China 144hr Visa Question

Jon, your itinerary is fine both ways and eligible for 144 hour visa free transit in both Beijing and Shanghai. Also, you should use correct terminology because this is not 144 hour visa, but 144 hour visa free transit, so there is no visa of any kind involved.

The most important details within your itinerary are:

Hong Kong - Beijing - Tokyo

If you do not have any additional landing within mainland China beside Beijing, you will enjoy 144 hour visa free transit valid for a wider Beijing area.

Tokyo - Shanghai - Brazil

This is also fine, but since there is no any nonstop flight between Shanghai and Brazil, you will have some stop between them. You should be very careful that such a stop is not in Japan because the basic rule for 144 hour visa free transit clearly states that the immediate points before and after your mainland Chinese stop have to be in two different countries or eligible territories (eligible territories are Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau). So, if your immediate point after Shanghai is in a country or territory different than Japan, you can proceed with your travel plans. Have a nice journey.

Hi,
Thanks for the reply, we are flying from Shanghai to Paris and then onto Brazil. I think our final plan is going to be Brazil to Hong Kong via Paris, then onto Taiwan flying to Beijing direct avoiding any stopovers and onto Tokyo. Then flying back to Shanghai from Tokyo and back to Brazil via Paris.

Good. So, your planned itinerary will be:

Brazil - Paris - Hong Kong - Taiwan - Beijing - Tokyo

Tokyo - Shanghai - Paris - Brazil

This is all fine because the immediate stops before and after your mainland Chinese stops are in two different countries or eligible territories. I confirm that your itinerary is eligible for 144 hour visa free transit in both Beijing and Shanghai. Enjoy in your journey.