Question

Asked by Dhanushaka Ruwan from sri lanka | Jan. 26, 2026 23:12

About:24-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Transit Visa Inquiry for Sri Lankan Passport Holder – Air China Multi-City Transit

I hope this message finds you well.

I am a Sri Lankan passport holder currently residing in Japan, and I would like to inquire about visa requirements for my upcoming round-trip travel between Japan and Sri Lanka. My itinerary includes transit stops in two cities within China in both directions. All flights are booked on a single ticket, and all segments are operated by the same airline, Air China.

Below are my travel details:

Outbound Journey: Tokyo (NRT) → Colombo (CMB)
Date: April 23–24, 2026
Route: Narita → Shanghai Pudong → Chengdu Tianfu → Colombo

Flights:
CA920 — Narita (NRT) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG) (10h waiting)
CA4592 — Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) (5h waiting)
CA425 — Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) to Colombo (CMB)

Return Journey: Colombo (CMB) → Tokyo (NRT)
Date: May 10–11, 2026
Route: Colombo → Chengdu Tianfu → Shanghai Pudong → Narita
Flights:
CA426 — Colombo (CMB) to Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) (4h waiting)
CA4513 — Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) to Shanghai Pudong (PVG) (3h waiting)
CA919 — Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Narita (NRT)

Transit details in China:
• Outbound total transit time: approximately 22 hours
• Return total transit time: approximately 8 hours
• I intend to remain within the international transit area and do not plan to enter China.

I would be grateful if you could kindly clarify:

Whether this itinerary qualifies for the 24-hour visa-free transit policy

Whether transiting through two Chinese cities on the same Air China ticket affects eligibility

Whether a Transit (G) visa is required in advance for a Sri Lankan passport holder in this situation

Thank you very much for your time and assistance. I appreciate your guidance.

Reply

Answers (2)

Answered by Borut | Jan. 27, 2026 04:00

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Part 1:

Dhanushaka Ruwan, the best thing is that your entire itinerary is eligible for 24 hour visa free transit both ways and you do not need a visa at all. In reality, you do not have to do anything in advance and you can travel with absolute peace of mind.

Travelling through Chinese cities is definitely allowed under 24 hour visa free transit and this is something that is not new. Traveling through more than one city is allowed already for many years and the criterion is always the same, the transit cannot be longer than 24 hours.

You do not need a transit visa. You do not need any kind of visa. There are some formalities upon your landing and here I will explain them to you:

You will not be able to stay within the transit area because your flight Shanghai to Chengdu and Chengdu to Shanghai are not international, but purely domestic flights. For this reason, you will do the following upon your landing in Shanghai:

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Answered by Borut | Jan. 27, 2026 04:06

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Part 2:

- You are advised to have your flight tickets as printouts or at least as good screenshots on your smartphone
- Upon landing in Shanghai you will fill out arrival card and tick transit in the appropriate box on the arrival card
- Perform fingerprinting at automatic fingerprinting machine
- Approach 24/240 hour visa free transit counter where you will present your flight tickets, your arrival card and fingerprinting receipt
- You will receive a temporary entry permit in your passport
- You will cross the immigration
- Since your arrival in Shanghai will be in the evening you will maybe want to have an overnight in the hotel, but if you want to stay at the airport, you are free to do that
- If you remain at the airport, you can go to departure area in order to have a nap on the airport chairs while waiting for your flight to Chengdu.
- When you arrive in Chengdu you will head to the exit immigration and to the gate for your flight to Colombo

On your way back to Japan, you will do exactly the same, but all your formalities will be performed in Chengdu as Chengdu will be your first point of landing in China. Also, here you will have shorter transit times and you will not have an overnight waiting time for your following flight. In any case, just follow the instructions presented in these two posts and have a nice journey.

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