flight from sydney -- shanghai -- gimpo(korea) -- sydney

Question

Hi, I have a Korean passport.  I booked a flight departing Sydney on 4th of Dec and arriving in Shanghai Pudong on the same date via Qantas airline. I will be staying in Shanghai for 5 days since my parents live there at the moment. Then, on 9th of Dec, from Shanghai Hongqiao airport to Korea (Gimpo Airport) using Asiana airlines. I am pretty sure that I am qualified according to the information above. However, I have seen cases on the web where some people were rejected to transit (144). I am very worried as the Chinese embassy in Sydney advised me to check with Qantas, and Qantas advised me to check with the Chinese embassy. They are both not giving me confident answers, implying the slightest chances of entry being rejected. 1. Do people usually get through smoothly with the 144-hour visa-free transit as long as they have the proper documents?2. According to the info mentioned above, a ticket to a third-country with confirmed seat and date is compulsory. I made my booking through trip.com and on my e-ticket the date is mentioned. However, seat is not mentioned. Would this be ok? If not, how can I get my ticket with both date and seat written?

Saul · Answer

It is invariably a waste of time contacting the airline or the embassy in advance. Because you are not getting a visa, it is not within the embassy's remit. The airline will always make sure that the responsibility for having the correct documentation lies entirely with the passenger. Airlines simply will not take responsibility for giving you visa advice. Even if they said on the phone that you were good to go, that isn't worth anything once you arrive at the airport on the day of travel. For one thing, the rules may have changed. That is why the decision to allow you to board lies with the airline agents at the airport on the day of travel. 1. It is unlikely to happen, but any problem you have will be at check-in in Sydney. If you are unlucky enough to come across an incompetent agent, make sure that they check Timatic, putting China as the transit point and Korea as the destination. If they put China as the destination they will never see the transit without visa rules. If you are worried, then just arrive a little early. Once you arrive in Shanghai you will not have a problem.2. You do not need an assigned seat. You just need a confirmed ticket. Confirmed seat just means that you cannot fly stand-by (like some airline employees do).

Flight from Sydney --> Shanghai --> Gimpo(Korea) --> Sydney

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