Beijing and Tianjin Visa free for 144 hours

There are news articles all over the internet that China has extended to Beijing/Tianjin the 144 hour visa free entry they currently have for Shanghai. It mostly talks of people flying into the area. Anyone have info as to whether this applies if you arrive by cruise ship? We arrive Tianjin April 26th and fly out of Beijing April 29th so we would easily fit in the 144 hour window.

Getting China visa for the two of us will run close to $500 with fees, it would be nice to save that for spending money. :D

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/956087/144-hour-visa-free-stays-expanded-in-china/amp

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/28/c_136858115.htm

The first article mentioned certain cruise terminals / ports. Not sure if these apply to your cruise.

Travelers can arrive using in six entry points, two in each jurisdiction: Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing West Railway Station in the capital, Tianjin Binhai International Airport and Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport and Qinhuangdao seaport in Hebei province. Previously, the policy applied only at airports.

There are news articles all over the internet that China has extended to Beijing/Tianjin the 144 hour visa free entry they currently have for Shanghai. It mostly talks of people flying into the area. Anyone have info as to whether this applies if you arrive by cruise ship? We arrive Tianjin April 26th and fly out of Beijing April 29th so we would easily fit in the 144 hour window.

Getting China visa for the two of us will run close to $500 with fees, it would be nice to save that for spending money. :D

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/956087/144-hour-visa-free-stays-expanded-in-china/amp

 

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/28/c_136858115.htm

Thanks Bill for starting this thread. It would be great if this would work for us. Hoping to hear from cruisers who have current experience with this. My concern is will Royal Caribbean let us on the ship if we don't have a Chinese Visa? Like you.....we need to take care of this fairly soon.

The first article mentioned certain cruise terminals / ports. Not sure if these apply to your cruise.

 

Travelers can arrive using in six entry points, two in each jurisdiction: Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing West Railway Station in the capital, Tianjin Binhai International Airport and Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang Zhengding International Airport and Qinhuangdao seaport in Hebei province. Previously, the policy applied only at airports.

Thanks, Tianjin International Cruise Home Port in Tianjin should be the port we are arriving at.

Thanks Bill for starting this thread. It would be great if this would work for us. Hoping to hear from cruisers who have current experience with this. My concern is will Royal Caribbean let us on the ship if we don't have a Chinese Visa? Like you.....we need to take care of this fairly soon.

Hi Sue, the problem is we have news article but nothing from an official channel. It doesn't take long to get a visa so I guess I can put it off till February, just hate waiting so long in case there are any delays. :(

This seems to have more detail.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/free-transit-144hour.htm

OP is good (checked sources) - that $400 to $500 USD saved for 2 visas plus processing fees, etc. good for meals & lodging and ground transfer, etc.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/144hours-visa-free.htm

Sidenote - it is good for anyone flying into Guangzhou/Guangdong's 3 airports, stay & then exit to Hong Kong or Macau (continued onward ... i.e. to cruise/fly out of nearby Hong Kong or even Macau). It does not extended to cruises that disembark in Guangdon (not that many, if at all) - nor, help for anyone disembarking or stopping in Hong Kong & wish to make a day trip across the border into mainland China. Effective date of GZ's implementation has not yet been posted, as of this date.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangdong/144hours-visa-free.htm

Just make sure that the cruiseline is aware of the newest policies & exemptions, as they should. Money saved ($400 to $500 with fees & agent/broker's processing) is very good to be applied to ground transfer, lodging & meals for sightseeing ... or, to do a bit of local shopping. It's a win-win for all.

 

Just make sure that the cruiseline is aware of the newest policies & exemptions, as they should.

That's the part I'm most concerned with. We'll be on Ovation of the Seas and our cruise in April will be the first ending in Tianjin this year.

This link has specific info for cruise ship passengers so I'll be sure to reference it when I talk to RCI.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-12/28/c_136858115.htm

Edit to add - thanks to Bill for posting the link earlier.

Here is another article.

https://www.saporedicina.com/english/how-to-transit-china-for-72-hours-without-a-visa-the-complete-guide/

I found this part interesting.

Note that the countries of origin and destination cannot be the same. For this reason a ticket Rome-Shanghai-Milan won’t allow you an exemption; you’ll need a ticket such as Rome-Beijing-Tokyo or Rome-Shanghai-Seoul. The final destination can also be Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Since we are arriving on a cruise that started in Singapore and our flight out ends in the USA I would think we are ok.

Here is another article.

 

https://www.saporedicina.com/english/how-to-transit-china-for-72-hours-without-a-visa-the-complete-guide/

 

I found this part interesting.

 

Note that the countries of origin and destination cannot be the same. For this reason a ticket Rome-Shanghai-Milan won’t allow you an exemption; you’ll need a ticket such as Rome-Beijing-Tokyo or Rome-Shanghai-Seoul. The final destination can also be Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Yes, that's the same requirement as existed with previous versions of this scheme so hasn't changed.

That's the part I'm most concerned with. We'll be on Ovation of the Seas and our cruise in April will be the first ending in Tianjin this year.

I'll be joining her there for that arrival, so glad that this has now been introduced. Last visit I had to pay significant visa fees.

They had stated it would be done by the end of 2017, so just met the timeline by a whisker!

... we are arriving on a cruise that started in Singapore and our flight out ends in the USA I would think we are ok.

I would contact RCL by email, FB or Twitter to confirm & reaffirm their understanding; and, that guidelines are issued to the ships & their port agents abroad ... probably addressed in time. Cruises that sail this month, maybe not - odds are that those sailing shortly had already obtained PRC visas already ... last time we visited mainland China, we had our visas issued about 6 to 8 weeks ahead, just in case.

For the onward documentation - print out hard copies of airline eTicket(s) with (booking reference/ticket locator) confirmation & (PNR) details, etc. as proof, upon arrival at the port ... and, make sure it's valid & can be accessed online for review by border control, to ease & speed processing.

BTW, Shanghai is now open for the 72/144 hours TWOV rules, covered by the airlines in their TIMATIC reference sections.

You should be as far as TPAC airlines like Air China that fly direct into PVG or PEK, nonstop or otherwise as their ground staff & gate agents are familiar with it ... and have online access to their own resources to reference the policies & guidelines. Most certainly, by this March or April, these changes would've become routines to them.

 

I would contact RCL by email, FB or Twitter to confirm & reaffirm their understanding; and, that guidelines are issued to the ships & their port agents abroad ... probably addressed in time. Cruises that sail this month, maybe not - odds are that those sailing shortly had already obtained PRC visas already ... last time we visited mainland China, we had our visas issued about 6 to 8 weeks ahead, just in case.

 

For the onward documentation - print out hard copies of airline eTicket(s) with (booking reference/ticket locator) confirmation & (PNR) details, etc. as proof, upon arrival at the port ... and, make sure it's valid & can be accessed online for review by border control, to ease & speed processing.

 

BTW, Shanghai is now open for the 72/144 hours TWOV rules, covered by the airlines in their TIMATIC reference sections.

Thank you for the advice. My first attempt to contact RCL is through email. If that fails I will try by phone. I already have the printed hard copies of our departure tickets as I was going to need them for the visa.

Thanks again.

When we were on a Celebrity Cruise, I was able to contact the Documentation Officer on the ship by email and he confirmed the requirements (different from the 144 hour rule, but an issue we had to deal with in 2015) and also forwarded a copy of an email from the port agent that confirmed what we should do. The Celebrity staff in the US did not have an answer and only said we needed to get a Visa which in our case was not true.

I can't find any official information on the Chinese Visa situation. I have checked the Chinese Embassy web site and the UK Foreign travel advice service about any change in regulations for UK travellers (which usually means most other countries as well!) and there is no mention of not needing a visa. Does anyone have any official information about it? I think you are allowed to transit to the airport visa free but if you are wanting to stay in Beijing for a few days as we are then it looks to me as though you still need a visa. Visa fees are very very expensive so would be thrilled not to have to pay these!

I can't find any official information on the Chinese Visa situation. I have checked the Chinese Embassy web site and the UK Foreign travel advice service about any change in regulations for UK travellers (which usually means most other countries as well!) and there is no mention of not needing a visa. Does anyone have any official information about it? I think you are allowed to transit to the airport visa free but if you are wanting to stay in Beijing for a few days as we are then it looks to me as though you still need a visa. Visa fees are very very expensive so would be thrilled not to have to pay these!

You can certainly use it outside the airport. Outside of the US you almost never need a visa for airport only transfers. Your exact itinerary will determine your eligibility for this visa exemption for example you cant return to your origin as it is meant as a stopover visa. See the thread (below/above on a specific tricky exception).

After our Ovation cruise we are staying in Beijing for three days and are using a travel company to arrange our activities and lodgings. We were going to get our visa through them. I asked them to look into this and they responded that we should qualify for the 144 hours visa free visit.

This was the response:

We had someone in China call Tianjin International Cruise Port. Looks like you can use the 144-hour transit without visa if you have below:-

1) The nationality must be one of the listed (including American passport holders) - I believe you both are using American Passports

2) Must be departing by air flight from Beijing Capital International Airport for your case

3) Must be flying to the third country: in your case - you take cruise ship from Singapore to Tianjin, when flying out from China, you may not fly back to Singapore. You are good as you are flying to Seattle

4) You may not depart Beijing again within 144 hours

5) You need to provide a copy of your air ticket to the immigration while leaving China

- I believe you have everything above except I am not certain about your nationality. You do not have to show me, as long as you both are the passport holders of any of the listed in the website, you are good.

- Remember to print a copy of your air tickets to provide to the Chinese immigration while departing China.

Sounds good. :D

After our Ovation cruise we are staying in Beijing for three days and are using a travel company to arrange our activities and lodgings. We were going to get our visa through them. I asked them to look into this and they responded that we should qualify for the 144 hours visa free visit.

This was the response:

 

We had someone in China call Tianjin International Cruise Port. Looks like you can use the 144-hour transit without visa if you have below:-

1) The nationality must be one of the listed (including American passport holders) - I believe you both are using American Passports

2) Must be departing by air flight from Beijing Capital International Airport for your case

3) Must be flying to the third country: in your case - you take cruise ship from Singapore to Tianjin, when flying out from China, you may not fly back to Singapore. You are good as you are flying to Seattle

4) You may not depart Beijing again within 144 hours

5) You need to provide a copy of your air ticket to the immigration while leaving China

 

- I believe you have everything above except I am not certain about your nationality. You do not have to show me, as long as you both are the passport holders of any of the listed in the website, you are good.

- Remember to print a copy of your air tickets to provide to the Chinese immigration while departing China.

 

Sounds good. :D

Let's hope this will work. Now we need a positive answer from Royal Caribbean as to whether they will allow us to board without a full Chinese Visa.

Let's hope this will work. Now we need a positive answer from Royal Caribbean as to whether they will allow us to board without a full Chinese Visa.

From what I know of Royal Caribbean that is the hard part. They are always the last to figure things out. :rolleyes:

From what I know of Royal Caribbean that is the hard part. They are always the last to figure things out. :rolleyes:

This has also been my experience. Not with Royal Caribbean specifically but cruise lines more generally. They always seem to leaf through visas on boarding. Others seem to say cruise lines leave it up to passengers to sort out visas but not sure I would count on that.

OP is good (checked sources) - that $400 to $500 USD saved for 2 visas plus processing fees, etc. good for meals & lodging and ground transfer, etc.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/144hours-visa-free.htm

 

Sidenote - it is good for anyone flying into Guangzhou/Guangdong's 3 airports, stay & then exit to Hong Kong or Macau (continued onward ... i.e. to cruise/fly out of nearby Hong Kong or even Macau). It does not extended to cruises that disembark in Guangdon (not that many, if at all) - nor, help for anyone disembarking or stopping in Hong Kong & wish to make a day trip across the border into mainland China. Effective date of GZ's implementation has not yet been posted, as of this date.

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangdong/144hours-visa-free.htm

 

Just make sure that the cruiseline is aware of the newest policies & exemptions, as they should. Money saved ($400 to $500 with fees & agent/broker's processing) is very good to be applied to ground transfer, lodging & meals for sightseeing ... or, to do a bit of local shopping. It's a win-win for all.

Note sure what your point is. If one flies to Guangzhou visa-free and decide to go to Macau or HK, they need to do so by flying (which is a bit ridiculous).

Understand that this website is a tour agent. Nothing official and while it has been talked about, there is no such thing as a 144-hour visa free transit for Guangdong.

Here is another article.

 

https://www.saporedicina.com/english/how-to-transit-china-for-72-hours-without-a-visa-the-complete-guide/

 

I found this part interesting.

 

Note that the countries of origin and destination cannot be the same. For this reason a ticket Rome-Shanghai-Milan won’t allow you an exemption; you’ll need a ticket such as Rome-Beijing-Tokyo or Rome-Shanghai-Seoul. The final destination can also be Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan.

Since we are arriving on a cruise that started in Singapore and our flight out ends in the USA I would think we are ok.

This is totally wrong. The countries of origin and destination are irrelevant. All that matter for this visa exemption is the country where you immediately come from before entering China and going to immediately after China. The rest of the trip is irrelevant. It also means that the cruise cannot have other stops in China before heading out to another port.

This is totally wrong. The countries of origin and destination are irrelevant. All that matter for this visa exemption is the country where you immediately come from before entering China and going to immediately after China. The rest of the trip is irrelevant. It also means that the cruise cannot have other stops in China before heading out to another port.

Yup, that article was way off base. We will be fine as we are in Korea prior to arriving Tianjin and we fly out to the USA. However I may still have to get a visa as I cannot get anyone at Royal Caribbean to confirm they understand the change. Last thing I want is for them to refuse our boarding in Singapore because they still think we need a China visa to get off the ship. :mad:

I was contacted today by Royal Caribbean's front office and they confirmed they are aware we are not required to have a China visa for our upcoming cruise on Ovation. So we are good to go with our US passports and a nice cash savings. :D

Marie is looking forward to the extra spending money. ;p

Hi there!

You don't know how much of a relief it is to see your post! I have booked the same cruise and is paranoid Royal Caribbean won't let us board without a valid China visa. We really don't want to be spending over $800 for visas when we are leaving China the same day!

It would be great to get a written confirmation from Royal Caribbean. If you don't mind sharing, can I please have the email address which you contacted them on? Many thanks! :)

Hi there!

 

You don't know how much of a relief it is to see your post! I have booked the same cruise and is paranoid Royal Caribbean won't let us board without a valid China visa. We really don't want to be spending over $800 for visas when we are leaving China the same day!

 

It would be great to get a written confirmation from Royal Caribbean. If you don't mind sharing, can I please have the email address which you contacted them on? Many thanks! :)

This is what I posted on our cruise roll call

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=54973531&postcount=281