Question

Asked by Sydney from usa | Jan. 05, 2026 17:50

About:240-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Is this an eligible route?

Hello,

I was hoping you could confirm this route for me for eligibility on the 240 hours.

I will be arrivng in Shanghai from Japan on the evening of 10/21/2026. Then I will be going on two back to back cruises from there after a couple of days, both departing from Shanghai.

Cruise 1 (departing 10/24/2026) > Japan for 8 days > Returning to Shanghai the morning of 11/01/2026.
Cruise 2 (departing 11/01/2026) > Japan for 5 days > Landing in Hong Kong on 11/06/2026.

It appears that the time I land into Shanghai and leave for the second cruise is within the 240 hour requirement. is that correct?

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Answers (1)

Answered by Borut | Jan. 06, 2026 02:54

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Sydney, am I correct that your entire itinerary will be:

Japan - Shanghai (10/21/2026 - 10/24/2026) - Japan - Shanghai (11/01/2026 - 11/01/2026) - Japan - Hong Kong

If I am correct, I have to disappoint you because you have two segments in your itinerary that are not eligible for any kind of visa free transit, being it 24 or 240 hour visa free transit. I will explain.

The basic rule for visa free transit is that the immediate points before and after your visit to China have to be located in two different countries or eligible territories (eligible territories are Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau). As you can see, your first segment has: Japan - China - Japan shape. This is not eligible because this is not a transit, but a round trip (return type of journey). There is no a third country or eligible territory.

Also, during your second segment, it is the same Japan - China - Japan pattern. Again, there is no country / eligible territory as C country. Again, this is not a transit, but just a round trip. Just to make you everything clear and plain, here are some examples of eligible itineraries:

US - mainland China - Japan
Japan - mainland China - South Korea
Japan - mainland China - Hong Kong

Just to conclude, if you cannot alter your itinerary, you will have to apply for a Chinese visa in advance. Fortunately, you have plenty of time to do that without any hurry. I am sorry for bringing you those inconvenient news, but it is better to be well informed on time than to be disappointed just a couple of days before your departure.

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