Question

Asked by JL Luo from australia | Aug. 13, 2023 21:16

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit in Guangdong

Single or double entry visa for China

Hi team,
Thank you for your very informative article. I wanted to check with you as to whether I will need a single or double-entry visa for my upcoming trip to China and Hong Kong. I am an Australian passport holder and my trip plans are:
- Arriving into Guangzhou airport on 27Sep2023 and then departing to Hong Kong by train/ferry on 30Oct2023 (this is confirmed)
- Heading back to Guangzhou from Hong Kong on 02Oct2023 (have not confirmed yet which transport options I will take)
- Departing from Hong Kong airport on 07Oct2023 (this is confirmed)

My questions are the following:
1. Is there any possible way of doing the above plan without having to apply for a Chinese visa and doing it all with the 144-hour transit without a visa? As I understand, that would mean that my Hong Kong to Guangzhou leg will need to be a flight and I will need to show evidence of ongoing travel to a 3rd destination (most likely Macau) but there are no direct Guangzhou to Macau routes.
2. If I decide to do the Hong Kong to Guangzhou route by train/bus/ferry, I am aware that I will need a Chinese visa when I re-enter. I wanted to check to see if I am able to do the above trip with just a single entry Chinese visa as I should be eligible for the 144-hour transit without a visa when I first arrive in Guangzhou. Am I still able to get the 144-hour transit without a visa if there is already a Chinese visa in my passport? Or will I need to apply for a double-entry Chinese visa?

If you could please provide your thoughts on this based on your expertise/experience that would be most helpful.

Regards,
JL Luo

Reply

Answers (6)

Answered by Borut | Aug. 14, 2023 03:42

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Hi, if you want you can do both your visits absolutely visa free.

You can do it by flying both times to Guangzhou by plane. If I have properly understood, you will arrive the first time to Guangzhou by flight from some third country because you mention a return to Hong Kong. For example, if your itinerary is something like this:

Australia - Guangzhou - Hong Kong

This is undoubtedly eligible for 144 hour visa free transit. You can return to Hong Kong by plane, but it is cheaper to take a ferry from either Nansha (south from Guangzhou) or from Shekou in Shenzhen using CK - Chu Kong Passenger Transport Company. You will have to buy this ferry ticket in advance and to print it out and have it at hand.

Your second itinerary can look like this:

Hong Kong - Guangzhou - Macau

You will fly from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and then return from Shekou in Shenzhen by direct ferry to Macau. This ferry line is operated by TurboJet ferries. You need to have in mind that 144 hour visa free transit allows you to travel unlimited for 144 hours within the entire Guangdong province. The procedure with ferry ticket in this case is identical as with that for Hong Kong.

If you decide that you will take a train or bus or ferry from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, you will need a visa for that. Now, you can retain your single entry visa unused during your first segment by telling all the time that you are not traveling on a visa, but on 144 visa free transit. Please, be focused and do not give a space for anybody to annul your visa. You should always repeat this visa free transit mantra because this is perfectly legal. The first time, it will be a transit and the second time, you will use a visa. However, as you can see, you can do both trips by relaying on 144 visa free transit scheme if you want.

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Answered by JL Luo | Aug. 14, 2023 23:20

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Hi Borut,
Thank you for your response and information, it is much appreciated and glad to hear that what I plan to do is feasible. A quick follow up question:
- Can I go from Guangzhou to Hong Kong by train rather than ferry? From my research and reading, this seems to be the quickest and most efficient way.

Many thanks,
JL Luo

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Answered by Emma | Aug. 15, 2023 02:44

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As I know, it is not available to take a bullet train if you want to use 144-hour visa-free transit. As a result, ferry is in fact the most convenient way.

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Answered by Borut | Aug. 15, 2023 04:32

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Emma is correct. Trains are not eligible for any kind of visa free transit scheme. There used to be eligible a thorough conventional train between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, but it was discontinued since its existence became obsolete with the introduction of high speed trains.

In other words, you will use a ferry from either Nansha (south from Guangzhou) or Shekou to Hong Kong (be careful to choose a downtown and not HK airport) for your first segment and also a ferry for your second segment, but during your second segment you will use a ferry from Shekou in Shenzhen for Macau.

If you do as described you will not need any kind of visa at all because you will be covered by 144 hour visa free transit in entire Guangdong province twice.

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Answered by JL Luo | Aug. 15, 2023 16:35

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Hi Emma,
Thank you for your response. Are you able to provide further explanation on why the train option cannot be used for the 144 hour visa free transit? As I understand, Guangzhou East Railway Station is a listed as a port of exit and there are trains from there to Hong Kong. Is it because the train is to Kowloon West and the immigration is processed at Kowloon West instead of at Guangzhou?

For the purchase of ferry tickets, could you please help confirm that this is the correct website to be purchasing tickets from - www.cksp.com.hk? From what I can see on that website, there is also the option of departing from Pa Zhou (within metro Guangzhou) to China Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong. Would I be able to use Pa Zhou as a departure port of exit? I'm a bit hesitant to use the Nansha option as that is quite far from where I am staying when I am in Guangzhou.

Kind regards,
JL Luo

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Answered by Emma | Aug. 15, 2023 20:12

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Hi JL Luo,

The reason is just as you and Borut mentioned above. And yes, the ferry tickets are available on the website of cksp.com.hk. Pa Zhou in Guangzhou Port is available now.

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