Question

Asked by pave from croatia | May. 16, 2019 08:40

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Joining a merchant navy ship

Hi,
Does the 144hr visa apply for cargo vessel crew members who are flying from EU to China and joining a ship which is departing from a Chinese port?
Thanks

Reply

Answers (12)

Answered by John Doe | May. 16, 2019 13:22

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It doesn't. You need a crew visa unless holding a visa-exempt passport.

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Answered by pave | May. 16, 2019 22:06

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Dear Sir, thanks for you reply. The problem is if a crew member gets ill and needs to be relieved urgently, the the new crew member need more than 14days to obtain visa at chinese embassy and by that time the ship is gone or even delayed in sailing without key persons. What to do?

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Answered by pave | May. 17, 2019 23:46

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Thanks for replying.
Cargo ships must have crew but can have passengers too.
Is the 144hr transit applicable if i am flying into China and joining a cargo ship as a passenger?

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Answered by John Doe | May. 18, 2019 06:29

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No. That's only applicable for those on cruise ships.

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Answered by pave | May. 19, 2019 23:32

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Dear Zupan, thank and sorry for being persistive as this is a big problem to me. I do not fully understand your reply. Once i land on Pudong, i need to show the ticket for being passenger on a cargo ship at the airport immigration office and they decide whether they will let me in or not. Afterward the agent takes me to the port immigration office to allow boarding of the ship. At which point above i would face problems? Thanks

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Answered by Fred | May. 20, 2019 00:13

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You will face a problem when trying to board your flight to Shanghai. The airline will deny boarding because you do not have an onward ticket on a cruise. Passenger on a cargo ship won't be acceptable to the airline.

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Answered by ZUPAN | May. 16, 2019 09:23

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Ship's crew members are not eligible for 72 or 144-hour transit. You will have to apply for appropriate visa in advance at Chinese embassy in Zagreb.

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Answered by ZUPAN | May. 16, 2019 15:48

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Unfortunately, if you are a Croatian citizen, your passport is not visa-exempt.

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Answered by ZUPAN | May. 17, 2019 03:11

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I perfectly understand the argument and I'm more than certain that the Chinese embassy will understand the circumstances and will issue a crew visa noticeably faster than 14 day. You should act as soon as possible. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until Monday.

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Answered by ZUPAN | May. 18, 2019 03:31

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No, this is not possible for simple reason. Shanghai, Beijing (in reality Tianjin), Xiamen, Qingdao have designated ports of entry that are eligible for 144 hours free transit. All of them are cruise terminals, i.e. dedicated to passenger ships. There is no option that you board cargo ship through any of the mentioned passenger terminals because the crew members and also the passengers on cargo ships that dock in cargo harbors have their own, separated ports of entry when they exit/enter China.

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Answered by ZUPAN | May. 20, 2019 03:14

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As already mentioned by Fred, you are not eligible for any kind of visa free transit in China, unfortunately. The reason is simple, in order to be allowed to board the ship in China and enjoy visa free transit, you have to board on passenger (cruise) ship and not on cargo ship. Passenger ships have their own, separate immigrations facilities, while cargo ships have totally different immigration facilities where the staff does not have authority to handle visa free passengers. Indeed, if you try to perform the check-in, you will be refused and your money will be wasted. You should, as I have previously told you, obtain your visa at Chinese embassy in Zagreb. Simply speaking, there is no other way.

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Answered by pave | May. 20, 2019 14:30

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Dear Zupan, thanks for clearing things out. Its great to have somebody who can thoroughly explain things out.
Best regards

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