Question

Asked by Ian Duncan from japan | Jan. 11, 2012 23:20

About:Lingering Garden

Visa for overnight stay (Airport transit)?

I'm a British citizen in Japan, flying back to the UK for a holiday in the summertime. My flight with China Airlines has an overnight stopover in Shanghai in both directions. Do I need a visa, if so, what kind of visa do I need, and how would I go about applying for one? (I'll be travelling with my daughter who has a Japanese passport).

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Answers (3)

Answered by Norman | Jan. 12, 2012 21:14

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Ian Duncan, please don't worry, you and your daughter don't need a visa for the overnight stopover in Shanghai in both directions. Japanese ordinary passport holders are exempt from a visa to Mainland China for up to 15 days. UK passport holders enjoy 48 hours visa free access to Shanghai for transit, you are allowed to go out of the airport without visa.

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Answered by Ian Duncan | Jan. 12, 2012 23:06

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Dear Norman, Thank you for your advice - are you absolutely sure? The only information I can get elsewhere (TravelChinaGuide.com) says:

Citizens of the following 30 countries are permitted to transit Shanghai for up to 48 hours without a visa (They are allowed to leave the Pudong Airport/Hongqiao Airport to enter the city): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

You'll note that the UK is not mentioned in that list. I would hate to get there and find I'm without the proper documentation!

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Answered by Norman | Jan. 13, 2012 00:16

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Ian Duncan, you are right, sorry, I made a mistake, UK nationals don't enjoy the 48 hours transit visa exemption in Shanghai. However, I'm sure that you can get a 24 hours stay permit by showing the flight tickets to prove that you will stop for less than 24 hours in Shanghai to catch the next flight when you arrive in Shanghai.

If you still have worries, please apply for a double entry transit visa in Japan before departure.

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