Toronto-Shanghai-Kunming-Dhaka

If your total transit time within China, counting from your scheduled landing in Shanghai, until your scheduled departure from Kunming is less than 24 hours, you will be definitely eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and you don't need any kind of visa.

You should print out your flight tickets and have those printouts with you. Also, you will declare at check-in in Toronto that you will travel to Dhaka via China using 24 hour visa free transit. After a short inspection of your flight tickets, you will be allowed to board the plane. Here, one important detail. Assuming that you will fly on a single (through) ticket, you will ask at check-in whether your luggage will be tagged all the way to Dhaka, so that you can travel with a peace of mind.

Upon your landing in Shanghai, you will first approach 24 hour visa free transit counter where you will apply for a temporary entry permit that will allow you to exit the airport and to continue your journey to Kunming. Here I can see one problem. Your layover in Shanghai is very short, so I really hope that you are traveling on a single ticket and that your luggage will be tagged all the way to Dhaka. Otherwise, it would be quite challenging to catch your connecting flight to Kunming.

The procedure for your return flight to Toronto via Kunming will be the same as it was for your flight to Dhaka, but everything in reverse order. This time, you will apply for a temporary entry permit at 24 hour visa free transit counter in Kunming. Again, you should take care that your entire transit within China is less than 24 hours because I assume that you will fly from Kunming to Shanghai again.

So, keep in mind that you will travel on 24 hour visa free transit and not on any other because only 24 hour visa free transit is available when you have two or more consecutive stops within mainland China.

Hi Zupan,

Thanks for your reply, is it not possible for me to get the 24 hour no visa entry in Kunming as I will not be leaving the airport in Shanghai, I believe I will land and will have to catch the next flight to Kunming. What is the reason for me to get the 24 hour no visa entry in Shanghai? Also, it is one through ticket with the same airline and my return is also the same.

I understand your reasoning. Anyway, you should be aware that in China you will clear the immigration and perform all the formalities at the very first stop because this is the Chinese law. Their law simply states that all the formalities are done at the very first stop in China and you will never encounter an exception. In your case this is Shanghai and after that, although it is a single (through) ticket, the portion between Shanghai and Kunming is considered to be a domestic flight. So, since you will fly on a domestic flight, you will have to clear and perform all the formalities as I have described them in my initial answer to your post.

This was the reason why did I write about the challenge of performing all the formalities within a 2 hours time frame. Anyway, if your luggage is tagged all the way to Kathmandu, you will make it, although you will have to be quite agile and fast. By the way, a single (through) ticket, issued by, I assume, China Eastern puts them in a position to be responsible in case of your inability to catch your flight to Kunming. If I'm right and you are traveling on a single China Eastern ticket, you will accomplish everything within the same terminal and you will be also assisted, if necessary, by China Eastern staff. Please, just ask, just be annoying if necessary.

By the way, you should use a correct terminology and this is definitely not "24 hour no visa entry", but a temporary entry permit. Just use correct terminology to avoid any possible misunderstandings.