Question

Asked by Greg Holloway from usa | Jul. 09, 2019 13:20

About:72-Hour Visa-Free Transit

I am a US citizen. will fly into Shanghai and stay overnight at a hotel on Oct 25, 2019.

The next day I will board a celebrity cruise that will go to South Korea for a day and then the ship arrives in Tianjin on Oct 30 for 3 days. On Oct 30, I plan to take an excursion with a private tour operator from the port and stay overnight in Beijing, returning to the ship on Nov 1. Will I need a China visa for this trip?

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Answers (4)

Answered by Greg Holloway | Jul. 10, 2019 06:36

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Thanks for your quick reply. I am very confused about the visa requirements and have gotten varying answers from different sources. The first time I spoke to celebrity they gave me the answer you gave, but yesterday they told me I would need a multi-entry visa. Do not want to ruin my trip by assuming no visa is needed.

Do you work for the Chinese consulate?

Yes, we would plan to use a private tour company in Tianjin to tour Beijing, staying overnight in a hotel in Beijing and then returning to the ship before it sails to Japan.

What is the procedure to receive 144 hour visa free transit? will I need to do this in Shanghai upon arrival and then again in Tianjin?

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Answered by Greg Holloway | Jul. 10, 2019 07:00

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In studying your response more closely, I think we do have a problem. the cruise sails to Jeju island, South Korea from Tianjin. We arrive back in South Korea on Nov 3. I assume we need a multi-entry China visa even if we stay on the ship in Jeju Island?

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Answered by CDKING | Jul. 10, 2019 11:19

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Correct you need a visa since you enter china and leave china via the same country. Even if you don't exit the boat it counts against you. You will need to apply for a visa in advance of the trip. US Citizens are able to apply for a multiple entry 10 year tourist visa which costs the same as a single entry visa.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Jul. 09, 2019 15:27

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Your entire itinerary is, if I'm not wrong:

US - Shanghai - South Korea - Tianjin (Beijing) - X country

Greg, you are eligible for 144 hour visa free transit twice. Anyway, there are some conditions to be fulfilled:

- You have to fly from US to Shanghai without any additional stop in mainland China or in South Korea.
- Your cruise should not have any additional mainland Chinese port call immediately after your departure from Shanghai and immediately before your arrival in Tianjin. Of course, when departing from Tianjin, you are not allowed to have a port call in mainland China immediately after your departure from Tianjin.
- Your cruise should not have as the first port call, a port in South Korea immediately after Tianjin, so your X country cannot be South Korea.

I assume that your itinerary has met the above conditions, but just for you to check the entire journey once again.

On more detail... Could you explain what do you mean by "an excursion with a private tour operator from the port". Is this some kind of small local cruise or an excursion somewhere around Beijing?

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