Answered by ZUPAN
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Dec. 30, 2019 14:34
Julia, if you have presented your itinerary accurately, you will be definitely eligible for visa free transit in Guangzhou both ways. Simply speaking, you don't need any kind of visa. Since you are Australian citizens, you are eligible to stay for up to 144 hours in Guangzhou and in reality within the entire Guangdong province if you only wish.
If your layovers in Guangzhou are less than 24 hours, you will be eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and if they will be longer than 24 hours, you will enjoy 144 hour visa free transit. In both cases, you don't need any kind of visa.
I assume that you have asked whether you will be eligible to exit the airport during your 15 hour layover in Guangzhou, right?
To be allowed to do that, you will take a free accommodation that is provided by China Southern to its passengers with a layover longer than 8 hours. After you do that, you will print out your accommodation reservation performed through China Southern website. So, upon your landing in Guangzhou, you will approach 24 hour visa free transit counter where you will apply for a temporary entry permit. This is not a visa, but just a permit to allow you to exit the airport and to enjoy your accommodation and to explore the city. The chances that you will be granted a permit are really very good, especially with accommodation booking provided by China Southern. Also, this permit is absolutely free of charge.
To conclude, you will be almost certainly allowed to exit the airport during your 15 hour layover, but this really cannot be guaranteed 100% because the immigration will make its final decision.