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Asked by Harry from Vietnam | Jan. 04, 2025 22:49
About:24-Hour Visa-Free Transit

25 hours layover at Bejing

Hi, I plan to fly from Hanoi to Bejing (then to Tokyo), my arrival time is 10:15 and departure time is 11:20 the next day so it is 25 hours and 5 minutes layover which beyond the 24 hour visa free transit but I would like to go out to take a free layover tour because I take this route just for the free tour and because the visa fee is pretty much expensive.
Do i need to apply for a transit visa in advance? and how long does it allow me to stay in China? if it is valid for like 2-3 days then i can fly to Shanghai and depart to Tokyo from there.
Thanks in advance!

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Answers (3)
Answered by Borut | Jan. 06, 2025 03:24
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Harry, since the layover is longer than 24 hours, you will have to obtain a Chinese transit (G) visa in advance. This type of visa is tied to your flight itinerary and the entire length of your stay in China cannot surpass roughly 7 days. Please, be careful because if you ask for more days, you are running a risk to be forced to apply for a tourist (L) visa that is somewhat more complicated to obtain. I would advise you not to go over 3 days when using a transit visa. So, plan your flights accordingly. By the way, the usual fees for a transit visa are practically the same as for a tourist visa. You should check what it is the situation with a Chinese visa in Vietnam.
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Answered by Harry | Jan. 07, 2025 01:58
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Thanks Borut for your reply!
I looked up on google and saw the temporary permit sticker for 24 hour visa free transit like for example: Date of entry 01/04 - Stay until 02/4 (no exact times on the sticker)
so let's say if I arrive at 10:15 on 01/04 and depart at 11:20 on 02/04. My temporary permit should be Date of entry 01/04 - Stay until 02/04. Does that mean until 23:59 on 02/04? and I don't need a transit visa because I depart at 10:20 on 02/04? or they won't issue me a temporary permit because the layover is past 24-hour based on arrival and departure times on the boarding passes?
sorry it's still kind of confused to me.
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Answered by Borut | Jan. 07, 2025 02:20
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Harry, unfortunately, you are not eligible for 24 hour visa free transit. Please, do not look at the stickers or similar because the real times are deposited in the computerized system. It is only the scheduled times that matter when we talk about 24 hour visa free transit. Also, the transit time is counted from the time of your scheduled arrival in China until the time of your scheduled departure from China. If the transit time, counted as I have explained, exceeds 24 hours just for 1 minute, you will be denied boarding the plane in Hanoi. Trust me, there was not any other explanation or interpretation from the one I have just presented. I'm really sorry, but you will have to obtain a Chinese transit (G) visa for this journey.
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