Answered by Borut | Jul. 15, 2024 23:17
Rafael, if you are a German citizen you should know that you can enter China absolutely visa free for stay of up to 15 days in the same way as you travel to UK, for example. In other words, you do not have to bother yourself about any single detail of visa free transit or similar. You will just fill out arrival card that will be dispensed in the plane before your landing in Beijing and proceed to the immigration with your passport and the mentioned card to enjoy your time and to have a good night rest in the hotel that you can definitely book in advance. That's it.
If you are a citizen of a country that needs a visa to enter China, then you will approach transit counter immediately upon your landing in Beijing and apply there for a temporary entry permit by presenting your flight and your accommodation booking confirmation. This application is free of any charge. Please, just use correct terminology because there is no any visa here in question, but a temporary entry permit is the one that will allow you to exit the airport. Based on your layover, I would say that your chances to be granted a permit a very good, but you really never know until you apply for one. There is no absolute guarantee that you will be granted a permit because this permit is not a passenger's right, but a bonus offered by Chinese authorities in case of very long layovers, to physically disabled persons, to families with small children and/or similar. In any case, I repeat, your chances to be granted a permit are very good, so you are advised to do exactly what I have explained.