am i eligible for visa-free transit?

Question

My travel is as follows:1. US-Dubai-Shanghai - overnight2. The next day, fly Shanghai-Beijing-Shanghai (18hr trip) - overnight3. The next day, Shanghai-Japan-Shanghai on an 8-night Cruise - overnight4. The next day fly, Shanghai-Dubai-US Am I eligible for visa-free transit or a 144 hr transit visa for any of these trips?

Louise · Answer

You need a tourist (L) visa for 1 & 2. If you are a US citizen you should get the multiple entry 10 year visa.

Joi · Answer

Thanks!So if we didn’t do 1 & 2, do we need a visa for 3 & 4 (the cruise)?We are all coming from the US but my group is a mix of US & UK passports.

Saul · Answer

Step 2 is causing the problem. If your route is UAE-Shanghai-Japan-Shanghai-UAE then you would qualify for 144 hours transit without visa in each direction. But if you have other stops in mainland China then you may need visas.

John Doe · Answer

Also holders of British passports whose nationality is not stated as British Citizen will not be eligible for 144-hour transit.

Joi · Answer

Thank you for your help! I have 1 more question. If 1&2 is an organized group tour with a company, do we still need the visa? I read somewhere that the touring company will handle this for us. If this is true, we could fly into Shanghai use the 144 hr free transit and then go on our tour the next day, come back to Shanghai in less than 24 hrs and leave the next day on our cruise to Japan. Come back to Shanghai and use another 144 hr free transit and leave the next day to Dubai. Is this right?

Carol · Answer

No, you still need a visa.

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Am I eligible for visa-free transit?