Do I need a transit visa in Shanghai

Your itinerary is definitely eligible for 24 hour visa free transit in Shanghai and you don't need any kind of visa.

You will print out your flight tickets and have those printouts with you. Also, you will declare at check-in in Vienna that you will travel to Jakarta via Shanghai using 24 hour visa free transit. You will be allowed to board the plane after a short inspection of your flight tickets.

Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will immediately approach 24 hour visa free transit counter where you will apply for a temporary entry permit to be allowed to collect your luggage and to perform new check-in for your flight to Jakarta. You will be granted a permit, but you will have to be quite fast because 3 hour layover is not such a long time in a quite time consuming airport as Shanghai Pudong is.

Thank you so much for such detailed instructions. Really appreciate it.

However, I did some reading on this blog and it was stated that Indonesian pasport holder not eligible for 24hr free visa in Shanghai? Which one is true? I am confused now. Please help. Thank you so much 🙏🏻


Answered by Ruth from AUSTRALIA | Dec. 15, 2019 19:5500Reply

Juliane, I heard that Indonesian passport holders are currently not eligible for the 24h visa-free transit of China, so you may need to apply for a visa in advance. Please contact the airline to confirm this.

I understand your concerns, but regardless of them, you definitely are eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and you really don't need any kind of visa.

I can read the answer by Ruth from Australia, but she has obviously mixed up Indonesians with Malaysians. It is true that Malaysian citizens are not eligible for any kind of visa free transit in China for an undisclosed reason. I hope that this 24 hour visa free transit will be very soon reinstated for them because now they have to obtain a Chinese transit (G) visa when they are in any kind of transit through China.

To conclude, Indonesians are eligible for this 24 hour visa free transit option without any doubt :)

Dear Zupan, I just returned to Indonesia. And my transit in Shanghai to Jakarta was smooth, thanks to your detailed info. Indonesian passports are eligible for this 24hr free visa, we just need to fill in the blue form (only available just beside the immigration counter for 24hr visa) and show our eticket for the next flight out. Our passport was given a small visa sticker. It was a quick and easy process. Thank you once again.