Shanghai Transit Visa

[lupinsmum]

Has anyone experience going through Shanghai port with a Transit Visa (Stay less than 24 hour ) if so were there any problems. I have read lots of articles which state that you do not require a Chineese visa if you stay for less that 24 hours and leave from a different country, which will be Japan. It seems a lot of work applying for a full visa if it's not required. Any information greatly received. I have emailed the Chineese Embassy in London and they have no idea, which I found strange, they only deal with Visas not Transit Visas. My next call will be to Celebrity as I don't want to get to Hong Kong and not be allowed to board. Many thanks.

SuziBx

[Project_gal]

If you read the full regulations online, they say that a transit visa is not applicable if you are leaving by ship [or, at least, that is what they said this February when we were replying]. They also warn [warned] that you would have problems if there was any unexpected delay in your departure. The Canadian and US China visa websites said similar things.

 

On our cruise Roll Call, a number of Americans insisted that they were eligible for a transit visa and that is what they were going to use despite a number of us questioning if it was worth the risk/stress. I do not know what they did in the end.

 

We did apply for a full visa. I followed the instructions precisely and it went very smoothly - both apply for the visa and passing through Immigration entering and leaving China. However, I witnessed people having great difficulties at all three stages - because, as far as I could see, they had not followed instructions to the letter.

 

It was a phaff and I chose stay in London for a week to reduce some of the issues but I am so glad that I made the effort. Seeing the stress of other was a reminder of of what could have happened.

[kitty9]

Transit Visas cannot be used for cruises, only for those flying into or out of China. There are two types of Transit Visas, 24 hour and 72 hour and require a plane ticket to exit China.

 

Here's the information from Visa China Site:

 

1. The confirmed seat onward ticket and valid visa to a third country or region (if required) are needed for entry. Based on the latest information, the 72 hours starts from 00:00 the day following the entry date in all the airports. For example, if an air passenger arrives in Guangzhou at 08:00 on June 2nd, then the latest time for him to leave is 23:59 on June 5. In this case, the actual stopover time is more than 72 hours. However, to play on the safe side, passengers are recommended to be more conservative and not to exceed the "strict 72 hours" which counts from the flights' scheduled arrival time to the departure time.

 

2. The flights to and from any of the thirteen cities should not stop beforehand in any other Chinese cities. Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are regarded as a third region. For instance, if a flight lands in Xian via Beijing, passengers are not able to enjoy the policy. If a flight passes USA – Beijing – Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, passengers are able to enjoy.

 

3. Only use flights to transfer in China. Passengers using other vehicles (including using flight for single trip) are not eligible to enjoy the policy.

 

4. Passengers are required to leave from the same airport that they arrive, except in Shanghai. In Shanghai, they are allowed to land in one airport and depart from the other.

 

As you can see, it's all about flights for this visa and not cruises. You will need a full visa and maybe even a multi entry visa.

[excitedofharpenden]

Unfortunately you'll need a full visa. I did a cruise into Shanghai and then a flight back home straight away. A transit visa won't cut it.

 

Phil