Question

Asked by Henry from s korea | Sep. 08, 2019 15:26

About:72-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Hidden layover

I'm South Korean currently living in the US.
I'm planning to visit Korea using Sichuan airline. As you mentioned, I should take a direct flight which leaves from China to the third country to be eligible for the visa waiver program. I'm not sure whether I'm still eligible if there is one technical landing at Hangzhou during a flight from Sichuan to Los Angeles.

The full itinerary is:
3U8904 ICN - CTU
(layover 19h 25min)
3U8631 CTU - (HGH) - LAX
The layover time at HGH is 1h 55min

I will be appreciated if you can clarify the visa requirements.

Thanks.

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Answers (4)

Answered by Henry | Sep. 08, 2019 18:37

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Thank you guys! Now I fully understood how the system works.

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Answered by Henry | Sep. 08, 2019 22:53

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Actually the schedule of two flights will be changed. I will stay exactly 24 hours in China with these flights. Would it be okay then?

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Answered by CDKING | Sep. 08, 2019 15:46

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A visa will be necessary if the time between scheduled arrival in CTU and scheduled departure from HGH is over 24 hours (including time on internal china flights).
There is no such thing as a technical stop in China. Chengdu > Hongzhou is a domestic flight (like flying between two US states or Seoul to Jeju) and that is not allowed on the 72/144 hour transits.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Sep. 08, 2019 15:51

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Unfortunately, you will need a transit (G) visa obtained in advance because your entire transit time in China is exactly 24 hours and 5 minutes.

As you can see, the scheduled landing of 3U8904 is at 23:30 and scheduled departure of 3U8631 from Hangzhou is at 23:35 of the next day. Can you believe it?

To calculate your entire transit time in China is to count the hours from your first scheduled landing in China, in your case in Chengdu, until your last scheduled departure from China, in your case from Hangzhou. Your entire transit time is 24 hours and 5 minutes.

To clarify a little bit more. Practically every citizen of any world country can perform 24 hour visa free transit in China and during that transit it is allowed to have several stops, like in you case, but you missed the maximum of 24 allowed hours for just 5 minutes. Anyway, in case if you plan to enjoy 72/144 hour visa free transit, then you are not allowed to have more than one landing within the mainland China.

To conclude, for just 5 minutes, you will have to obtain a transit (G) visa in advance or to rearrange your flights. One detail more... There is no chance that the authorities will not realize that you have a "hidden" stop. In reality, this is so transparent.

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