Question

Asked by Sky from singapore | Aug. 14, 2025 19:49

About:Visa on Arrival

240hours visa free program

Hi Borut,
I am Indonesian citizen.
I will be traveling from Singapore -> Hongkong Airport (without clearing custom immigration, i intend to take CKS ferry from SkyPier to Shekou Port) -> Shenzhen -> train to Hongkong west Kowloon -> fly back to Singapore.
In above scenario, do I qualify for the 240hours visa free program to China (Shekou port)?
Appreciate your kind advice.
Thanks and regards,
Sky

Reply

Answers (3)

Answered by Borut | Aug. 15, 2025 05:23

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Unfortunately, your itinerary is not eligible for 240 hour visa free transit. Your itinerary has its both immediate points, before and after mainland China, in just one territory - Hong Kong. It is irrelevant if you have bypassed Hong Kong immigration formalities because your ferry will arrive from Hong Kong territory. This is quite a usual mistake done by many. You can make your itinerary eligible for 240 hour visa free transit by inserting Macau into the equation, for example HKIA - Macau (you can use a bus from HKIA Skypier) - Shenzhen (by ferry to Shekou, this segment is operated by Turbojet ferries) - Hong Kong by train to Hong Kong west Kowloon station. If this is too complicated and you will stay in Shenzhen only, maybe the best solution would be Shenzhen 5 day visa on arrival that has quite an affordable price of 130 CNY. When you are done with your stay in Shenzhen, you can take a train or any other mean of transport to Hong Kong. In any case and whatever option you decide to take I wish you a nice stay in Shenzhen.

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Answered by Sky | Aug. 17, 2025 23:10

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Hi Borut,
Thanks for the reply and clarification.
I cant add Macau to the equation due to the tight itinerary in Shenzhen and Hongkong..
In this case, I think Shenzhen VOA is my best option. However, is it guaranteed that i will be granted the VOA once i arrived at Shekou port? or would it be better if i apply for full China Tourist Visa? The VOA cost about SGD23, whereas full China Tourist Visa is SGD99..

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Answered by Borut | Aug. 19, 2025 01:12

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Sky, you as a traveler should be aware that the issuing of VOA is never guaranteed to anybody. However, when arriving by ferry to Shekou, it means that your VOA will be almost certainly granted because this is by far the most successful way how to obtain one. Also, when you present the fact that you already possess the train ticket that you will use to leave Shenzhen toward Hong Kong (maybe even accommodation booking confirmation), there is no reason why would you be denied VOA. If I were you I would have proceed with VOA plan without any doubt. You should just be aware that Shenzhen VOA limits you to Shenzhen city limits only and the payment of Shenzhen VOA (130 CNY) should be done by a bank card (cashless). All major global cards are accepted.

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