Question

Asked by tommy from usa | Sep. 06, 2019 16:49

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Cruise

Hello,
I am Flying from LAX to Shanghai. We have a 9 hour layover in Chengdu.
LAX-Chengdu-PVG(Sep 30). We are staying 1 night in shangahi and leaving on a royal Caribbean cruise on oct 1-8 then immediately going to pvg-Chengdu-LAX on the 8th. Ive been reading different things but we were not planning on leaving the airport in Chengdu. do we need a visa? Ive read there is a 24 hour rule and a 144 hour rule and i quite dont understand

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Answers (2)

Answered by Saul | Sep. 06, 2019 17:20

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It is not complicated: for your outbound journey, if you are in China for longer than 24 hours (from scheduled arrival in Chengdu to scheduled departure from Shanghai) then you need a visa. If you are in China for under 24 hours then you don't. Similar for your return journey. It's irrelevant whether you plan to leave the airport or not.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Sep. 07, 2019 07:44

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Here is the explanation:

You have more than one stop within mainland China (Chengdu and Shanghai) and this is the reason why you are eligible just for 24 hour visa free transit. If you only had one stop within mainland China (Shanghai for example), you would be eligible for 144 hour visa free transit.

Now, to calculate whether you are eligible for 24 hour visa free transit, you have to calculate the number of hours from your first scheduled landing, in your case in Chengdu, until your scheduled departure from Shanghai by cruise. If that time is less than 24 hours, you are eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and you don't need any kind of visa. Quite the contrary, if your transit time is only for a minute longer than 24 hours, you will need a Chinese tourist (L) visa obtained in advance.

The same thing is valid for your travel back, i.e. you have to calculate the entire time from your scheduled docking by your cruise in Shanghai, until your scheduled departure from Chengdu. The length of your transit will determine whether you are eligible or not for 24 hour visa free transit.

Now, if you feel a bit insecure about this times, you are advised to present your accurate times and we will be able to offer you a correct and reliable answer.

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