Question

Asked by Eileen Richards from united kingdom | Dec. 28, 2019 14:17

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Guangdong

Visit two areas in China

Can we do London-Guangzhou-Hongkong-Shanghai-London with two 144 hour visa transit and visit two regions in China plus Hongkong in two weeks? We have UK passports.
Also, from Guangzhou to HongKong, do we need to fly or can we take a train?
Thanks!

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Answers (4)

Answered by Eileen Richards | Dec. 29, 2019 09:57

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Thank you! The details are really helpful indeed. I was reading the previous posts and it also seems that Shekou port in Shenzhen is also an option to depart to Hongkong. Is the Ferry booking also ok as the train tickets?
Also, I want to check that 144 hours starts at midnight, so if we arrive on 5th, we need to leave on before midnight on the 11th, is that correct?

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Answered by ZUPAN | Dec. 29, 2019 06:58

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Part one:

Your itinerary is definitely eligible for 144 hour visa free transit in both Guangdong province and in Shanghai area and you don't need any kind of visa. Also, you can stay in Hong Kong up to 180 days without a visa.

You are also allowed to take a direct train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, but you will have to follow the next steps:

- The only eligible train to travel between Guangzhou and Hong Kong is a so called through train that operates between Guangzhou East and Hong Kong Hung Hom railway station. This is a conventional train, but a very good one. It takes just about 2 hours to reach Hong Kong from Guangzhou.
- You will have to book a ticket for this train before your departure from UK. You cannot, unfortunately, book it at its original MTR website because they are not providing an e-confirmation with a name on it. Having a name on an e-confirmation is a must because it is used as a proof that you will be really in a transit to Hong Kong. So, you will have to book it through several other reliable websites and one among them is exactly this one, Travel China Guide.
- Before your train ticket booking, you will have to book your accommodation in Guangzhou or in some other part of Guangdong province because you will be able to travel and stay within the entire Guangdong province while on 144 hour visa free transit. The address of this accommodation will be supplied to the agency during the booking process because the agency will deliver a real, paper ticket physically on this address that you have supplied them.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Dec. 29, 2019 06:58

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Part Two:

- During a booking process, you will realize that you will have to pay a commission for this ticket delivery, anyway, the train transport between Guangzhou and Hong Kong with its only 2 hours of travel and with center to center service remains the fastest and the cheapest way of travel regardless of this commission that has to be paid for a ticket delivery.
- After the booking is done, you will receive an e-confirmation on your email and you will print it out. You will take this printout that will be your proof that you will be in a real transit to Hong Kong.
- When you approach a check-in in London, you will just declare that you will travel to Hong Kong via Guangzhou using 144 hour visa free transit and you will present them this e-confirmation. Just be patient because they are not used to see this, but when they consult Timatic, they will realize that Guangzhou East railway station is eligible port of exit from China when traveling to Guangdong province on 144 hour visa free transit.
- Upon your arrival in Guangzhou, you will approach 144 hour visa free transit where you will present this e-confirmation again and after a short time, you will get a sticker in your passport and you will be allowed to exit the airport.

I know that this process could appear a bit complicated at the first sight, but in reality this is just a question of routine. One more important detail. You should arrive at Guangzhou East railway station roughly 1 hour before your departure because before you board the train, you will clear the immigration. In reality, when you board the train, although it will travel and an additional hour and 20 minutes on mainland China soil, you are considered to have left mainland China.

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Answered by ZUPAN | Dec. 29, 2019 12:32

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Indeed, beside train you can use ferries from Shenzhen Shekou and and from Guangzhou Nansha port. They are all eligible for when you travel on 144 hour visa free transit. The situation with the ferries is simpler because you just need to visit CKS - Chu Kong Passenger transport company website where you will book your ticket. You will also receive an e-confirmation, but you don't need to perform all those steps mentioned when we have talked about taking a train. You will just use this e-confirmation and you will arrive with it at one of the mentioned terminals where you will collect your real, paper ticket on the spot. There are, in reality, several more eligible ports from where you can depart to Hong Kong, but with just one or two daily departures for Hong Kong. So, not quite convenient.

You are perfectly right about the way how you calculate the time you have at your disposal when traveling on 144 hour visa free transit. In reality, the specific details of practically all Chinese visas and visa free transits is that the first day of validity is never the day of arrival. So, if you arrive on 5th, you can take the last train or ferry on the 11th. Anyway, keep in mind that you will have to decide what train and what ferry you will take before your departure for Guangzhou and then to take exactly that train or ferry that you have bought your ticket for.

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