Question

Asked by Thi from vietnam | Mar. 02, 2026 10:08

About:24-Hour Visa-Free Transit

Vietnamese National - Vietnam to UK through China

I am a Vietnamese national visiting home in Hai Phong, I am retuning to my home in the UK via China. I am travelling via HAN to SZX then SZX to CTU, I would then need to leave the airport to travel to TFU in order to fly to LHR. Would I be granted 24-hour visa-free entry permit to make the drive from CTU to TFU?

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Answers (2)

Answered by Borut | Mar. 03, 2026 08:33

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Part 1:

Do I properly understand that your itinerary is:

Hanoi (HAN) - Shenzhen (SZX) - Chengdu (CTU) transfer to Chengdu (TFU) - London (LHR)

This itinerary is fine, but you should take care that your entire transit time, counting from your first scheduled landing in China (in your case in Shenzhen - SZX) until your final scheduled departure from China (in your case from Chengdu - TFU) is shorter than 24 hours! If this is the case, you are eligible for 24 hour visa free transit and you do not need any kind of visa.

Here is what will you do upon your landing in Shenzhen - SZX:

1. Fill out arrival card and tick the box on it where it is written - transit
2. Perform fingerprinting at automatic fingerprinting machine
3. Approach 24/240 hour visa free transit counter where you will present your passport, flight tickets, arrival card and fingerprinting receipt. Here you will apply for a temporary entry permit to be allowed to exit the transit zone of Shenzhen airport. This is free of any charge and also it is necessary because your flight to Chengdu - CTU will be a purely domestic flight.
4. When you have obtained a temporary entry permit you will head to the immigration and finally to the gate for your flight to Chengdu - CTU

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Answered by Borut | Mar. 03, 2026 08:44

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Part 2:

Here is what will you do upon landing in Chengdu - CTU:

1. You will collect your luggage and head to the airport bus station.
2. Take a through Tianfu Airport - Shuangliu Airport Special Line bus. It departs hourly and this is by far the best service you can use for a transfer between the two airports. A ride takes roughly 80 minutes.
3. Upon arrival at Chengdu - TFU, perform a check-in for your flight to London - LHR
4. Cross the exit immigration
5. Head to the gate for your flight to London - LHR

As you can see, you will be definitely granted a temporary entry permit in Shenzhen that is your first point of landing into China. This is the rule that the immigration formalities are always performed at the very first point of landing in China. Now, you should just count (calculate) your total transit time in China and you will also see at the moment of your check-in in Hanoi whether your luggage will be tagged to Chengdu - CTU or just until Shenzhen - SZX. In any case this is not a problem, but you should be informed. You will hardly any answer on this question before your flight or better to say you will get it at the moment of your check-in in Hanoi. You will definitely have to transfer your luggage by yourself from CTU to TFU, but this is not a problem, especially if you take a bus line that I have presented to you. Have a nice journey.

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