Question

Asked by Karolina from poland | Nov. 09, 2023 11:20

About:24-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Airport change in Chengdu

Hello,
I have trouble getting visa information about my trip from Warsaw to Manila with two connecting flights in China. I will be travelling with Polish passport. My itinerary is: Warsaw-Beijing (2 hours stop, no need to exit the airport), then Beijing-Chengdu CTU (9 hours, have to change airports in Chengdu), then Chengdu Tianfu (TFU)- Manila. Same way on our way back: Manila-Tianfu TFU, Chengdu CTU-Beijing, Beijing-Warsaw. Is it possible to change airports in Chengdu with the 24 visa free policy? We technically arrive from Beijing, not Warsaw.. I really don’t know what to do here. Thanks in advance for your help!

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Answers (5)

Answered by Borut | Nov. 10, 2023 00:31

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Karolina, just be relaxed because you will be covered by 24 hour visa free transit. OK, you did not mention your layover times for your journey back, but if they are in total less than 24 hours as is the case with your first journey, there is no problem and you do not need any kind of visa. The total time is calculated from your first scheduled landing time in China, until your last scheduled departure from China. If this calculation shows that you are under 24 hours, you do not need any kind of visa.

Now, when you land in Beijing, you will immediately run to 24/144 hour visa free transit counter to apply for a temporary enter permit because your next flight is a domestic one. This is a formality, but it has to be done and immediately after you have done that, you will cross the immigration and run to the gate for your flight to Chengdu. After you land in Chengdu, you will just exit from the airport because this is domestic flight in order to change the airports. Here one word of warning... Please, check with your airline if your baggage will be tagged all the way to Manila or you will have to collect it and re-check at some point. This is very important detail.

Everything I have written for your flight to Manila is valid for your flight back, but you will apply for the temporary entry permit upon arrival at Chengdu airport because this will be your first landing in China. I hope this helps :)

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Answered by Karolina | Nov. 11, 2023 00:33

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Thank You so much! I never thought I should apply for a visa in Beijing.
The route to Manila is: arrival in Beijing (2 hours 40 minutes for transfer), then flight to Chengdu (3 hours), transfer time to change airports from CTU to TFU (10 hours), so total time is around 16 hours.
The route back is: arrival in Tianfu, transfer time to change airports from TFU to CTU (10 hours 35 minutes), flight to Beijing (3 hours) and transfer time in Beijing (6 hours 35 minutes). Total of about 20 hours.
I think we have to collect our baggage in Chengdu, but I’ll check with the airline and make sure of that.
Do you think 2 hours is enough time to get the 24 free visa stamp? We arrive and depart from terminal 3 in Beijing.
Thank you so much for your answers 🙏
Regards,
Karolina

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Answered by Kelly | Nov. 12, 2023 18:19

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The time may be a little tight and you may need to hurry up.

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Answered by Borut | Nov. 13, 2023 00:33

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Karolina, but you will not apply for any kind of visa in Beijing. You will apply just for a temporary enter permit. This is a permit that allows you to exit the airport and to proceed with your itinerary. This is not a visa, but something more like a ticket.

Also, I will reiterate that 2 hours and 40 minutes is really tight, so you should literally run from one to the other counter immediately after you land in Beijing!

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Answered by Karolina | Nov. 14, 2023 02:11

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Ok, thank you, I get it now. Well, I hope we can make it on time. Thanks again for your anwers!

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