flying to Guangzhou and taking the train to Hong Kong

Vincent, if you want to make use of the 72-hour free transit service, you should fly from your departure country to Guangzhou and then fly from Guangzhou to HK. If you choose to take train from Guangzhou to HK, you are not eligible for the free transit policy and you have to apply for an entry permit in advance.

Hi Brenda
For my entry permit, they say that I only have 1 fully-blank page on my passport , and that it is not enough! It seems that I need at least 2 fully-blank pages on my passport to get the entry permit. Do you agree ?
For the flight from Guangzhou, it seems that there is no direct flight from Guanzhou to Hong Kong and that I would need to go through Kunming or Shanghai… It is also very expensive.
Any suggestions ?

Vincent, you are right. A passport with the validity of six months and two blank pages are required. Since you plan to take train from Guangzhou to HK, you are not qualified for 72 hours free transit.

In my opinion, you should see if you can renew your passport in the quickest way. After you renew it, you should apply for a tourist one in advance. Round-trip air tickets and hotel reservation are required apart fom your passport, finished application form and a recent passport photo.

Hi Brenda
I have done the passport renewal application this morning. But, I won't get my new passport before my departure to Guanzhou on may 1st (for Canton Fair!).
I am now trying to book a flight to Hong Kong or to Macau. Is it OK if the flight out of Guanzhou has a stop in another Chinese city?
Thanks! Vincent

Vincent, if the flight has a stop in another Chinese city, you cannot make use of the 72 hour free transit but only the 24 hour free tranit. So you have to book a direct flight from Guangzhou to HK or Macau. There are direct flights from Guangzhou to HK, which take about one hour.