Travel Tip #1: How to Get into China Visa-Free – the 144 Hour Rule!

Read time: 5 minutes

TLDR:

• It’s possible for some people to get into China Visa-Free for up to 6 days
• Process:
  1. Check you have a passport from one of the 53 eligible countries
     • Valid for >6 months?
  2. Check whether the area you want to visit qualifies as an eligible region
  3. China must be the transit country (proof of onward ticket required)
  4. Book your flight tickets
  5. Arrive in China and fill out many different forms
  6. Enjoy China for 6 days 🙂

Preamble:

Hello Readers,

This post is different from my previous ones and will discuss how I got into China visa-free – a bit of a process which is quite new so I thought I’d share it here.

When I left Vancouver, I never imagined I’d end up in Asia, but here I am! My brother and mom found an inexpensive tour and we thought it would be great to see one another especially since it’s been over 6 months. Long story short, getting into China on a tourist visa as a Canadian is a bit challenging. To get the visa, one must have a letter of invitation, booked accommodations , passport photos and a booked flight. In my case, my family was booking an all-inclusive tour which, for 18 days, would be a total of $3000 + flight costs of ~$1000. I wasn’t able to get the visa in Albania and if I attempted it in Barcelona, my next stop, I still might not have received the visa by the time I would have to leave for China. Oh…and no refund for flight or tour costs so my risk was going to be ~$4000. Needless to say that even though we wanted to see each other, I’d have to take a pass. Fast forward 3 months and I came across the 144 hour transit rule.

The 144 Hour Visa-Free Transit

Implemented in 2023 to increase tourism post-covid, this lovely rule allows one to enter certain areas of China provided you’re from one of the 53 included countries and China is a transit country. Here’s my example:

144 Hour Visa Free Transit Rules	My Example/How I Qualified
One of the 53 included countries	Canadian Passport
Transitting through one of the qualified regions	Shanghai = included region
Transit Country = China – Country A –> China –> Country C	Country A (Taiwan) –> China –> Country C (Hong Kong)
Proof of onward ticket	Flight booked to Hong Kong
No stopovers	I’m only staying in Shanghai

Now the above stuff in the table is what to did before entering the country. Below are the websites I used to review the information. The first link has more detailed information, but didn’t look as official so I cross-referenced the information with the second. Also, I wasn’t sure if Taiwan and Hong Kong would qualify as other countries as they’re a bit of a grey area, but luckily they were. Thank you Reddit!

1. https://visaguide.world/asia/china-visa/transit-visa/144-hour-visa-free/#:~:text=To%20get%20a%20144%2Dhour,a%20confirmed%20seat%20and%20dates.
2. https://www.visaforchina.cn/BER2_EN/generalinformation/news/283420.shtml#:~:text=144%20hour%20visa%2Dfree%20transit&text=without%20a%20Chinese%20visa.,onward%20journey%20within%20144%20hours).

The Process:

Now there is quite a bit of stuff to organize and steps. It was a little intimidating, but to be honest, not as scary as my mind made it out to be. Either way, here’s some pictures and the process I went through for your convenience:

1. Prior to departure
   • Ensure eligibility and book your flights
   • Ensure passport is valid >6 months from entry into China
2. At the Departure Airport:
   • The person at the airport check-in desk will ask you for the ticket details of your next flight out of China.
3. On the Plane
   • Arrival Card – This was given to me on the plane
4. On Arrival
   • Fingerprints:
     • need to be scanned and you’ll get a little slip of paper that you need to take with you to the 24/144 hour counter
     • if your fingerprints aren’t being read by the machine, put a little water on them or use some rubbing alcohol
   • Head toward the 24/144 Hour Transit area and fill out the “Arrival/Departure Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners”
   • Get in line with the following: 1) Fingerprint Paper 2) Arrival Card 3) Arrival/Departure Card for Temporary Entry Foreigners 4) Passport 5) Ticket of flight/boat out of China

Summary

And voila! The visa-free entry into China. Of course, if you have questions then feel free to message me on the worldofwanderingminds Instagram. Shanghai is a wonderful place and worth a visit even for just a few days. Definitely not the easiest of processes nor for a long period, but certainly easier than having to get a visa.

Wishing you happy travels 🙂

~Tracy