Many travelers choose connecting flights or flights with transfers: they are attracted by the cost of tickets and the opportunity to see the city where they stop. Each state has its own visa rules for transit. There are special requirements in the PRC: in some Chinese provinces it is allowed to stay without a visa, for a transfer in others, a transit visa to China must be issued. Before planning a trip through the territory of the country, you need to figure out on what conditions a visa-free stay is possible and how to properly issue a visa for transit.
What is a transit permit
A transit visa is a document that entitles you to a short-term stay in a country that is a point of transfer (travel). To obtain such a visa, you must provide a ticket to the destination and a visa of the country of destination (if necessary).
The validity of a transit visa is from 24 hours to 10 days. It depends on the state of residence and the citizenship of the applicant.
You need to apply for a visa in such cases:
- if the passenger wants to leave the transit zone while waiting for the next flight;
- if there is no transit zone at the airport where the transfer is made;
- if necessary, change the airport or move from one terminal to another;
- when transferring in the USA, Canada, Australia;
- when it is planned to make two or more transfers on the territory of the Schengen states.
As a rule, you do not need to apply for a transit visa if the duration of the connection is no more than 24 hours and you do not plan to leave the transit zone, or when there is an agreement on visa-free transit between the states.
Transit through China
Different regions of China have different visa rules. If you plan to transfer at one of the country's airports, you need to pay attention to how long you can stay on its territory without a permit.
Mandatory Chinese transit visa is issued in a situation when:
- there is a transfer from one type of transport to another (from an airplane to a train, ferry, bus, car);
- the arrival of the flight is carried out in one city, and the departure is from the airport of another city;
- transfer is planned at Yanzi and Fuzhou airports;
- transit stop time through Urumqi does not exceed 2 hours.
Persons who want to know exactly whether Russians need a visa to Urumqi, if the transit time is more than 2 hours, are advised to ask this question on travel forums before traveling. Many tourists claim that the waiting time for the next flight should not exceed 24 hours.
In most cities of the country, you do not need to apply for a transit visa if the total duration of stops is no more than 24 hours. Several stops in China are allowed during this time.
The passenger must have:
- a single air ticket for the entire route (only in English);
- valid international passport;
- boarding pass for the next flight;
- tear-off spine of the boarding pass from the previous flight;
- visa of the country to which it is going, or the state of the next transit.
It is important to remember that the transit time starts from midnight on the day following the arrival.
Passengers from some countries, including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, are allowed to transit through China without a visa for up to 72 and 144 hours.
The following rules for visa-free stay apply:
- applies only to persons who travel by plane;
- only one stopover is allowed in China;
- the country of departure and destination must be different;
- arrival and departure must be made from the same airport (for example, a foreigner is not allowed to fly out of Shenzhen if a transfer is made in Beijing or Guangzhou);
- you cannot leave the cities and provinces in which visa-free transit is allowed.
In which areas you can stay without a visa for three days
A transit stop for 72 hours is possible at the following Chinese airports:
- Chongqing;
- Xi'an (allowed to stay within the cities of Xi'an and Xianyang);
- Guilin;
- Harbin;
- Changsha (can be located on the territory of Hunan province);
- Guangzhou (if the transit is in Guangzhou, it is allowed to stay in the territory of Guangdong province).
The 72-hour visa-free transit countdown starts from the moment you receive a permit at the airport.
Where visa-free transit is allowed for 6 days
In some cities of China, Russians and other foreigners are allowed to stay for 144 hours. Visa-free transit is valid when entering and leaving through the airports of the cities:
- Beijing;
- Shanghai (within Shanghai, you can be in transit through Pudong or Hongqiao airports);
- Dalian;
- Shenyang;
- Hangzhou (you cannot leave the territory of Zhejiang province);
- Tianjin;
- Nanjing (you can move around the territory of Jiangsu province);
- Shijiazhuang (you cannot travel outside Hebei Province).
Since January 2021, the PRC authorities have optimized the current regime and extended the visa-free transit time from 72 to 144 hours in the following cities:
- Chengdu;
- Kunming;
- Wuhan;
- Xiamen;
- Qingdao (allowed to be in Shandong province).
If you plan to stay in one of these cities for a longer period or your destination is in another region of the country, you need to apply for a transit visa. For example, you will need a transit visa to Shanghai for Russians if the final stop of the route is Taiwan.
Features of the visa regime
Russians may not apply for a visa if they fly to the following regions of China:
- Hong Kong. According to an agreement between the governments of Russia and Hong Kong, it is allowed to enter the area for tourism purposes without a visa for a period not exceeding 14 days.
- Macau. Visa-free entry to the territory of the administrative region is allowed for up to 30 days.
- Sunfenghe. Visiting the border zone without a visa is allowed for up to 15 days.
It is possible to apply for a visa upon arrival at such airports:
- Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport. They issue a transit visa for up to 7 days, you must provide air tickets to your destination with departure from Dalian, a photo and pay a fee of $ 14 for registration.
- Hailar and Sijiao: you can apply for a single entry visa for 30 days, you will need a passport and an invitation from a Chinese travel agency.
- Sanya or Haikou (Hainan Island): Individual travelers can apply for a transit visa for up to 14 days. This can be done if the following requirements are met:
- arrive on a direct international flight;
- provide a foreign passport, one photo (color), a completed visa application form (in English or Chinese, black paste);
- have an air ticket in the opposite direction, confirmation of hotel booking, insurance policy;
- pay a fee of $ 69.
You can enter Hainan Island on the group visa-free list. To do this, you need to purchase a package tour. As part of a tourist group (at least 2 people for Russian citizens), entry to the island is allowed for up to 30 days.
To enter Tibet, you need a Chinese visa and permission from the tourism office of the Autonomous Region. You will need to purchase a group tour in a travel agency in Russia, Nepal, China. The list of documents for obtaining a permit must contain a questionnaire, which indicates the personal data of the applicant, the dates of the visit, the route of travel.
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Obtaining a visa
In the country of residence, you must apply to the Chinese diplomatic mission to obtain a transit visa.The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Moscow operates on the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as consulates general located in:
- Irkutsk;
- Yekaterinburg;
- Khabarovsk;
- St. Petersburg;
- Vladivostok.
The Chinese Visa Center is in charge of issuing the permit. Its main office is located in Moscow, its branch is in Rostov-on-Don.
To apply for a transit visa to China, you need to take the following steps:
- Prepare documents.
- Submit the papers to the Chinese diplomatic mission. Visa documents are submitted no earlier than 3 months before the date of entry into China.
- Pay the consular fee
- Obtain a foreign passport with a visa.
Preparation of documents
You will need the following documents:
- passport (original and copy) valid for at least 6 months at the time of application;
- color photograph 33 × 48 mm;
- a completed application form (form V. 2021), the form is issued at the consulate or can be downloaded from the website of the China Visa Application Center in the "Documents" section;
- copy of a civil passport;
- air ticket or ticket for other transport;
- a visa to the country that is the final destination on the route (if needed).
Documents for a minor child
If a child is traveling with a transit passenger, you must additionally provide copies of:
- birth certificates;
- notarized consent to leave (if the child is not flying with his parents or with one of them);
- passports of both parents.
Processing time and fees
When applying for a visa to the diplomatic mission of the PRC in Russia, the applicant pays a consular fee in the amount of:
- single entry visa - RUB 3,300;
- double entry - 6 600 rubles;
- multiple entry - 9,900 rubles.
Additionally, the bank charges a commission of 2.5% when paying with bank cards.
In case of contacting the visa center, you will have to pay for its services. As a rule, a transit visa is issued within 5-6 business days.
It is possible to apply for an urgent visa. In this case, the document will be issued in 1–2 working days, the amount of the consular fee will be higher: additional payment for urgency - 2,000 rubles, for express registration - 4,600 rubles.
The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Yekaterinburg does not provide urgent processing services.
Reasons why you can get a refusal
A Chinese transit visa may be refused in the following cases:
- incomplete package of documents provided;
- mistakes were made in the questionnaire;
- the applicant had previously violated China's visa regulations;
- provided false information or false documents;
- the applicant poses a threat to the security of the PRC.
For violation of the visa regime by a foreign citizen (did not receive a visa, exceeded the period of stay, left the city in which it is allowed to stay during transit without a visa), in accordance with the legislation of the PRC, an administrative penalty is applied.
According to Article 78 of the Law of the People's Republic of China "On Control of Entry and Exit", the Chinese authorities can issue a warning, punish with a fine of 500 yuan for every day of illegal stay (but not more than 10,000 yuan), impose an administrative arrest for a period of 5 to 15 days.
In some cases, a foreigner may be denied visa-free transit the next time.
Basic moments
China is loyal to transit passengers. In many airports, you can stay up to 24 hours without a special visa. In some provinces, visa-free transit is valid for up to 72 or 144 hours.
Among the basic requirements: you can only travel by plane, arrival and departure must be carried out from the same airport, you cannot leave the territory of the province (city) in which you are allowed to stay without a visa permit.
If you need a transit visa, you can issue the document within a few days.
