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Asked by Costa from USA | Aug. 01, 2019 04:18
About:China Visa on Arrival

I like to get 5 days VOA in Shenzhen , but what about PEK airport ?

Hi Zupan , its me again …… I am trying to find different options to match my flights time and where I like to go , since my priority is to visit Shenzhen . So I am looking for Amsterdam - ( PEK few hrs layover ) Shenzhen .Arrive on 30 oct. and leave on Nov 4 ..I like to get 5 days VOA in Shenzhen , but what about PEK airport ? Can I get a few hrs transit visa ? and go on with my flight ? My return flight is Shenzhen ( PEK , few hrs. stop ) and then to Amsterdam . Thanks

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Answers (6)
Answered by ZUPAN | Aug. 01, 2019 09:25
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Costa, any itinerary that has any kind of stop within mainland China, as it is the situation with your itinerary:

Amsterdam - Beijing - Shenzhen

Automatically disqualifies you from any visa free transit option and you are also not allowed to apply for a Shenzhen visa!

Your itinerary has to lead you directly from Amsterdam to Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Of course, you can land in some other country and then proceed for Shenzhen, but you cannot do it through any other mainland Chinese airport!

Also, your return flight is also ineligible because it also has a stop in mainland China. To be allowed to travel the itinerary you have mentioned, you would need a Chinese tourist (L) visa.

If I were you I would choose a combination of direct flights from three European cities (London, Paris and Frankfurt) to Shenzhen, apply for 144 hour visa free transit and then exit to Macau or Hong Kong by ferry. From Hong Kong flight to back to Europe. So, you can use an open jaw ticket and the good thing is when you fly from Hong Kong to Europe, you are allowed to have a Chinese layover and you can again enjoy 144 hour visa free transit in one of Chinese cities/areas of your choice.
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Answered by Costa from USA | Aug. 02, 2019 04:26
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In other words if I fly from Amsterdam to Guangzhou for 4 - 5 days then go to HK for 1 day and from there go to Shenzhen for 5 days . That should work right ? Should I fly back to Amsterdam from Guangzhou to Paris ? Or come back to HK and fly to Amsterdam or Paris..
KLM and Air France have direct flights to Guangzhou and return flights to other's country capital just to accommodate this A B C visa transit ..But I am most interested in the first part of my post . Back to back entry to different city .
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Answered by ZUPAN | Aug. 02, 2019 09:36
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Your first itinerary:

Amsterdam - Guangzhou - Hong Kong

Is definitely eligible for 144 hour visa free transit. You can leave the area of Guangdong province with different means of transport, but you need this ticket that will bring you to Hong Kong already in hand in Amsterdam. You can obtain the ticket or at least an e-confirmation through several websites. We can later talk about it.

Quite the contrary, your second itinerary:

Hong Kong - Shenzhen - Guangzhou - Amsterdam is not eligible for any kind of visa free transit scheme because the only way to enter Guangdong province from Hong Kong & Macau is by air from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. So, the itinerary of this type is eligible:

Hong Kong - (by air) - Guangzhou - Shenzhen - Guangzhou - Amsterdam

It is possible to enter from Hong Kong to Shenzhen by using Shenzhen 5 day visa on arrival, but you should keep in mind that you are allowed to move with this visa only within Shenzhen city and the price for a visa is quite high, exactly 956 CNY. Of course, you can use this visa and fly out from Shenzhen airport to the country different than mainland China, but on nonstop flight.

Think about this details and we will continue to find the best option for your travel needs.
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Answered by Costa from USA | Aug. 02, 2019 10:51
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Why this VOA at Shenzhen its so high , $150 ? 2 years ago I went to Shanghai with VOA and I think I paid about $ 30- 40 . Anyaway , what I am trying to do is catching 2 cities - Shenzhen and Guangzhou on the same trip since they are so close . I am planning on a flight from either Paris or Amsterdam to Guangzhou ( since they both have direct flights there ) and a return flight from Guangzhou to either Paris or Amsterdam to accommodate the ABC rules .. My main purpose for this trip is 5 or 6 days for tennis tournament in Shenzhen at the end of OCT. , if I can't find a reasonable away to visit Guangzhou also for 4 -5 days then probably I will do flight to Guangzhou from either Paris or Amsterdam with 144 hrs. transit visa , go by train to Shenzhen for tennis and then take the train back to Guangzhou for the flight to either Paris or Amsterdam . I will visit Guangzhou and other cities next time on a 10 years visa that I will try to get next year.. I had previously one year visa in China from the consulate in USA about 12 years ago.. Thanks Jupan
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Answered by ZUPAN | Aug. 02, 2019 15:11
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Unfortunately, US citizens pay by far the most expensive Shenzhen VOA of all the countries. I really don't know what the real reason is behind it, but as far as I have heard, it has to do something with reciprocity.

You have brought good decision. In order to be eligible for 144 hour visa free transit, you can also combine Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports because both of them are connected to Europe by direct flights. You are encouraged to play a bit with flight search engines and see what will be your the most affordable price combination. It is important that you know that both of the mentioned airports could be used within a single visit to Guangdong province. In other words, you can fly something like this:

Amsterdam - Guangzhou
Shenzhen - Paris

You should also think about maximizing your time by using 144 hour TWOV in the best way possible... So, if you arrive on, let's say, September 1 at 08:00 in the morning, the counting of 144 hours begins on September 2 at 00:00 (midnight between September 1 and 2). In other words, you are allowed to stay until September 7 until 23:59 hours. As you can see, it can be even longer than 144 hours :)

OK, now, you should play a bit with ticket finder engines and please, don't forget that your flights to/from Guangzhou/Shenzhen are not allowed to have any additional landing within mainland China!
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Answered by Costa from USA | Aug. 02, 2019 21:21
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Thank you Zupan
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