Question

Asked by Andrea from czech republic | Jun. 26, 2024 07:07

About:Visa on Arrival

Transit in Shenzhen

Hello,

I am a citizen of the Czech Republic and I will be visiting Hong Kong in October. I will have a layover in Beijing on the way there (144-hour visa-free transit). On the way back, I would like to take the train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and fly back from there. Am I eligible for a visa-free transit in Shenzhen in this scenario or do I need/am I eligible for a VOA?

The itinerary would look as follows:
Flight from Vienna→ Beijing (144-hour visa-free transit in Beijing)
Flight from Beijing→ Hong Kong (stay in Hong Kong for a few days, including 1-2 day trip to Macau)
Train to Shenzhen (stay 1-2 days)
Flight from Shenzhen→Vienna

Is there anything I need to keep in mind in terms of the visa/visa-free transfer eligibility - to be completely safe and not to risk being rejected?

Many thanks in advance!

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Answers (2)

Answered by Borut | Jun. 26, 2024 23:39

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Andrea, the situation is simple. Your whole itinerary is doable and you do not need any Chinese visa obtained in advance, but there is one easy detail that you should alter it in order to be perfectly within the rules.

This is a detail where you plan to take a train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen. This is not allowed when you plan to obtain a Shenzhen VOA. Train is only allowed to those who do not need a visa at all or to those with visas obtained in advance. So, you will dismiss this direct train option and you will take a local train to Lo Wu (Luohu) border crossing where you will apply for a Shenzhen VOA. The price is 130 CNY and you will pay for it by your card.

When your Shenzhen VOA is granted, you will just proceed into Shenzhen and stay there until the departure of your flight to Vienna. I assume that you plan to take a direct Hainan Airlines flight from Shenzhen to Vienna and if I am correct, you are definitely allowed to do that because this flight does not have any additional landing anywhere in mainland China.

To conclude, your first segment: Vienna - Beijing - Hong Kong will be done by using 144 hour visa free transit and your second segment Hong Kong - Shenzhen - Vienna will be done by obtaining a Shenzhen VOA at Lo Wu (Luohu) border crossing, but not by taking a direct high speed train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, but with a local train from Hong Kong to Lo Wu. This is all fairly straightforward. You should be at Lo Wu at least at 08:30 in order to proceed with the obtaining a Shenzhen VOA with absolute peace of mind.

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Answered by Andrea | Jun. 27, 2024 06:49

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Thank you so much! This is very helpful.
Have a great day.

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