai-nanjing-hangzhou-to-offer-s…

        • nix1016 on 27/01/2016 - 13:30

          @Ndiddy: Can you post what you find? It'd be interesting to find out the exact criteria for these cases. Thanks!

        • Ndiddy on 27/01/2016 - 13:34

          @nix1016:

          Will do guys - Will try and head down there this week if I can.

          Thanks for the Ausbt link as well

        • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 14:29

          @Ndiddy: honestly, if I was you i'd get a visa. you might be fine but what the droid says at the service center may not apply at the immigration desk in shanghai, they're notorious for giving different answers.

          as much as it sucks, I'd personally do this just to be sure.

          This really is to encourage more people to stop in china on their way to somewhere else. i.e. flying to Europe you can include a stopover in a major port and supposedly spend some money there i guess.

          Transiting through a Chinese port has sucked in my experience. Took 2 hours worth of queues and checks in Beijing. No fewer than 5 people checking your passports at various points PLUS three lots of security checks with bag unpacking. it's madness

        • Ndiddy on 27/01/2016 - 15:19

          @ChickenTalon:

          You're probably right and I think I'll just end up doing that. I was peeved that I was staying for just over 72 hours to begin with and this gave me some hope.

          Anyway I'll pay the $1xx and be done with it.

  • Wade.wxn on 27/01/2016 - 10:35

    It's a transit visa so to enjoy the visa free treatment you have to fly to Shanghai via Hongkong.

    Do I have to do it both departure/return trip? Like If I fly from Melbourne to Shanghai directly and for the return trip fly from Shanghai to HK then Mel, is that acceptable for them?

  • gstfree on 27/01/2016 - 10:37
    +1

    Please check the regulations carefully. Unless it's changed recently, my understanding is visa free transit is for transit only. That means MEL-PVG-HKG-PVG-MEL is okay and you can stopover in PVG.

    If your trip is MEL-PVG-MEL, please check with the consulate if visa free transit is applicable.

    • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 10:47

      Don't quote me, but my guess is MEL-PVG-MEL is not applicable, MEL-PVG_HKG_Mel is.

    • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 11:31
      +1

      MEL-PVG-MEL definitely will not work

      either MEL-HKG-PVG-MEL or MEL-PVG-HKG-MEL will work. But pretty much no airline flies that and you'd need separate international one way tickets to use it. These are expensive.

      • gstfree on 27/01/2016 - 12:52

        Agreed.

      • jackx on 27/01/2016 - 14:16

        MEL-PVG-HKG-MEL no problem, but MEL-HKG-PVG-MEL only qualifies 72-hour visa free transit as Hong Kong is not in the list, whether it's sorted alphabetically or not!

        • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 14:22

          HKG is fine, as is Macau. Ignore that list on the chinese news website, probably left off because they can't call Hong Kong a separate country without being shot at.

          (and it might just be referring to citizens of those countries, rather than entry/exit countries)

  • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 10:41

    Another good thing is with this policy you can travel within Shanghai, Zhejiang Province and Jiangsu Province. The original 72 hour visa-free transit policy has the limitation that you only can travel in the province you land in. While these three areas are the most economically active areas in China, Hangzhou as the most scenic city in China, Nanjing, which was the capital for 6 ancient dynasties, both have a lot more to offer both culturally and sightseeing wise.

  • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 11:25
    +3

    Caution! Be careful with this as it's not that simple.

    If you're planning on using it with the Hong Kong / Macau option then you need to be careful. The "third country" in this case Hong Kong / Macau can only be visited once. You need to enter china from a different country than you will be leaving to.

    I.e. SYD->HKG->PVG then back PVG->HGK-SYD will not work!

    you either need to go SYD->HKG->PVG then back PVG->SYD
    OR
    SYD->PVG then back PVG->HKG->SYD

    This rules out most airlines unless you book separate tickets. Which also means you may need to buy one-way international tickets, a lot more expensive. So be careful, you will not find out this information until you try to get on your flight in Australia and the airline denies you uplift, or at the border in China, you do not want to find out this way as it will be a short trip straight back home or a holiday that never happens.

    And the "Business traveler" who would use this really should look into the APEC Business Travel Card to see if they are eligible. Visa free entry into all APEC countries (except US) for 5 years for $200. Plus priority lanes at all airports :)

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2016 - 11:47

      also sux for airline employees on stand by as you cannot transit on standby

      • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 12:08

        As a further update. It appears as though transiting through a 3rd country does not count. But i'm not 100% sure of this as good info is pretty hard to find in english.

        If your ticket is PVG->HKG->SYD then Chinese immigration will count this as PVG->SYD. Unless the HGK is an actual stopover.

        • parcus on 27/01/2016 - 13:29

          I'm pretty sure that is the case, e.g. a CX itinerary SYD-xHKG-PVG/PVG-HKG-SYD, where the 1st HKG stop is a transit (<24hrs) and 2nd HKG is an actual stopover >24hours and you're exiting immigration, then it should be eligible for the transit visa.

          Still more complicated than it needs to be, was kinda hoping with Chafta and all, we would get visa-free access from both sides. How great would've that been for tourism.

  • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 13:38
    +1

    China Visa cost is $60.
    But it looks like they now do not issue them direct from the consulate, but force you to go through a separate service that adds another $50.
    Anyone know the story? A private company connected to the Party or PLA?

    • Turd on 27/01/2016 - 14:00

      People's Liberation Army in Australia?

      • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 14:08
        +1

        Many Chinese companies are closely connected to the PLA. They were actually owned by the PLA in the past, and supposedly separated, but the same people are still running them.

        • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 19:54

          I can confirm this is a rumor started by USA and other western governments including Australian government. Huawei is one of the biggest victims of this rumor.

        • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 21:35
          +1

          @ryu:
          That is different. I'm talking about large companies that were actually owned by the PLA. Anyway, I was just speculating, as it seems a very lucrative monopoly.

    • ChickenTalon on 27/01/2016 - 14:25

      they have visa "service centers" and you can't go to the consulate. don't know when this changed as I've only been going for 4 years and it's always been this way.
      http://www.visaforchina.org/

      schedule of fees here. Note that the 12months can actually be longer depending on your visit history. If you've been a few times then you can get a 2-5 year visa for the same price.
      http://www.visaforchina.org/SYD_EN/yyxz/276210.shtml

      would be very irritating if you didn't have a service center close by. they take your passport for a long time.

    • bargaino on 27/01/2016 - 14:37

      Another option is to get your visa in Hong Kong, if you are spending a few days there before going to the mainland.
      Can be cheaper and easier, but check first.

    • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 20:05

      It's kindof true. If you can read Chinese, this page have the cost clearly listed:
      http://au.china-embassy.org/chn/lsfw/zjsf/QZSF/

      Basically it means for a normal visa, you pay $60 to the consulate, $49.5 to visa issuing center. I am not sure about the relationship between consulate and visa issuing center.

      I don't think the visa issuing center has anything to do with PLA, it's either a independent company that Consulate has the visa issuing job outsourced to, or it's just part of the consulate, but people working there don't have a diplomatic status, they are either honorary consuls or just normal employees.

  • Peck on 27/01/2016 - 14:16

    Is there anything that TA can't find a deal on? Very adaptable :))

  • jackx on 27/01/2016 - 14:21

    In some cities the 72-hour visa free transit arrangement is calculated from midnight following arrival. In other words one could effectively spend up to 4 days without overstaying your welcome. Hopefully this is also adopted in the new 144-hour rule.

  • Ryk on 27/01/2016 - 19:13

    sounds great as my general rule is if a visa is required i don't go there, simply to avoid the bureaucracy.
    i've done visas and moved on.
    i might miss some places, but there are plenty of options.

    • ryu on 27/01/2016 - 20:13

      Sometimes you just have no choices. For me, China is somewhere I have to go frequently. Russia, Brazil, Cuba, Iran all these countries you need a visa to go to have a different appeal to me. If what's needed is just to fill a few forms, send out my passport for a few days, I am OK with it. For people from a lot more countries in the world to come to Australia, they need to go through a much painful process which includes providing proof that you have a real estate to your name, you have a recommendation letter from your employer, you have a big amount of money sitting in the bank, etc, etc. Would you suggest them not bother doing it?

  • Foma2 on 27/01/2016 - 21:29

    I see your point and I a kind of agree with you.
    But sometimes bureaucracy makes things unnecessary tricky and complicated.

  • gcdollar on 28/01/2016 - 09:07
    -3

    HK is a country????

  • lesleigh on 28/01/2016 - 09:42

    Can someone tell me if this is only available for fly in ,same as the visa free . Which does not apply to ships at the moment.

    • derrko on 14/02/2016 - 17:04

      Does anyone no if it would be possible to say do BKK-PVG-KUL with Air Asia on 2 one way tickets?

  • bargaino on 28/01/2016 - 15:17

    I just realised the $50 processing fee is probably a tit-for-tat thing.
    It brings the total cost to about the same as Australia charges Chinese people for a visa. (Whereas people from developed countries don't pay.)

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